Exporting Fireworks Images to Print
Mike Higgins, VP Electronic Media
as well. The problem is that when i export, I export in 72 dpi and it
prints badly. I can change the resolution of the image in Fireworks, but
that only seems to change the physical SIZE of the graphic, not the
RESOLUTION that it is printed at.
I'm probably missing something obvious here, but feel free to point it
out ot my blind eyes.
I also note that EPS is not an export option. Can anyone tell me why?
Thanks!
...M
Simon White
want to size it in pixels, such as 500x400, because your display is sized in
pixels, such as 640x480. This is usually what you're doing in Fireworks, and
it's easy to understand how big the image will be because you're "printing"
at one pixel per pixel when you show an image on the screen.
When you're making a graphic for printing, you want to size it in inches,
because your paper is sized in inches, but the image that you're looking at
on the screen in Fireworks is still sized in pixels. The print resolution
setting that you specify, such as 300dpi, is the translation from pixels
(dots) to inches that lets you size your image in inches. A 500x400 pixel
image doesn't have a size in inches until you specify a resolution, or how
many dots are in an inch. If you say 100dpi, then the image suddenly has a
size in inches of 5 inches by 4 inches.
In short, if you know the print resolution, you can stop worrying about the
size of the image in pixels, and measure it in inches to match your eventual
printed page.
Making a new document for printing in Fireworks would go like this:
1. File > New. The New Document dialog box appears.
2. Change the width and height measurement units from pixels to inches.
3. Enter the width and height that you want your image to be on your printed
output (in inches) in the width and height boxes.
4. Enter the resolution that you're eventually printing at in the resolution
box (usually the maximum resolution of your printer, such as 150, 300 or
600dpi). Make sure the resolution measurement is set to pixels/inch. Click
OK.
If you make an image that's 5 inches wide, 4 inches tall with a resolution
of 300 pixels per inch and click OK, you can then go Modify > Document >
Image Size and you'll see that the image is also 1500x1200 pixels. Change
the resolution in that dialog to 600 pixels/inch and the pixel dimensions
change to 3000x2400.
If you print that 3000x2400 image from Fireworks at 600dpi, it will be 5
inches by 4 inches. If you want, you can export that 3000x2400 image from
Fireworks and import it into another application. If you print it from there
at 600dpi, it will still print at 5 inches by 4 inches. Make sure that
application knows that you're printing at 600dpi, so that the image shows up
correctly there in the print preview. Freehand, for example, is
print-oriented, so your document is sized in inches, like 8.5x11, and you
specify a print resolution in the Document inspector so Freehand knows how
big your 3000x2400 pixel image is in inches.
>I also note that EPS is not an export option. Can anyone tell me why?
Fireworks makes no secret of being a Web graphics program, so no PostScript,
and no Encapsulated PostScript file export. TIFF should be understood by all
print-oriented apps.
--
Regards,
Simon White
Macromedia Evangelist
mailto:si...@mediafear.com
Mediafear
http://www.mediafear.com
--
Mike Higgins, VP Electronic Media wrote in message
<3736242B...@qni.com>...
Yro
used to "normal" graphics programs,
but Firewoks is not designed for printing.
It is optimised for screen graphics.
It will print, but not very will in some cases.
You may need to export your graphic to another program
that is more suited to printing
--
Yro
Mark Haynes
>
> I've built a logo in Fireworks that we've decided to use on a letterhead
> as well. The problem is that when i export, I export in 72 dpi and it
> prints badly. I can change the resolution of the image in Fireworks, but
> that only seems to change the physical SIZE of the graphic, not the
> RESOLUTION that it is printed at.
Are you using Fireworks 2, Mike? If you are you can set your file up for
print export by choosing Modify > Document > Image Size. Be sure to
check the "constrain proportions" checkbox and then set the resolution
in the Print Size area to 300 or whatever you want. Export the file as a
TIFF and then place it in the desired application for printing.
BTW... are you the Mike Higgins of Thomas Reprographics fame? Send me an
email if you are!
enthusiastically,
mark haynes
macromedia tech support