Image Resolution for Printing Photos

I am not sure if the resolution/files size requirements are the same for both inkjets (e.g. Epson) and taking your camera's SD card to a local self-serve kiosk (e.g. CVS).
I have been taking photos at the larger file size with my Canon Powershot and importing them into iPhoto. But I just realize that I am going to have a gigantic iPhoto library a lot sooner then expected.
But let's say I wanted to print theses images to a typical 4" x 6" dimension gloss paper stock. What is the rule of thumb in terms of minimum/ideal resolution and file size of the image(s) that I want to print? What about 8.5" x 11"?
Below is the available settings for my camera:
L = 4000 x 3000 = 12MB file
M1 = 3264 x 2448 = 8MB file
M2 = 2592 x 1944 = 5 MB file
M3 = 1600 x 1200 = 2MB file
S = 640 x 480 = 0.3 MB file
Sometime when I open the original JPG in Photoshop the resolution is at 72 lpi. Other times it will be 180 lpi. I guess I am trying to get a sense of what resolution I should set my camera at and what adjustments do I need to make (if any) when it is time to print to paper stock.

The rule of thumb is 300 dpi. But it's  rule of thumb and you can get excellent images from 180 or less with a: a good printer and b: (most importantly) a good shot, well focused and exposed.
So to find out the maximum you'll get at 300dpi from your list, just divide the numbers by 300: 4000 x 3000 / 300 = 13.3 x 10 print.
For my money: set your camera to the best quality and size always. It's easy to through throw away bits og a photo, but you can't add in missing bits after the fact. Maximum everything gives you most margin for error.
If you're worried about space then remember you can run a Library from an external drive:
Make sure the drive is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
1. Quit iPhoto
2. Copy the iPhoto Library from your Pictures Folder to the External Disk.
3. Hold down the option (or alt) key while launching iPhoto. From the resulting menu select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new location. From that point on this will be the default location of your library.
4. Test the library and when you're sure all is well, trash the one on your internal HD to free up space.
Regards
TD

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