Completely Lost - Resolution for Printing

I am very amateurish when it comes to computer software, and Illustrator is flying right over my head.
The problem: I need to print 4 poster boards at 40x30 inches each. I understand that 300 dpi is the recommended quality for printing, but I'm not sure how to set that. How many pixels does this translate to? What do I need to do in order for me to get the best quality printing at 40x30 inches?
Again, I'm a noob, so I don't really understand this stuff. Can't I just format my files in another program, like Paint.net, safe it as a pdf, and print like that?

Sounds like you're in large format land.  A 40" x 30" file is a bit too large for sheet fed press.  Although there are presses that can handle that size, I still think you're looking at inkjet printing.  This is where your file prep will become an issue, mainly because inkjet vs. offset are two different worlds.  If you're just starting out and are in a crunch, then perhaps you should use a program you are familiar with and save out as a PDF.  However, 300ppi is typical resolution for offset printing at 100% and 150ppi is typical resolution for inkjet at 100%.  These are not document resolutions ( DPi ), but rather are image resolutions for Photoshop type bitmap files ( PPi ).
Either way, there's no reason to get bogged down with pixel dimensions.  Technically speaking, Postscript data is set for 72 pixels per inch, so your pixel dimensions would be 2880 x  2160 pixels.  This really does not have anything to do with document resolution and/or image resolution, it is primarily a Preview architecture.  If you plan for inkjet, large format printing, make your document / raster resolution 600 DPi ( you could get away with 300 DPi ).  For offset you can easily double that ( min. 1200 DPi ).  Once you get the Math down, file prep will come easier to you.  I usually assign document resolution first before even naming the file and starting work on it.  Best to talk to your print vendor to see what they recommend.  Perhaps the PDF out of Paint.net will be acceptable.

Similar Messages

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    Hi ajoel,
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    Jonah Paul
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    Evaluate the LabVIEW RIO Platform! - ni.com/rioeval
    Attachments:
    print_XY Graph.vi ‏23 KB

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