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Question

72 DPI PDF Illustrator

Forum|Forum|9 years ago
March 29, 2017
2 replies
3371 views

Hello!

I am struggling to save a PDF out of Illustrator at 72dpi.

We are creating flat design webpages, however we need to save them as PDFs (not our decision). When we save as a PDF in Illustrator (or any Adobe program), it saves it as 300dpi. An example of this is our artboards are 1920px, but when it saves the PDF, this changes to 8000px.

How can we keep our widths as 1920px and a PDF?

All the best,

Sam

This topic has been closed for replies.

T

Test Screen Name

Legend

A PDF does not have a dimension in pixels. Not at all. It has a dimension in inches or mm.

A PDF does not have *a* resolution. It may contain images. If it contains images they will of course have a resolution, each one may be different. If it has no images it cannot be said to have a resolution.

A PDF saved from Photoshop often contains just one image and hence just one resolution. A PDF saved from Illustrator of vector artwork typically has no images and hence no resolution.

Various simple tools claim to present the "resolution of a PDF". Because this is a nonsense concept, don't trust such tools!

Similarly in Illustrator you CANNOT DESIGN IN PIXELS. It looks as if you can, but you can't. Only inches/mm. Some can insist all they want that they want a "72 dpi PDF" or a PDF with certain pixel dimensions. I'm sure you can make something to please them, even if their requirements make no sense...!

John Mensinger

Community Expert

Yes, ^all true, and exactly why Photoshop invites you to specify a resolution when you ask it to import a PDF; the equivalent of converting it to an image.

John Mensinger

Community Expert

Hmmm...can't reproduce it here. If I set up a new Illustrator file, using the Web document preset (and its defaults), and set the width to 1920px, I get a PDF of 26.67 (1920/72) inches wide no matter how I generate the PDF; Save As, Export, Export for Screens, etc.

our artboards are 1920px, but when it saves the PDF, this changes to 8000px.

Well, that would be the right width @300ppi, but how are you determining that's the resolution of the PDF?

S

swaters90Author

Participant

Hi John,

So when I drag the file into Photoshop, the opening options are 8000px wide and 300dpi. When I reduce this to 72dpi, it goes to 1920px.

Cheers,

Sam

John Mensinger

Community Expert

So when I drag the file into Photoshop, the opening options are 8000px wide and 300dpi.

Okay, but that's not a measurement of the PDF. The 300ppi setting in the Import PDF dialog is "sticky" ...as in, it sticks there from the previous import. Photoshop is reading it as a vector graphic which you can choose to rasterize at any resolution you choose.

Choose 72 and import.

Then repeat and see now that the 72 has "stuck."

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