GIMP Version: 2.8.10
Operating System: Mac OS
OS Version: Latest
GIMP Experience: Basic Level

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Hi Guys,

I'm new here so I hope I'm posting this in the right section. I like making artwork in Gimp and I'm helping out a friend now with an event he's hosting. The company we order from to print our posters and flyers requires we upload our artwork in PDF and I did this. Now I received the posters and flyers and they're just slightly pixelated.

So I went back into gimp to check out what went wrong and I noticed that when I export to PDF the file seems to get stretched out. I set Gimp to 15x15 cm but in Gimp it seems to be just 10x10 cm. When I export to PDF it seems the file the right size but it got stretched.

I hope I explained this well,

Any ideas on how I can fix this problem and get some crisp flyers and posters next time?

Welcome to gimp chat.
We have quite a few members here that can give you some very good qualified answers to this.
When they come on line and see this post, they will help you.

It's a matter of print definition and true image size in pixels. If you want a 15x15cm (roughly 6"x6") image with a good print definition (at least 300DPI), it should be 6"x300DPI=1800 pixels on the side. When you create the image (File>New...) you should give both the intended print definition and the intended physical size, and Gimp will compute the necessary size in pixels for you.

The size on your screen depends by default on your screen definition. By default Gimp uses one screen pixel for each image pixel(*), but since your display is around 100DPI the image is about three times bigger than it will be in print at 300 DPI (which lets you see small details/defects that will be barely visible in print).

(*) changeable with Edit>Preferences --> Image Windows --> General --> Use "Dot for dot" by default

BLTnoBacon: welcome to gimp chat! did you export your image to pdf in gimp? i have printed from pdf before and got a good result, but since gimp doesn't give clean looking pdf files i have copied the image to an online editor and exported to pdf from there. i guess you could copy and paste the image in a word editor or a design program of your choice too, just as long as the program doesn't change the image and creates a clean pdf file.

I've never had a problem with exporting an image into open office and exporting to PDF.

Set up before you start is important.
GIMP — How to set up a file for a commercial printing company
How to set up a Gimp files for printing (a quick 'Help' page)

This thread might also help, Subject: CMYK Printing Help