Problem with document size

[borislugosisr]

Howdy,

I've been using Photoshop 7 for years mostly designing stuff for web. I've also occasionally done a few print jobs, but always had some trouble with the document / canvas size.

It's either i'm understanding something wrong, or there's something odd going on with my settings.

Here's the latest example:
- i start with making a new document (File / New)
- i select the width as 420mm and height as 297mm
- resolution is 300dpi and the Mode is CMYK
- OK

Now if i'll check the image size it shows as:
Pixel dimensions: 4961 pixels and 3508 pixels
Document size: 420,03mm and 297,01mm
Resolutions 300 Pixels/Inch

The same document size is also shown if i'll check the canvas size.

The problem here are the few small changes (420 to 420,03mm and 297,00 to 297,01mm). It might look like a small difference, but sometimes the changes have been even bigger.

If i'll open a .PDS file made by a friend it shows the right size on open dialog, but after opening and saving the size has been changed...

So far i've got by by sending my ready for print files to my friend who has opened them and fixed the size in Indesign (and added the bleed marks etc). The times when i've sent my own files to print have been disasters (with the document size being slightly off).

And just to make sure the problem hasn't been the lack of print markers / bleed or anything like that, but even in cases when the print house has accepted files without the bleed / markers they've noticed that the file size has been slightly off. Not a lot, but enough to cause trouble.

Is there a somekind of a setting that could help with this, or is there something else i'm missing?

I'd just like to make A3 and A2 sized posters without worrying about the mysteriously changing dimensions

 

[dv8_fx]

I also have PS7 along with CS in my computer. But in my years of using Photoshop, I've never experienced this.

Offhand, all I can think of - I wonder if it has something to do with your Units & Rulers preference setting. Is your Point/Pica size set to the default Postscript (72pts/inch) and not at Traditional (72.27/inch)? I was thinking if it where set to Traditional , whatever you create when opened in another PC with PS set at Postscript, might display differently.

just a shot in the dark....

 

[Tom Mann]

The changes you mentioned, 0.03 and 0.01 mm are truly small. I can't imagine they would cause problems when compared to page sizes, bleed settings, etc.. About the only place I can imagine such small errors would cause a problem is if you had color separTion plates and you were trying to exactly register them. A human hair is usually in the range 0.04 to ".12 mm. My guess is that they are essentially "round off" errors.

Just my $0.02,

Tom

 

[borislugosisr]

The setting was Postscript. Thanks for the suggestion. I agree that in this case it looks like / feels like "round off" error, but this was just the most recent example.

I just opened an earlier project and while opening it Photoshop shows the sizes as 296,33mm and 419,45mm. And with even small changes like these it's a bit hard to trust on the file being ready for print and to add any bleeds (as it's hard to know what the file ends up being).

One such project ended up having white borders (quite noticeable on a black A4 ad) and on other occasions i've managed by asking to be "careful" and checking that the file prints out fine. But i'd rather be able to sent files i can trust rather than always feeling like i'm on my toes.

But i admit that this problem is really weird and i remember asking about this years ago (on some forum) and never found the reason. This is just my last try of sorting this out

In anycase thanks for any input and ideas!

ALSO one extra question (which might or might not be related to this). I asked my friend to make me a template with bleed / crop marks for A3 file. When opening this file it shows the size as 420x297 and "hides" the crop markers etc. When opening the same file on Adobe Reader it shows the markers etc and the bigger (whole) canvas.

My desparate idea was to use such a template, but the problem persists even then (with the extra problem of losing the markers).

 

[borislugosisr]

I tried posting earlier, but i guess it didn't get thru!
thanks for all the suggestions. Yeah, the font setting is postscript.

Also the mentioned change isn't always that small. That's just the latest example / test. The earlier real poster i did
had a lot bigger "rounding" of the numbers. I agree that this is a weird problem...

Another odd thing was that as i was trying to find my way around the issue, i asked my friend to make me a
template for A3 poster with pre-made bleed etc. When i open the template in Photoshop it shows the right measurements, but eithout the bleed etc. (Photoshop hides them from the opened file? I guess this is a feature?). The same template opens in Adobe Reader in full size with crop/bleed showing.

Then if i'll save (or even look at the canvas dimensions) in the Photoshop the dimensions are once again different (not the A3 excluding the crop/bleed, but these weird "round offs" i'm getting).

so even the template approach doesn't help me with this...so i'm stuck with sending these files back and front.

(If you have any good solutions i'm all ears. I'd rather do everything in Photoshop, but if there's an easy open source solution for making the "print ready" pdf really ready i'm interested in work arounds too Scribus didn't "like" the PDF's i tried and a proper CMYK is a must)