error message - Unable to export at this resolution - when exporting to jpg

[default9q01t50llduc]

Hi, everyone i'm completely desperate for help, I can't submit my work and if i don't solve this i'm at risk of losing my job!

I spoke to Adobe yesterday and the colleague was supposed to call me back as he couldn't solve it initially - but I recieved no call back.  

I constantly export to jpg from illustrator i do this every day and have done thousands of times without issue -

(jpgs have to be exported at 300dpi and using RGB - as it is for specific fabric printer and the colour clarity is much better with an RGB output)

I have never had an issue - then suddenly I have started getting the error - 

Unable to export at this resolution. Please lower the resolution and try again. 

These are large documents yes, as they are to be printed on fabric 1430mm wide, but even documents that a few hours before exported perfectly well - i have retried and now i am getting this error with these too as well as new documents.

I have tried using multiple computers (including a brand new mac) with different OS and have completely uninstalled and reinstalled illustrator and creative cloud several times but am still having the same issue. 

I have uninstalled astute graphics plug in incase this was causing an issue but still nothing has changed. 

I am running - Mac Book pro Mid 2015

                        Mac OS Big Sur V. 11.5.2

                       Illustrator 25. 

I cannot upgrade to the latest version of illustrator as this creates another issue that adobe are aware of where you just can't see the artboard at all - hence having to run a rolled back version. And even when i did try the newest version still had the same issue. 

If anyone has any ideas or even workarounds i would be so grateful, i've tried everything I can think of and at present i am unable to complete work. 

Thank you so much in advance! 

[Monika Gause]

How large is the document? There is a limit of what can be exported.

You can try and open the Illustrator file in Photoshop and then save from there. Photoshop can save much larger raster files.

[default9q01t50llduc]

Hi Monika,

Thanks for your reply - the file size is 367.4 MB - the physical size is 1430mm X 1800mm - the issue is so strange in that this file size has been ok for years - even a few hours before i was exporting at that size and resolution - i have the jpgs to prove it! and my colleagues are exporting at the same sizes and resolutions still with no issue. 

Is there a certain way of opening in psd and saving as a jpeg as i did try this work around but it seemed on screen to lose resolution?

Thank you so much, i really appreciate your help. 

[Monika Gause]

When opening/importing the AI file in Photoshop you have to resample it to the size you need.

Did you export files at that same resolution recently?

[default9q01t50llduc]

Ok thank you so much Monika, i'll try that. 

Yes i did even that same day, and i've even got jpgs that i have exported of that size and resolution and now if i go into those ai's and try to redo the export process with those (that i know 100% can export at that size and resolution)- i am unable to.

But literally hours before there was no issue. I didn't make any preference changes or updates so i'm completely at a loss as to what could have happened. 

[Ton Frederiks]

I did a test at your size and resolution and get the same message, even in older versions of Illustrator.

Opening the file in Photoshop at 300ppi works fine, but you get a 1 gigabyte file.

[default9q01t50llduc]

Hi Tom, it's just so strange how i've been doing this day in day out with no issue - and files that previously i could save now won't? 
i've got the jpgs that were saved with no issue a few hours before- how on earth can this be correct?! 

We use this file format size and resolution all day everyday as our fabric rolls are a certain size so our prints are a certain size and always have been - i feel like i'm losing my mind here! 

Thanks for your help

[default9q01t50llduc]

Sorry Tom, Just to follow up with my previous reply - 

I've attached a screenshot to show that with another file - you can see i have an ai version and then the jpeg version saved at 300 below it as you can see from the file info on the right - 

This file now will only let me save at 150dpi - but as you can see earlier it let me save at 300dpi at the width size stated above! 

Thanks again! 

[Monika Gause]

Same width AND same height?

[default9q01t50llduc]

Its actually the same width but smaller in height than the size of the other file and now won't let me save at 300dpi - when as you can see on the pic it did previously! 

[Test Screen Name]

Just some background in case it helps. JPEG has an upper size limit of 64K pixels.

At 300 ppi this is 5.5 metres.

Of course your figures are well below this, but check carefully that (a) the resolution is still 300 (b) that the size of what you are exporting is still 1.8m - for example if you don't export as artboards, elements metres off the page could be included (c) you aren't scaling. 

[default9q01t50llduc]

Thank you so much! That does help as i've felt like i'm going mad!

I'm exporting as artboards in exactly the same way with settings as i always have and have even tried it with old files that have exported without issue numerous times and i'm now getting this issue no matter what i do!

 Thanks so much for your help 🙂 

[Ton Frederiks]

I can create such a file as in your screenshot (which is smaller than the file you first mentioned (1400x936mm)) in AI 2021 when I use Type Optimized for anti-aliasing. But no luck with your 1430mm X 1800mm in AI 2021.

But it worked in AI 2020 with Type Optimized.

So there is a difference between versions.

[default9q01t50llduc]

Thanks for your help Tom, all so utterly bizarre as it's worked previously without issue with exactly the same size documents as the original file - as its a standard size we use. And truly bizarre that even smaller files than that it's now having trouble with as with my second file. 

I''ve been experimenting with many file sizes and have just tried a file 1430mm X 10 mm and this wont export either! -So It seems to be a width issue - i've experimented and i can't save anything over precisely 1022 mm wide - i've tried 1022 X1800mm 300ppi and it's absolubtely fine - 1023 X1800 it says no! 

Obviously these are much smaller files than should be able to be saved and that I have done day in day out for a very long time as 1430mm is standard width for us! 

[Ton Frederiks]

The difference between working or not  (in older versions) seems to be the Anti-aliasing option.

Art Optimized (Supersampling) fails, Type Optimized (Hinted)and None works.

[default9q01t50llduc]

Thanks for all your help Tom 🙂 
It does seem to work removing anti aliasing in the smaller files - with the larger one i've discovered with supersampling off i can save at up to 290ppi. With supersampling on up to 200ppi.
Completely bizarre issue, very glad to at least be able to export some artwork! 

Thanks again

[Ton Frederiks]

Glad that helped a bit.

You can always install the previous version 2020 24.3 in addition to the current one.

That is able to export larger files with Type Optimized anti-aliasing.