Save default settings to inches rather than pixels

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

A screen is an output device like a printer. It has a dimension, so there should be no reason for a normal user to deal with pixels.It's just a problem with the existing applications.

No. The user must understand the importance of pixels. The quality and detail in an image depends on the number of pixels, not on the number of inches or centimetres. Resizing a high resolution camera image to 6" x 4" for print is useless if the resolution is only 72 dpi. The user must understand that the image needs to be 1800 x 1200 pixels to get high print quality.

If the same image is being resized for the web, the user needs to understand how pixels relate to the size on a monitor. Six inches on the monitor @ 96 dpi is 592 pixels. If the user resizes it to 6" @ 300 dpi it will be 1800 pixels wide — 18.75" on the monitor.

[dorami]

If the same image is being resized for the web, the user needs to understand how pixels relate to the size on a monitor. Six inches on the monitor @ 96 dpi is 592 pixels. If the user resizes it to 6" @ 300 dpi it will be 1800 pixels wide — 18.75" on the monitor.

This is the typical example. A normal user will not understand this techie/power user writing. He will tell you this is your view to the world not my one. Please provide me applications which do not force me to understand this technical stuff.

And it's possible to change the user interfaces to cover the underlying technical things.
For sure it will take some time, but new devices are poping up giving a new user experience.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

And it's possible to change the user interfaces to cover the underlying technical things.

It is not possible for a computer to know whether the user means 6" @ 72 dpi or 6" @ 300 dpi unless the user provides this information. That is why the interface should discourage the use of inches when dealing with images.

From this sketch

“I need some bathroom plugs.”
“What size?
“13 amp.”

[WellOiledPC]

Things are okay the way they currently are - a combination of Pixels as well as Inches. Surely it isn't totally techy, knowing the basics about Pixels?

[Sam_Zen]

Inches, huh... This is going too techy for me. My brain is programmed with the metric system..

[matera]

But you are using PDFs or? The success of PDF is that is does not care about pixels.

Wouldn't it much better to take a 9x13cm picture from your camera and see it by default in 9x13cm on the screen?
Still you can scale it. In the older non-digital days you did the same with your negativs.

Your printer talks postscript and there are screens using display postscript.

And if your are looking to your self then think about that your eyes are working pixel based (like a digital camera) but your brain doesn't.

BTW: Font measurements is done in point (1pt = 1/72 inch).

An inch on a 15-inch monitor at 1024x786 or an inch on a 20-inch monitor at the same resolution -- which inch is an inch in whose eye?

PDF is for PRINTING. Inches are for PRINTING. Do you get it? Everything isn't about printing.

A 320x240 pixel image can be printed at 8x10 inches. It will look like crap. Pixels matter.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

This thread has run its course. The request is understood, but not widely supported.