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Calibrate your display

Calibrate your display when you want to judge a design at its real size on screen, before you sew it. Afterwards, 1 design-millimeter equals 1 real millimeter on your screen at 1:1 zoom, so a ruler held against the screen reads the same as the finished embroidery. Recalibrate if you move Boldbobbin to a different display.

Open it from Settings → Calibrate Display → Re-calibrate display…. The Calibrate display dialog has two ways to do it.

Option 1: pick your display​

Choose your device from the preset list: Boldbobbin badges the one it detects. Presets include iPad models, MacBooks, iMac, and common desktop monitor sizes, each with a known PPI. Or choose Custom and type a PPI directly. Click Apply.

Option 2: measure with a ruler​

For a precise result, choose Use Ruler Instead:

  1. Hold a physical ruler against your screen.
  2. Measure the on-screen rectangle the dialog draws.
  3. Type its real width into Measured width (mm).
  4. Boldbobbin works out your screen's PPI and shows the current and new values. Click Save calibration.
Example: check a chest logo at true size

You have sized a left-chest logo to 75 mm wide and want to see it at real size before you sew a test.

  1. Settings → Calibrate Display → Re-calibrate display… → Use Ruler Instead.
  2. Measure the rectangle with a ruler, type what it reads into Measured width (mm), and click Save calibration.
  3. Back in the design, press Ctrl/Cmd+1 and hold the ruler against the logo on screen. It reads 75 mm.

After calibrating, Zoom 1:1 (actual size) (Ctrl/Cmd+1) shows your design at true physical size. Settings shows whether the display is Calibrated or Using fallback (96 PPI).