Expert: Amy - 10/3/2007

Question
Hi Amy, my boss wants me to somehow make the adobe illustrator cs3 file that i create into "high resolution". is there a way to do this or does he have no idea what he is talking about? when i create the file itself, im already setting it to 300 ppi. Thank you!

Answer
Yes, Kate.  =)

He doesn't really know what he's talking about... or he's not communicating it right.

The resolution of a postscript document comprised of vector objects (paths, fonts) (AI, EPS, PDF) can't be "high" or "low." It's all made with math...

The resolution of the raster effects in that same document (drop shadows, glows, etc) can be, though. Set the raster effects setting to 300 (you already have).

To preserve the full resolution of all the data (vector and raster) in various output formats:

jpegs/gifs: enlarge image size by 400% either during save or before you click "save for web"

pdf: minimize the amount of compression you apply to the images. Checking optimization for fast web view is fine, just don't go too low with the image quality. I always try to stay above "high," depending on the subject matter.

ai/eps: obvious from prompts for "transparency" resolution you get during save.

tiff (export): choose 300dpi when prompted for res.

I hope this makes you feel superior!
If you have more specific questions about a format you need to work in, let me know.

-Amy