How to view image at actual size?

Question

I am confused by the Fireworks (CS3) image size settings. I set the canvas size at 3 inches by 3 inches, but when I measure the image on the screen with a ruler, it measures only about 2 inches across, even though the magnification setting is set at 100%. What does the size setting mean? Will the image be 3 inches wide when it is printed? How can I get the image to display at actual size?

Answer 1

As for ease of use, I really think it comes down to what you're used to and what makes you the most comfortable.
I personally find Illustrator much more intuitive when it comes to things like the pen tool and vector editing, and options such as Live Color and Live Paint are likewise extremely useful. However, each piece of software has its own strengths and weaknesses, and if you can use the right tool for the right situation, I think you're in a good place
As for the "set relationship" between print size and pixel size, like I said, the fundamental problem is that the "pixel" is a relative unit of measurement, primarily intended for screen output. We've already established that the 3" x 3" canvas displays at different dimensions on your monitor than it does on mine. This could be because of your display resolution setting, your monitor size, and even the physical size of the "pixel" itself on your monitor. So already we are facing problem number one—trying to determine the physical size of a non-tangible element on the screen—before we even hit the printer settings.
If you are only going to print on one printer at your home or office, and you are always going to be using the same monitor and screen resolution, you can probably work out some kind of mathematical relationship between what you see on screen and what you print. However, once you start working at higher canvas resolutions in Fireworks (to display photographic content more crisply, for instance), all of that will go out of the window. The question is whether you want to do math every time you create a canvas or draw an object.
The other issue with using Fireworks to created printed material is that Fireworks is an RGB-based program, whereas the print medium generally works with CMYK. The result is that you may find some discrepancies between the colors you see on screen vs. what you see coming out of the printer.
There are a lot of advantages to using dedicated vector-based programs for print, and Illustrator is a decent program that allows a lot of flexibility for creating work that can be used in print and on the web. However, if you still want to use Fireworks for print, keep in mind that there are some hurdles you may need to overcome that may give you some headaches in the long run. Then again, it depends on what kind of output you expect to see coming out of that printer, and whether you're ultimately happy with what you see.
Jeff