What is a canvas

The basics of the canvas, including default size and units

A canvas is the virtual paper you sketch on in Sketchbook. Whenever you open Sketchbook, a default canvas is created for you.


What is the size of the default canvas

The default canvas is based on the width and height of your screen. In Sketchbook Pro on Mac and Windows you can change the default size of a new canvas in preferences. In Sketchbook on Android and iOS, you can change the canvas size in the New Sketch window, or use one of our presets. For more information, see Creating a canvas.


What canvas units are there in Sketchbook

Sketchbook Pro on Mac and Windows offers pixels/inches, pixels/cm, and pixels/mm.

Sketchbook on mobile devices will offer dimensions in pixels by default. If you want to be able to work in pixels/inch or pixels/cm, you will need to get the Premium Bundle‍.


What's the difference between ppi and dpi

Let's start with what each stands for:

  • ppi is pixels per inch
  • dpi is dots per inch

Both are used to describe the resolution of an image; however, they are not the same. PPI describes screen resolution (what you see on your monitor); whereas DPI describes print resolution (the number of dots of ink used for printing an image with a ink jet printer).


How will the ppi/dpi of an image affect file size

The larger your ppi/dpi, the larger the file size. This is one of the reasons for understanding the intended use of the image. When an image is viewed online, a 72ppi and 2880ppi image look the same. However, the 72ppi image will load immediately, unlike the 2880ppi, which will chug as the page tries to load the image.