Print border

[elderlygentleman]

Please can someone answer a question from a new user?

 

I like to put a thin border around my prints and in PS I used to select the whole image, go to 'edit' then select 'stroke' where I could alter the width and colour of a simple border.

How would I manage this operation in Affinity? My searches have not yet produced an answer..

[MEB]

Hi elderlygentleman,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Here's quick way to do it: select the layer, click on the FX icon on the bottom of the Layers panel and select Outline from the left. Make sure you change the alignment to Inside, then set the width/colour and that's it.

[elderlygentleman]

Hi elderlygentleman,

Welcome to Affinity Forums :)

Here's quick way to do it: select the layer, click on the FX icon on the bottom of the Layers panel and select Outline from the left. Make sure you change the alignment to Inside, then set the width/colour and that's it.

Many thanks for your help. There's a slight problem with my getting that to print out in that my printer software (Epson R1800) does not include the border if the print size is set to match the paper size. So, presumably, the border is not interpreted as part of the image. I can, hopefully, get round this by specifying the exact print size and ensuring the paper size is slightly larger.

 

Is there an alternative method that would lead to the border being 'seen' as an integral part of the image?

 

John

[A_B_C]

Hi John,

 

are you sure you set the alignment parameter to “Inside”? The border should always be interpreted as part of the image … I don’t see any problems here, when following MEB’s method …  :unsure:

 

Kind regards,

Alex

[elderlygentleman]

Hi John,

 

are you sure you set the alignment parameter to “Inside”? The border should always be interpreted as part of the image … I don’t see any problems here, when following MEB’s method …  :unsure:

 

Kind regards,

Alex

Hello Alex.

Thanks for your input. I am setting the alignment to 'inside' but I only get a border (a 4 px line is about the usual size I choose) on the top and bottom of the image rather than on all edges. I thought this was a print issue, but I was mistaken (I was rushing to get a result and print out), 

I'd appreciate any further thoughts.

kind regards,

John

[A_B_C]

So you don’t see the border on all four edges of your layer on-screen? Well, they should be visible here … sorry, if I misunderstood your post …  :unsure:

[elderlygentleman]

That's correct. I thought it was just in the print, but the border is absent on two sides of the on-screen image.

 

thanks for your interest. I have sent a message to MEB in the hope that he can suggest a remedy.

 

John

[A_B_C]

Hi John,

 

I believe I can reproduce this issue. Have you cropped the image after applying the effect? Then be aware, that you have to rasterise the cropped image to bring back all four borders, choosing Layer > Rasterise. Make sure to tick “Preserve layer effects” on rasterisation.

 

Would be glad, if that was the root of the issue …  :)

Cheers, Alex 

[MEB]

Hi John,

If you have cropped the image previously, the cropped data is still there (outside the document boundaries) but invisible. The FX is still taking this data in consideration when applying the Outline's radius. To get rid of it (the cropped data) right-click the layer with the FX applied in the Layers panel and select Rasterise... Make sure you keep Preserve Layer FX checked so the effect gets now applied to the real document dimensions.

[elderlygentleman]

Thanks Alex; that solved it! I saved the process as a style then experimented with different images and the method worked fine; it was just the one image that was a problem, so I followed your suggestion and the issue was resolved. 

 

Such are the fumbling efforts of a newbie!

 

Thanks again.

 

John

[elderlygentleman]

Hi John,

If you have cropped the image previously, the cropped data is still there although invisible. To get rid of it right-click the layer with the FX applied and select Rasterise... Make sure you keep Preserve Layer FX checked.

Many thanks, that was the issue. Problem now solved and I've saved the steps as a style. 

best regards,

John

[elderlygentleman]

Sorry, but I spoke too soon 

 

The image looks fine on screen, but still only prints the border on two sides.

 

Any further thoughts greatly appreciated.

[elderlygentleman]

Update.

 

If I specify the exact size of the image and print on larger sized paper, in other word not print to the limit of the paper's dimenisions, then I get a border on all sides. If I print with the setting 'fit to media' then I lose the border on the sides that reach the limit of the paper's dimensions.

 

I'm still unclear as to why, if the border is actually a part of the whole image, it is missed off in that situation. 

[A_B_C]

Hi John,

 

thanks for the updates. Maybe that’s a problem of printer accuracy. You could try something truly adventurous and set a border size of, say, a hundred pixels instead of just four pixels. Now try to print this image (with the setting “fit to media”) and see if the border is still missing … if it is missing, there’s a problem with Affinity Photo … if it is there, your printer might need calibration …

 

Kind regards, Alex  :)

[elderlygentleman]

Many thanks Alex. It is a printer problem. With a 100 pixel border and the print software set to 'fit to media' the border is reduced on the edges closest to the paper's margin.

Not sure how to get this fairly elderly printer re-calibrated, but it means I can modify my print routine to compensate.

 

Thanks again and best regards,

 

John

[A_B_C]

Glad we have sorted this out …  :)