Standard Print Sizes vs Digital Sizes

Standard Print Sizes vs Digital Sizes

This lesson will cover some of the standard print and digital sizes, along with some key differences between the two.

When to use

The type of artwork you want to create will determine whether to work in a print size or a digital size.

Instructions

• From the Home Screen, click on the 'New file' button in the upper left.
• Choose the 'Web' category and have a look at some of the standard sizes. Notice that most of these are in pixels.
• Switch over to the 'Print' category and have a look at some of the presets that are available here, noticing that these are shown in inches.
• Let's create a new print file by giving our document a name under the 'Preset Details'.
• After naming your file, change the size to 9" x 11.5".
• Make sure you are working in a high resolution (300dpi).
• Change the Color Mode of your document to 'CMYK'. 
• Click the 'Create' button in the lower right to create your New Document.
• Check the size of your file by going to the Image Menu and choosing 'Image Size'.
• From here you will be able to see the width and height of your document along with the pixel equivalent.
• If everything looks good, click 'OK' to close out of the panel.

Hints & tips

• Adding 'Bleed' or extra space around your image is a good idea when you are creating any type of file for print or web.
• You can check the size of your document after creating it by going to the Image Menu and choosing 'Image Size' from the dropdown.