Changing DPI later

[CES020]

CS4 Illustrator-

Stupid question....I normally just draw things and send them to my printer (a person, not an object, we don't have printers in house). No issues. However, I'm working on some larger pieces now and the files are getting big. I looked and noticed it was at 300 DPI. I called my printed and they said 150 was fine, so I changed it for that file, before I started.

However, I'm now working on smaller stuff and I'd like to get the 300 DPI setting back, but I've already created a few files with it set at 150. I can't find where to change in mid-stream, just where to change it when you start a file.

It's not something I normally even mess with, so I'm a bit lost on finding it.

Help Please!?!??!!

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Wait, you're in Illustrator? Are you importing raster images into Illustrator or are you working entirely with vector objects?

FYI 150 dpi is fine for anything at any size. Anything over 150 is overkill for wide format output.

 

[The Vector Doctor]

Maybe in the menu... effect>document raster effects settings

 

[iSign]

Wait, you're in Illustrator? Are you importing raster images into Illustrator or are you working entirely with vector objects?

FYI 150 dpi is fine for anything at any size. Anything over 150 is overkill for wide format output.

this is not correct information

150 is fine quite often... not ALWAYS!!!
as insignia was saying, there is no "dots" in vector art, so there is not "dots per inch" (dpi) so whatever you're doing... telling us "Illustrator" and then talking about "DPI" doesn't tell us what you're doing, so you can't get a useful answer, until you provide a useful question. (one that tells us what you're trying to do)

 

[Bigdawg]

That resolution ... even if it is vector art... is important if you used any effects like drop shadows or some other effects... people forget these are NOT vector effects and are indeed raster... which is why the setting the Vector doc is pointing you to is the correct one

 

[CES020]

Heck, I don't know!

It's vector objects with raster effects on them (drop shadow), so I've changed the settings for that, thanks Vector Doctor.

So when I start a new file and it shows the color profile, CMYK, and then 300 DPI, if I set that to 72 DPI, using all vector graphics, it wouldn't matter on the print end? I've never run a printer, never seen a rip, never had any exposure to it. For the last year, I've just been doing it and sending it and it's always been at 300 DPI. Why? I have no idea

I completely understand it's vector, which is scalable, but I didn't know how the printers handled it.

 

[Bigdawg]

All vector = no dpi worries.

and that's from an old offset prepress gal

 

[anotherdog]

Unless you embed the imported raster it doesn't matter what you set your resolution to. The menu... effect>document raster effects settings only changes the resolution on live effects like drop shadows. The information is still in there whether you save at 300 or 72.

I'll often work on a file and save a file at 72 to save room, but output at higher for quality.

 

[Letterbox Mike]

OK, the raster settings are just for the raster effects like your drop shadows. 150dpi is fine for a drop shadow, you can probably get away with even less than that, maybe 100dpi. If you sending something to a printing company for small-format output (offset) 300dpi is ideal, but again, anything over 150 is overkill for wide format output. You file will be enormous and the final output will be nearly indistinguishable from the lower resolution.

 

[CES020]

Got it, thanks all!

 

[Circleville Signs]

One last thing to add here - if you are using alot of raster effects in Illy, your DPI settings are important for another reason.

If you aren't working at full size, you need to take that into account.

If your drawing is at 1:4 scale, and you have your raster settings at 150dpi, when your printer scales it up to 1:1 for printing, your raster effects will end up PRINTING at 37dpi.

And that is NOT good.

keep that in mind

Gary

 

[Letterbox Mike]

Good point circleville!

 

[CES020]

Thanks Gary, that's exactly the issue I was concerned about on a couple of large files I just sent in this morning. I drew them full scale to avoid having that issue

I know I'm doing things the really hard way on most of it, since it's all a learning experience for me at this point. I'd rather drop a 50MB file in a dropbox for someone than take the risk of scaling it down and having something like you described happen. I'll tippy toe my way into it I guess and eventually get a comfort level of scaling it all down and applying effects that scale properly, but for now, it's $1000 worth of printing going to the printer today and I don't want to take any chances