Photoshop has many tricks, but automatically adjusting for the actual screen ppi (pixels per inch) to display accurate print dimensions is not one of them. You need to train the old dog for this new trick. It is quite straight forward and from that point on, when you choose “View/Print Size” it will display the actual size. Of course large print sizes may not fit the screen but you will get a good sense of proportion.
This discrepancy has two sources. The first one is Adobe settings for units which uses 72 ppi for the screen resolution although most screens today provide higher resolution than that; not by much but higher nevertheless. The second source of the problem is that different monitors show different “actual” resolution than the nominal reported one. So, the crucial thing to do is to measure the pixels/inch for your specific monitor. Here is how.
- Create a blank document that has 300 dpi print resolution, 9″ x 9″ in dimensions. This will create a blank document 2700×2700 in pixel dimensions
- Fill it with white if it is not already filled
- From the menu choose “View/Print Size”
- With an accurate ruler and using great care not to damage your screen measure the displayed dimensions in inches. In all likelihood it will be a good deal smaller than 9 inches
- Divide 9 inches by the actual measurement you obtain from the screen which will provide the correction factor. I am not using an example since this number may vary from one screen to another.
- Now, go to “Edit/Preferences/Units & Rulers” and find the screen resolution. Most likely it is set at 72 pixels/inch
- Multiply the current ppi, 72, by the correction factor you calculated above and enter that in the screen resolution field. Click OK.
The resulting screen resolution may have a decimal fraction, that’s OK and it will not necessarily be 96 ppi either. My screen’s actual resolution turns out to be 94.299. Your number will likely be different from this
From now on, when you choose “View/Print Size” your screen will display the actual dimensions of the print. I told you it was simple, but I wish Adobe could find a way to automate this.
Flora
Infrared Earthscapes
Junk Yard
I have tried your solution to no avail, although I know from other websites that this does work for some people. I’m using PhotoShop 7 under Windows XP as well as Windows 7. When I change the screen resolution and select View>Print Size, I get exactly the same result: A 7.1 inch ruler claiming to be 9 inches. Does anyone have a solution for this? Thanks!
Mike, I am not sure if Photoshop 7 has the same settings as I describe in the article. The idea is to tell Photoshop the screen resolution that it can use internally. If you see that setting among the configuration parameters and you enter the correct number, it should display the accurate print size. This of course presumes that you are using a document with 300 dpi resolution. If the document resolution is not 300 dpi you will get a different result.
Clear simple notes. Worked in minutes. Flawless. Thank you so much.
I’m on PS CS3 10.0.1 with iMac intel i5 OsX 10.6.8
Great tip! This is one of the easiest ways to get an accurate print size display. You may need to quit and restart Photoshop to load the new preference & you can tweak it as many times as necessary to get it spot on. If you’re working for the web then use “View > Actual Pixels”
Is there a way to do this in InDesign? I tried putting the new resolution value in, and it said my number had to be between 60 and 80. It was 129.6, so it was a no go. Any advice or tips? Thanks in advance!
Sorry but I am not as familiar with InDesign as I am with Photoshop. Where did you see the resolution information in InDesign? I use CS5 and did not see the setting for screen resolution setting with a quick glance. Your best bet may be to set a zoom percentage by measuring the on-screen object and entering a zoom factor that will give you the accurate dimension.
Saved the day again! That’s two times I’ve gone back to this page to figure out how to do this. :-) Thank you for posting this.
OMG you are the best, this was killing me for the longest time. You made it very simple to follow. Thanks again!!!!!!