Vectors scaled down 75% when saving SVGs

[Fiadh Brinn]

For context, I am using migrating from CorelDRAW to Illustrator to create vector drawings for use with a laser engraver. I noticed after a couple tests that every SVG being saved out of Illustrator is coming in at 75% size on my laser cutter. I double-checked this by saving a 10mm x 10mm box as an SVG in Illustrator and opening the SVG in CorelDRAW. It comes in at 7.5mm x 7.5mm.

Settings in attached image: Illustrator on the left, CorelDRAW on the right. I think I have the settings as close to identical as I can considering the different options. How can I get my SVGs to save at the correct size in Illustrator?

[Fiadh Brinn]

For anyone else who finds this in the future, if it isn't fixed please head to UserVoice and chime in.

[Donna Jones_]

Hi Fiadh. I looked on UserVoice but couldn't find a related topic.

Today, I edited an SVG file to delete a callout number and line, and when I saved it, the file still shows as the same size in AI, but when I import it into FrameMaker, it says it's at 100%, but what FM is displaying is only 75% of the original size. I can't for the life of me figure out why this is happening.

This wasn't an issue in years past, or maybe that's because we didn't use SVG much back then. We used to use Illustrator to export EPS files, and then eventually we just imported the AI files. Now that we're working mostly in AEM, we had to go with SVG because that's what AEM uses.

I find this very frustrating. It leaves me having to go through our media team to get the original AI file so I can make the change there and export a new SVG file from AI.

[Monika Gause]

It's probably because resolution is handled differently when converting units to pixels.

[Donna Jones_]

Hi Monika. I double-clicked on a linked graphic in FrameMaker, and it opened in AI. I deleted a callout number and line and then saved the file with Responsive turned off. With the save, the linked graphic in FM changed to reflect the deletion but also now displays at only 75% of the AI art board size, even though FM says it's 100%. Not sure where converting units to pixels comes into play.

If something is 4x4 inches on an art board in Illustrator and is exported in a vector format, when imported at 100% in FM, it should still be 4x4 inches, not 3x3. Especially since nothing I did should have affected the dimensions or resolution of the graphic.

[Monika Gause]

There's an explanation in here: https://community.adobe.com/t5/illustrator-discussions/illustrator-svg-export-dimension-problem/td-p... 

[Donna Jones_]

Thanks! Looks like an explanation but not really a solution.

• Making my edits in the original AI file and exporting as SVG gives the correct results in FrameMaker.
• Making my edits to the exported SVG file using AI and saving it creates the oddball issue with the sizes. So definitely something AI is messing up.

For now, I went back to the original AI file and made changes there, which is the better solution anyway. But when we don't have the originals, we use the AI files. Might need to save the SVGs to AIs and then export them again.

[Fiadh Brinn]

Hey Donna, there really is no good solution. Illustrator exports svg files with a resolution of 72 ppi, but the standard svg resolution is 96. Most programs assume that the resolution is 96, so when they import illustrator's svg it's too small.

The solution is to scale all SVG drawings up by 1.333… before saving.

People have long complained to Adobe about not using the SVG standard of 96 dpi and not allowing users to set the DPI before saving, and the issue has been ignored. Adobe doesn't care.