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I am, by no means, a graphic designer but I'm pretty good with software programs as a whole and have managed to bungle my way through some projects. Today I've been asked to adjust some artwork to be printed on a silk scarf. The manufacturer requires the art to be 10800px x 2400px ! The software I'm using on my Chromebook says the upper limit is 4500px.

Am I missing something only a novice like me might not understand?

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    Hum. As I understand you are running Android. That is a hard one. I do not think that is the best option to do a design, you probably need to borrow a Win based computer for a few days.
    – Rafael
    May 3, 2017 at 20:03
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    Are you sure that it has to be pixels? A file which stores information about 25 million pixels might become pretty big. Normally one uses vector graphics for theese purposes. Vector graphics scale well to billboard size and meanwhile they save storage space
    – BlueWizard
    May 3, 2017 at 20:49
  • HI all thanks. To answer BlueWizard's question: yep, positive. There's a template they send over and indicates 10800px I'm just limping along with what I have and this isn't my full time gig so I'll have to step back and decide if it's worth investing in a "real" computer. The chromebook was never intended for this when I bought it. I've been surprised how much I was able to achieve but I've clearly reached the limits.
    – JR G
    May 4, 2017 at 21:30

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Perhaps it's better not to use pixel graphics but vector graphics. Link: What's a Vector Graphic?

Vector Graphics, unlike Pixel Graphics, scale very well. For example when someone prints a large poster or billboard they usually design their graphic using a vectoring program. Inkscape is free and can do the job.

If you have access to the Adobe software package you can use Adobe Illustrator. When you know how to use Photoshop then you should feel right at home when using Illustrator.

Why am I recommending this?

At these sizes memory becomes a huge issue. Of course one can buy tons of RAM but this is pretty expensive when one considers, what's the goal.

Usually one wants plenty pixel because they want to print very big or with very high DPI-Amounts. Using Vector-Graphics solves your Memory-Problem as well as the Scaling Issue. Vector Graphics store mathematical construction data instead of rasterized color data.

Thus a vector shape can be re-rendered for any arbitrary scale - because the image is re-constructed using the mathematical description of the image instead of the pixel values.

Common vector formats include SVG and EPS.

There are lots of tutorials out there for peopIe who want to juml from pixels to vectors. It's actually quite easy because Illustrator does the heavy lifting for you. hope this helps.

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  • Thanks for explaining all of that to me. Must be painful for you guys who know this stuff front to back to have to slow down and explain the basics. Please know I really appreciate it!! I'll dig around some more on Vector Graphics and educate myself. But hey...not surprising if I cant get this little $200 web-based laptop to whip out heavier graphics.
    – JR G
    May 4, 2017 at 21:32
  • We all started small. You can do vector graphics with the free tool "Inkscape"
    – BlueWizard
    May 5, 2017 at 5:10
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Photoshop would be able to handle this, specifically the .psb format. That file type is tailor-made for huge pixel counts and file sizes.

Whether your computer will be up to the task is another.matter entirely. I recommend loads of memory.

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  • I suspected as much. I've loaded/tried about 5 different programs suggested for chromebooks that are supposedly comparable to Photoshop and none can create a file that big. Clearly, the whole saving money with a chromebook thing has just met a fatal flaw! ;) Thanks!
    – JR G
    May 3, 2017 at 20:10
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    please notice that Vincent said PSB ("Photoshop Big") and not PSD ("Photoshop Document").
    – BlueWizard
    May 3, 2017 at 20:52
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    You probably wouldn't need a PSB (or loads of memory) for that; 10,800 x 2,400 px isn't all that big... You can stick with a PSD up to (I think) 30,000 x 30,000 px at < 2GB
    – Cai
    May 4, 2017 at 7:53
  • whoops missed these comments...thanks for point that out... I in fact did not notice the difference.
    – JR G
    May 4, 2017 at 21:35

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