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In Illustrator have 13 artboards that at 100% zoom level appear to be my desired size (9.4 by 4.7 inches). When I hold my ruler up to my monitor (WQHD), it's the exact size I want. I want to export for screens, but I cannot get any exported version to appear on my screen again in any other place (Photoshop, Portfolio, default Windows photos app) as 9.4x4.7 inches. They all report the same pixel dimension (677x339) and roughly the same smaller appearance. Even when I export a simple rectangle at my desired size, it still appears smaller everytime.
I initially had my document set up in inches, and then switched it to pixels after my artwork and artboards were on some janky half-pixel sizes. When I export, I use the export-for-screen option. I'm aware that typical screen resolution is 72ppi. When I switched my doc setup from inches to pixels, I made sure that I was using whole pixel values, and that my document was indeed 677x339 pixels. I multiplied my desired file size in inches by 72, and rounded up. I would assume that's the appropriate course of action here, but that still didn't work. I created 2 new documents in Photoshop, each 9.4x4.7, one at 72ppi and the other at 300 ppi. The first one is too small and the second one is too big. So I have no idea why photoshop and illustrator keep treating these sizes differently. I consider myself decently proficient in Illustrator and a little less so in Photoshop, I've been using them for a little under 10 years, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what's going on. I'm not sure if it's because Illustrator seems to handle pixels a little bit differently, but it also seems to be the only one handling my file "right".
Thanks in advance for the help!!
When you checked the size with the ruler, how was the 100% option in Preferences > General set up?
Did it show print size or not?
When doing screen design, what you usually want to see is that one imge pixel (that Illustrator converts with that 72 ppi setting) matches one monitor hardware pixel.
Photoshop does it that way by default.
In Illustrator that setting is important.
What are you designing for? For print or for screen?
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NOTE - I am trying to export as PNGs.
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When you checked the size with the ruler, how was the 100% option in Preferences > General set up?
Did it show print size or not?
When doing screen design, what you usually want to see is that one imge pixel (that Illustrator converts with that 72 ppi setting) matches one monitor hardware pixel.
Photoshop does it that way by default.
In Illustrator that setting is important.
What are you designing for? For print or for screen?
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I was trying to design for both at the same time in the same document. I'm designing a CD booklet as a portfolio (online) piece, but I have no plans to actually print it right now. I've been trying to practice the principles of designing for print in Illustrator, but how it looks online is just as important to me. I've been designing for a long time with that "display print size at 100% zoom" setting checked not even knowing it was there, and just assuming that this 9.4x4.7 artboard on my monitor is how big 677x339 pixels is.
I made a new document specifically for screens this time, made sure I had that box unchecked, and then enlarged everything a little bit to make it easier to see (and appear to be roughly 9.4x4.7) on my monitor at least. This solved my problem - thank you!
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Glad you could solve it.
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I don't think you can control the physical size in inches or centimeters in other applications.
Yes, Illustrator has that option to display print size at 100% zoom. And I can get the same size in Photoshop with View > Actual Size.
But what do you expect in a browser or on a mobile phone?