Help Please - How do I get accurate measurements in centimeters?

[Exuberant_innovator98BC]

How can i import real 1cm in illustrator for print? my client send me ruller sizes. when i created artboard in centimetres, it is much small then real size. what sizes is better to use for print and how can i convert real cms in illustrator?

thanks

Subject was edited by: moderator

[Monika Gause]

You can set up cm as your ruler unit by setting up your document that way. Or later on by showing the ruler and then right-clicking in the ruler

[Test Screen Name]

Do you mean that you have a concern that 1cm in the design isn’t 1cm in screen?

[Exuberant_innovator98BC]

yes, i mean that

[Test Screen Name]

That’s normal. That’s how it is for everyone. If it matters, for example to compare the screen with real objects, just use Zoom to get the size you want. Note down the percentage and you can do it any time quickly.

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

You don't need to worry that the print will be smaller.

If you specify 10 cm in Illustrator, it will print as 10 cm, the rulers are accurate.

Your problem is the way Illustrator displays them, Illustrator assumes that there are 72 pixels in an inch, but your display probably has a much higher resolution. A Macbook Pro has a Retina display with a resolution of 220 pixels per inch.

You need to find the correct zoomfactor for your screen to show objects at real size.

If you know the resolution of your display, it is easy to calculate.

Take a MacBook Retina display as an example.

220 ppi is 100%.

1% = 2,2.

72 X 2.2 = 158,4 and that is the zoom percentage  that you can enter in the lower left corner of your document window.

There have been several posts about this during the years, one of them suggests measuring your screen to find the zoom percentage.

This one has a script (from Jongware) to zoom.

A Zoom_to script

I modified it to a fixed percentage for a Macbook Retina screen:

//  Zoom to 158,4 % Based on script by Jongware: https://forums.adobe.com/thread/832333

// Resolution Retina display 220 ppi. 1% of 220 = 2,2.

// 2,2 X 72 (72 is the default ppi of Illustrator) = 158,4

//

if ( app.documents.length > 0 )

{

  app.documents[0].views[0].zoom = 1.584;

}

//

[Exuberant_innovator98BC]

Thanks for extensive answer ^^

[Ton Frederiks]

Theodora27  wrote

Thanks for extensive answer ^^

Hope that helped.

I could have made it more extensive by mentioning that you can record an action containing this script, and assign a shortcut to the action so it is only one click away to zoom to actual size.