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Kimberly G 44
Participating Frequently
November 23, 2022
Question

Need to save to PDF with exact dimensions from AI

  • November 23, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 2634 views

Is there a way to save to a PDF file from AI without it scaling the document down?   

 

Just starting to use a Mac for the first time ever.  I understand from searching that there is no print to PDF option available and that I cannot add this to a Mac computer.  (ridiculous)

 

I am saving the AI document as a PDF, but this is a pattern and the dimensions need to be exact, and the save as option is scaling the PDF down a bit, which causes my pattern to be inaccurate.  

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3 replies

Ton Frederiks
Community Expert
Ton FrederiksCommunity Expert
Community Expert
November 23, 2022

Can you uncheck in Illustrator Preferences > General > Display Print Size at 100% Zoom.

And in Acrobat Preferences > Page Display > Resolution > Custom Resolution: 72 pixels/inch

This should show your artwork at the same size in both Illustrator and Acrobat.

    K
    Kimberly G 44Author
    Participating Frequently
    December 12, 2022

    Thank you for taking the time to try to help!  I figured out Adobe Acrobat was automatically scaling the document when printing, so easy fix.  

    Doug A Roberts
    Community Expert
    Doug A RobertsCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    November 23, 2022

    What are you using to determine the size of the exported PDF? What is the size of the AI file compared to the size of the PDF? Can you share an example file (or the AI and PDF to compare)?

      K
      Kimberly G 44Author
      Participating Frequently
      December 12, 2022

      I figured out Adobe Acrobat was automatically scaling when printing.  Thank you for taking the time to try to help!  

      Monika Gause
      Community Expert
      Monika GauseCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      November 23, 2022

      "Save as PDF" doesn't scale the document.

      Please tell us exactly what you are observing.

      And please upload your AI file and the resulting PDF.

        K
        Kimberly G 44Author
        Participating Frequently
        December 12, 2022

        Thank you for letting me know it does not scale the documents!  I checked Adobe Acrobat when printing and it was automatically scaling the document down (which is something I should have know to check already).  Once I changed it to print "actual size" it is printing fine.  

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