PPI vs DPI export - Resolution resampling clarification

"Knowing Illustrator operates at 72ppi"

Not really, no.

Yes, dimension-wise, there are 72 points in an inch, as is anything typographical would be, but that doesn't define the resolution. Vector objects sent to a printer, of course, are rendered at the resolution of the ouput device, and any high-res images would carry through. Illustrator does NOT reduce them to 72ppi in any way. However, if you are exporting to an image-based format, Illustrator will export at the resolution you select. Points and pixels are associated on a one-to-one factor. Hence, say you have designed a document that is 500 pixels wide x 200 pixels high, Illustrator sees that as 500 points wide x 200 points high, so to export an image at exactly 500 x 200, you would select the Screen Resolution (72ppi) setting in Export. Exporting with higher settings would create a much larger image according, Medium at 150ppi (1042 x 417) and High at 300ppi (2084 x 834).

Hi @wckdtall,

Great question! Illustrator uses PPI (pixels per inch) rather than DPI for export settings. Let’s clarify how this impacts resolution and resampling during export.

Illustrator’s Export Process and PPI

1. Illustrator artboards work at 72 PPI by default, meaning that if you create an image with, say, 1000 x 1000 pixels at 72 PPI, that image represents a physical size of about 13.89 x 13.89 inches on the artboard.

2. When you export a document at a higher PPI (e.g., 300 PPI), Illustrator resamples the entire document to match that specified resolution.
Here’s what happens:

• If you set the export PPI to 300, Illustrator scales the document accordingly. So, a 1000-pixel image created at 72 PPI will export at approximately 4167 pixels when set to 300 PPI.

• This does not resample the original image within the document itself but scales the output to produce a higher resolution image based on the specified PPI for export.

Hope this clarifies it better! Let me know if anything else needs explaining.

Best,

Anshul Saini