Printed Graphics smaller then intended

I had to do a project for my girlfriend. So I made this image that was to be about as big as a dollar bill. It is on screen but when printed it comes out smaller. I created the image in CMYK mode and then saved it as a gif. It prints fine just smaller. What am I doing wrong? Thanks, Andy

you should change the canvas size. so Edit>Canvas Size... i think. or maybe its Image> Canvas Size. right under Image Size. and then you can make it the exact dimensions you want it to print. or click on the tab in the bottom left of the image window and it should show you the size of the image on a printed 11 1/2" x 8" piece of paper.

No.

Changing the canvas size after you've already started creating your image will only add blank canvas around your present image space, or subtract from your canvas size, possibly cropping your image.

The time to set your canvas size is when you first create a new document (Command/Control-N). When the dialogue box comes up, you set the physical dimensions of the image (drop-down menus can change units of measurement), and, for printing, you'll want to set your resolution to at least 200 pixels/inch. For most of us who think in inches or centimeters it's best to stick with those units when setting your image size.

Andy, what you were probably seeing displayed onscreen was your image, at more than 100% magnification. When you printed it came out at the actiual size, thus smaller than what you were seeing onscreen. Just set the size before you start working and you'll be fine.

I did set the size before I started working to the size I wanted. It was @100% the entire time with 300 PPI. That is why I was so baffled as to why the image was printing smaller. Andy

sorry about misinforming you there Andy. Utopian is right. I though you were asking in general on how to choose exactly how big on the canvas will before you start your image.


thanks for correcting me Utopian. appreciate it.

Andy...
I take it then, that you were not seeing the entire image displayed in Photoshop if you worked on a 300p.p.i. document the size of a dollar bill and were viewing it at 100% magnification. Unless of course you have a GIANT monitor with very high resolution. The image, exclusive of the actual window, would have been about 1838 pixels wide (dollar bill is 6.125" wide, and at 300 p.p.i. = 1837.5). If you DON'T have a monitor capable of displaying at least 1840 pixels horizontally, then you were not viewing it at 100% OR you were not working at 300 p.p.i. Those two things are immutable facts. Just so were on the same page, here, so to speak.....anyway.....

Perhaps you need to look at your print dialogue. It might not have been set to print at 100%, or there was another mitigating parameter that would have caused to to print out smaller than actual size. I can understand a tinybit of difference, but not so much that you could really tell without using a ruler.

Other than that, I don't see where you may have gone wrong.

I just have to say....

"a 300 ppi .gif?"
"what's the point?"

300 ppi....fine......but why then save it as a .gif?

better yet...why start with a CMYK file and then save it as a .gif? since .gif doesn't supprt but 256 colors that is one nasty CMYK file you have there.

I just dont get it...