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DPI / Resolution in Affinity Designer


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Hi folks, I'm new, so I hope I'm posting my question/thoughts in the right place...

 

I've been using Affinity Designer and Photo on the Mac since they were each in Beta.

 

What has always baffled me about Designer is that it asks for a document resolution to set up the file. I can understand upon export needing it for some of the file formats, but not for the actual vector file itself. 

 

Well, this has come back to haunt me in that Designer is “resizing” vector art exported from my barcode app.

I’ve given the barcode a width of 1.5” (first image) and it comes it at .45”ish.

I think it is related to the dpi because it appears to be opened/imported at “72 dpi” (third image) but it’s a vector graphic, so there shouldn’t be a dpi. (the yellow box in the fourth image is the correct size, as you can see, the barcode is way smaller) I can open the same image in Illustrator (second image) and it opens at the correct size.

Barcodes must be a specific size or they don’t work.

How can I get Designer to import my barcode at the 100% size on the first try?

 

post-53598-0-89025900-1488588122_thumb.png

 

post-53598-0-95098700-1488588128_thumb.png

 

post-53598-0-42888400-1488588134_thumb.png

 

post-53598-0-36953600-1488588141_thumb.png

 

post-53598-0-96086500-1488588149_thumb.png

 

 

 

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It's vector, I can export as PDF, EPS, GIF, TIF, PNG, or JPG. I can also drag and drop directly from the app into Designer. I was exporting as EPS so that it is vector to vector which should not change the size of the barcode. 

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Here's one of each. 

 

Adobe Illustrator opens the file correctly, Affinity Designer does not so I think it has to do with the resolution that Designer assigns files upon import. Which makes zero sense. Vector to vector should not have a dpi. I can see on export needing a resolution, but not on import. 

 

 

barcode.eps

barcode.pdf

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I wholeheartedly agree that DPI should not affect vector. It should be used as a document resolution for bitmap effects only. I've mentioned this before. AI also has a DPI, but it only affects effects. Same with CorelDraw.

 

In any case, this is what I get no matter the document resolution for the EPS version. And it is all vector:

 

post-255-0-21209300-1488655363_thumb.png

 

Whether I open or place, I get the size below in AD:

 

post-255-0-28426800-1488655394_thumb.png

 

And the size in AI:

 

post-255-0-26698600-1488655437_thumb.png

 

There is a slight difference in H/W between AD/AI. But it is not significant.

 

I don't know why you are getting different results. I assume you are using the latest release?

 

 

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I get that too when I just open the barcode. And that appears to be correct except that it's not...

 

The problem lies in when I put it in the layout for the label I'm working on, that 1.9 in becomes much smaller because the "resolution" of the barcode file is 72 dpi and the resolution of my label file is 300 dpi. 

 

 

post-53598-0-79104000-1488659862_thumb.png

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I get that too when I just open the barcode. And that appears to be correct except that it's not...

 

The problem lies in when I put it in the layout for the label I'm working on, that 1.9 in becomes much smaller because the "resolution" of the barcode file is 72 dpi and the resolution of my label file is 300 dpi. 

 

When using your EPS and PDF barcode samples in other vector apps, sizes from those look Ok so far and still in the initial range ...

  • post-49706-0-41940900-1488665203_thumb.jpg
  • post-49706-0-79976500-1488665211_thumb.jpg

What happens if you export from your Barcode app first as PDF/EPS vector file as done above and then afterwards set up a 300 dpi based file template in AD for importing in the barcode then into that? - I mean how comes your barcode file is 72 dpi, is that due to the way the Barcode app exports as vectors or do you think AD resampled it that way?

☛ Affinity Designer 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Photo 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Publisher 1.10.8 ◆ OSX El Capitan
☛ Affinity V2.3 apps ◆ MacOS Sonoma 14.2 ◆ iPad OS 17.2

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It's Designer. It imports to Illustrator correctly. Designer is, but should not be, assigning a low resolution to a vector file upon open/import. I feel like this is an issue that needs to be fixed by the developers in order for this app to stay competitive in the pro arena. Vectors have no resolution and should definitely never open/import at 72dpi.

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When I setup a 300 dpi "A4 Querformat" page in AD and then drag'n'drop over/inside your barcode EPS and PDF examples, they seem to be inserted just fine and show both up with their right initial dimensions, as far as I can tell.

  • post-49706-0-29715100-1488674132_thumb.jpg

Only when using instead the "File -> Place (Platzieren)" menu command for insertion that would scale the barcodes probably to other sizes here, depending on how you draw the rectangle size. Though that can be fixed too afterwards via the transformation panel to the right needed size!

 

So I can't actually see or follow how these will open then at 72 dpi momentary in AD, or did you inserted them some other way?

☛ Affinity Designer 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Photo 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Publisher 1.10.8 ◆ OSX El Capitan
☛ Affinity V2.3 apps ◆ MacOS Sonoma 14.2 ◆ iPad OS 17.2

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I think the page setting panel for the barcode EPS part got maybe puzzled (where it shows 72 dpi devices), at least it looks like that from your initial shown images. When switching forth and back on that between devices, printing, web etc. it sometimes gets puzzled after a second reopening and then doesn't show up anymore the previous shown dpi values, it then sticks to the last shown dpi value if you don't manually alter it accordingly. - At least that was my impression when using/trying out that one on a AD Win version.

☛ Affinity Designer 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Photo 1.10.8 ◆ Affinity Publisher 1.10.8 ◆ OSX El Capitan
☛ Affinity V2.3 apps ◆ MacOS Sonoma 14.2 ◆ iPad OS 17.2

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