Simple Photoshop canvas sizing issue.

[defaultlykutbqiesqi]

I'm trying to make a canvas sized at 12.475 x 9.250, but Photoshop bumps the width to 12.477 automatically. This causes my KDP cover to be rejected. Does anyone have a solution for me? Thanks in advance!

[John T Smith]

You need to ask program questions in the forum for the program you are using
To ask in the forum for your program please start at https://community.adobe.com/
Moving from Using the Community (which is about the forums) to the correct forum

[defaultlykutbqiesqi]

Oh, sorry about that! 

[Derek Cross]

Try changing to mm to avoid rounding.

[defaultlykutbqiesqi]

Thank you for the suggestion. I had tried that, and it still changes the width.

[davescm · Accepted solution]

Photoshop works in whole pixels not in inches (or cm or mm). No raster image can have fractions of a pixel.

So when you enter 12.475 inches x 9.250 inches using a ppi figure of say 300ppi that would be 3742.5 x 2775 pixels. As stated above you can't have a half a pixel so it becomes 3743 x 2775 pixels which when translated back to inches gives 12.477 x 9.25 inches.

Working in the given mm dimensions 316.87 x 234.95 mm @300ppi also translates to 3742.6 x 2775 pixels which when rounded to whole pixels is 3743 x 2775 pixels. Translated back to mm it gives 316.91 x 234.95 mm so it has the same 'oversize issue'

I am surprised that your cover is being rejected for 0.002 of an inch over width particularly when their own dimension in mm ar 0.001 of an inch out from their dimensions in inches.

However as a way around it I would - create the document in Photoshop at the size given (accepting the rounding). Create an InDesign doc at the dimensions given (12.475 x 9.250 inc bleed) and place the Photoshop document into it using the top and bottom to hit the bleed edge exactly. Then export a PDF from InDesign inc the bleed. That PDF should be at the exact dimensions they require.

Dave

[defaultlykutbqiesqi]

Thank you so much for the information about why Photoshop is rounding up. I really appreciate it. I have never used InDesign before (cost), but I just tried the free trial version to see if I could use your get-a-round. Figuring out how to create a document seemed easy enough, then figuring out to 'place' it on the document seemed the way to go.

Long story short, I got a working copy in the acceptable dimensions. Thank you for making my day better!

[davescm]

Glad to help. 

If you do decide to continue with InDesign going forward, the best practice is to use Photoshop for raster images and use InDesign for text elements and laying out the spread.  That way you will be using the strengths of each application. Image files that are placed are linked, so if you place the image(s) from layered PSD or PSB files then edit those files you will get a warning in InDesign that the original image has been changed. If you click on the warning it updates the image in the document layout.

Dave

[Stephen Marsh]

Working in resolutions divisible by 72:

[davescm]

The issue being that some printers/publishing houses insist on files at 300ppi that don't then exactly fit their required physical dimensions. 

Rejecting a file for 0.002 inch oversize (or undersize if pixels were rounded down) when it already has a good bleed area still seems strange to me. It will all be trimmed off anyway.

Dave

[Stephen Marsh]

@davescm 

Indeed, automated prepress preflight software should have some leeway/tolerance.

Even if it doesn't, there should be room for a human somewhere in the process to use common sense, but that probably doesn't fit the business model.

[Derek Cross]

Did you hide the template before submitting it?

By the way, I assume this is for a printed version (not digital, which would only need only the front cover and no bleed, of course).