# PDF-WRITER dpi change

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-dpi-change/92365>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [April 18, 2007, 6:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-dpi-change/92365 "2007-04-18T18:25:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![eizesus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/e95f7d/32.png) [@eizesus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/eizesus)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2007, 6:25pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-dpi-change/92365/1 "2007-04-18T18:25:08Z")

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Hi all,

does anyone know how do i increase the DPI output of the PDF Writer gem?  
i must use 300 and it uses only 72.

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**Author:** ![eizesus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/e95f7d/32.png) [@eizesus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/eizesus)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-dpi-change/92365/2 "2007-04-19T02:16:19Z")

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On 4/18/07, Elad M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> does anyone know how do i increase the DPI output of the PDF Writer gem?  
> i must use 300 and it uses only 72.

This is not true. PDF is a device-independent document format. Except  
for bitmap images, there is no DPI measure at all, and it’s wholly  
your responsibility to use a large enough image to get 300 DPI.

PDF::Writer doesn’t set any DPI settings at all.

## -austin

Austin Z. \* removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid \* [http://www.halostatue.ca/](http://www.halostatue.ca/)  
\* removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid \* [You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. // halo • statue](http://www.halostatue.ca/feed/)  
\* removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

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**Author:** ![eizesus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/e95f7d/32.png) [@eizesus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/eizesus)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 9:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-dpi-change/92365/3 "2008-10-09T21:41:46Z")

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I have this EXACT same problem!

Austin, its true at the end of the day you have X pixels by Y pixels  
independent of DPI. But for some applications, they need the documents  
size expressed in “inches”.

In other words, when you go to document properties, it will currently  
tell you the size based on 72 DPI, which will screw some applications up  
if its setup to only look at the document size in inches.

Aryk G.

Austin Z. wrote:

> On 4/18/07, Elad M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:
> 
> > does anyone know how do i increase the DPI output of the PDF Writer gem?  
> > i must use 300 and it uses only 72.
> 
> This is not true. PDF is a device-independent document format. Except  
> for bitmap images, there is no DPI measure at all, and it’s wholly  
> your responsibility to use a large enough image to get 300 DPI.
> 
> PDF::Writer doesn’t set any DPI settings at all.
> 
> ## -austin
> 
> Austin Z. \* removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid \* [http://www.halostatue.ca/](http://www.halostatue.ca/)  
> \* removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid \* [You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. // halo • statue](http://www.halostatue.ca/feed/)  
> \* removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![eizesus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/e/e95f7d/32.png) [@eizesus](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/eizesus)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/pdf-writer-dpi-change/92365/4 "2008-10-09T21:42:35Z")

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Elad, have you been able to solve this?