Printer says " WRONG DIMENSIONS" Why?

[Larryguy]

I have "Xara Photo & Graphic Designer" and I set the page options to say "24x24" inches for a sign ( template of printer ) ... I export it to JPG or PNG file and set it for 300DPI in the export. I have locked the dimensions before exporting. I then export it and the dimensions change and the printer will not accept the 24x24 art work because it doesn't fit his template now ..... WHAT AM I DOING WRONG ... ANYBODY?

Why doesn't the page stay the same ?

How can I be sure to get a 24x24 sign to fit the template of the printer ? Ie: GotPrint

Any Help would be really appreciated

Thanks
Larry

[handrawn]

basically the xara page size setting is the setting at 96dpi - if you are going to export the page at another dpi you will need to take that into account when you set the page size

sounds like you need to up the page size 96:300 [312.5 %]

EDIT: Let me clarify that, because I'm assuming you know how the interface works, you may not

having upped the page size by 312.5% export at 96dpi

then you will have the right size image for the printer at 300dpi


[final point - you could work at a a page size of 32% [300:96] of what you want and then export at 300dpi setting which will also work - if your work is pure vector it makes noo difference, but if your work has raster content then it does and this way may be better]

[mwenz]

Why not export to a PDF?

[handrawn]

why use xara?

[gwpriester]

Sounds like the wrong printer if they are going to be that fiddly. If you send them a 24 x 24" document and it is a hair off, are you telling me they cannot correct the image? Feh!

Mike's suggestion is the best way to provide a file for printing.

EDIT: Let me clarify that, because I'm assuming you know how the interface works, you may not

having upped the page size by 312.5% export at 96dpi

then you will have the right size image for the printer at 300dpi

Why not set the page size to the exact size, and export at 300dpi? This is what I have always done and I have never had a problem.

You are essentially creating a file that is 7200 x 7200.

[handrawn]

trouble with that Gary is that if you create a 7200 pixel image and you export it at 300 dpi it should be increased on export to 22500 pixels - you should export at 96 dpi to keep it at 7200 pixels

[interestingly at this level you hit a limit and it will export at 96 dpi regardless of whether try you exporting at 300 dpi setting or not - I tried it and got the same image size with both settings - this does not happen with smaller exports such as the one the OP was originally trying (I'm using designer pro ver12)]

could be an online printer, they are not all flexible...

[gwpriester]

You export it at 96dpi. The size of the image is not dependent on the resolution as Mike will step in and assert. An image at 7200 pixels reduced to 24" will have a resolution of 300dpi/ppi.

What matters is the pixels size of the image.

[mwenz]

Yep, Gary. It's the effective resolution that matters.

Unfortunately, most often these on-line print establishments do not have the automated processes to resize the image downward for their templates and so would likely still report it as the wrong size.

The only way around that I am aware of is to open the Xara export in a decent image editor and only change the DPI field without resampling or resizing. Well, one can also use any EXIF editor. It's just a dumb text field that holds the DPI info.

So if I start an XDP document at 24" x 24" and export a jpg at 300 dpi, I get Gary's 7200 px image. If I then open it in PhotoLine, edit the 96 dpi to 300 and simply save the image, all that changes about the file is that DPI metadata filed int he image. And when importing it (which would apply to these on-line, automated-process places, this is what they would see:





Every on-line print establishment I have used or looked up their file requirements for do take PDFs, it's just best to design at 100% of size and export as a PDF and choose an export style like the archaic PDF/X-1a.

[gwpriester]

Mike - Would it help to set up the page as 7200 pixels with the rulers and units set to pixels? I am not sure why this is happening unless the setting being inches is causing a slight rounding up on export.

[mwenz]

It might. I haven't ever done it thatta way.

I get precisely 7200 px by 7200 px from a 24" x 24" page size using 300 dpi export.

I don't know what I did differently, but now I am exporting with the 300 dpi filled in correctly and so it places at the proper size in ID and QXP. Weird.

Want me to upload a file?