Toggle Off Large Canvas Scaling when Saving as PDF
Any artboards created larger than 227 x 227 inches are changed to a large canvas setting, which adds a scale factor to the canvas. So Illustrator will say a document that is 300 x 300 is actually 30 x 30 and just scaled by 1/10 of the size. This setting causes issues with my printer software where it reads it as a 30 x 30 and not the true size, it is disregarding the scale factor. I have to take these files and chop them up into smaller panels to print them. When I chop them up it is still keeping that scale factor on the canvas when saving them as pdf, even if the canvas size is smaller than 227 x 227. The only work around I found is to take the large canvas and chop everything up in there then copy and paste it into a completely new document at the smaller panel size as a normal canvas setting and not the large canvas setting. I want the ability to toggle off the scaling feature when saving as a PDF so that when I go to print them on my printer it doesn't read the scaling incorrectly and just reads the actual canvas size. I feel like it could be added in the PDF save settings as a checkbox saying something like "Disregard Large Canvas Scaling" or something.
Also I want the ability to easily tell if something has been created in the large canvas setting, currently there isn't an easy way to tell if it has been created. Sometimes designers send me something that is less than 227 x 227 so I think it is a normal canvas and when I go to print I find out it was designed as a large canvas and then sized down so it still has a scaling factor put on the artwork.
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I design large scenes as well, and 1:10 is barely enough to unwrap all the scaffolding, and I have to use 1:100 instead. The real pain is exporting. I live where inches aren’t used, and have to use PPCM and fractioned values to export, and Ai supports these poorly. I’d say it doesn’t. I juggle the numbers daily... 50 ppcm is 127 ppi, and 127 is a prime number, and I can’t go lower than this, because I can’t divide it and make something like a half, 63.5 — Ai would round the value.
I made two reports on this:
1. Add ability to use PPCM along with PPI, as Photoshop does — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/32403901
2. Add ability to use fractional values for resolution everywhere — http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/32403898For now I have to use a ton of post-processing to solve it, actions, scripts, batching...
So yeah, I’m all in the large canvas... or better the no difference and just the unlimited canvas (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/20395555), the infinite one (http://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657/suggestions/38129344)
The current approach is way too flawed... UserVoice has roughly 70 problems reported about it: broken offset, broken brushes, broken this and that...
We should really report and upvote to push the need. -
Hector Abreu
commented
@Egor,
We work with very large files to cover stadiums around the field of play, fascias, voms, etc.. and because of the Substrate sizes limitation, for example fabric, we have to do a lot of splits and these numbers can be large to try to do everything at 10% (For example FIFA, which is one of the big events we are producing this year)
for example:
3,260.125 = 326.0125 ( which is already a 10% scale on a large canvas document that is also treated at 10% so its now more like 1% when exporting my PDF settings )
it can get confusing really fast for my prepress technicians. even worse if I we have to work at 50% scale which I try to avoid the most.
I really welcome the Large canvas size of illustrator!
I just wish I knew the document was set that way. some kind of marking or alert that is visible to my prepress technicians :), so they can export the files with the right settings every time, even when rushing.
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Not 'lies', but uses a very much legal user scale coefficient, like UserUnit :)
But I agree it is hidden and the handling of it is not consistent across different apps.
That’s why I still avoid large canvas and prefer working in actual scaled setup.... -
Hector Abreu
commented
I posted a similar issues to this showing how the DPI is affected when saving in PDF, Large canvas makes everything at 10%, but it lies to the user telling that you are at 100%
I have made a few scripts and in all of them I have to add a checkbox to multiply by scale of 10%
But mainly I also agree that we need a marker or a way to tell if we are working on large canvas. Im a prepress designer and we send too many prints for production in the wrong dpi because we forgot to check the size of the canvas bound instead of having illustrator telling us in a more efficient way.
I think it should be noted in the window tab along with the file name, scale and color space.
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[Deleted User]
commented
I second this. The large canvas setting should be able to be toggled.
I vote to make all post 2019 "improvements" toggle-able, haha.