Scanned document printing too small

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I've scanned a document actual size at 200dpi with dimensions of about 20cm x 260cm.

I've exported it as a jpeg (with the same dimensions), and emailed it to someone for them to print out. However when they receive it, they are telling me the image is tiny and is the same when they print it out.

I've opened the jpeg in normal windows viewer and printed it from there and it's fine.

Any ideas as to the problem?

I'm using vista, they're on win 7. My email client is Outlook, while they use an online email account provided by their isp, so I'm wondering if that could be the problem, their isp.

Edit: Have saved as a pdf and will see what happens with that.

[tel]

Hi,

When you say exported the image what do you mean?, if you used the facility in the Windows Photo Viewer to email the image as an attachment you have several choices i.e. smaller to original size.  The reccipient might find it easier to paste the image into a Publisher or Paint document, adjust the size then print.

Regards

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Scanned in photoshop, then simply exported as a jpeg.

I use Outlook and directly attached the file from the email itself, so windows doesn't give me those options of reducing sizes etc.

When I reopen it in photoshop and check the dimensions, it's still 20 x 26cm as it should be and prints fine for me.

[Clarkkent]

If I have to scan a document for onward transmission I always do so as a pdf. An advantage of the pdf format is that it is highly scaleable: when printing in Acrobat Reader the document can be scaled to occupy the full printing area of the size of paper being used with little or no loss of definition.

[DerekJ]

Try scanning at 300 dpi.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I scanned again at 300dpi and resent, but I don't think that's the issue as it printed out actual size for me.

I've sent as pdf too, so hopefully one of them will work.

[sid]

I agree with Clarkkent; PDF seems more reliable when the person at the other end doesn't really know what's happening. I think Acrobat uses vector images which are fully scaleable. I find that the file sizes are smaller too (than jpegs), which is better for emailing.

Perhaps the recipient has software which sets a higher resolution as a default, say 600dpi? This would be an odd thing to do admittedly; maybe it's been set inadvertantly?

Hopefully the PDF will work satisfactorily.

[Quillan]

Make sure you crop the picture to the size of the picture then tell them to set their printer to "Scale to paper size" which is normally under the printer 'features' tab. That should do the job.

Sorry forgot to add then switch it back afterwards.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

pdf's worked.

[AnOther]

Regardless of scanned size, resolution, format, software used to view it, or mail system used to send it, , the size of a print is completely within the control of the recipient. Increasing scan resolution will only result in a bigger file size and the ability to scale it up without losing definition.

Setting an individual print job to certain parameters, such as fit to page, landscape, center etc., is a one time setting and will not override the normal printer defaults. To do that you would have to change them in the actual printer options.

PDF will have worked either because of the way they have their reader software configured, or they found out how to manage the print size, it was certainly not simply because it was in PDF format [;-)]

[sid]

I don't believe I actually stated that it would work simply because it was PDF!  However, a user who has little knowledge of how he's messed up the settings on his image software, has even less likehood of screwing up Acrobat Reader.

The main point is that it DID work, surely.

Incidentally increasing the resolution does not necessarily increase the file size. On one of my image editors, PaintShopPro (yes, I still use that from time to time), increasing the resolution reduces the image size accordingly. This can be overridden of course, but I'm just pointing out that every statement can be contradicted if we feel like it. [;-)] 

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Also, on a bitmap image scaling it up will reduce the quality of definition, even if you up the resolution. On a vector image, there is never any loss of quality by scaling up or down.

Upping the resolution, while keeping the image dimensions the same would normally increase the file size too.

I have no idea what the settings were on the other computer, nor what the user was doing. But, it is all sorted now, which is the main thing.

[sid]

[quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]... But, it is all sorted now, which is the main thing.[/quote]

Well done, that man!