how to print custom sizes and margins

[Ken McKaba]

[new user]

What is the best/easiest to specify the print size and margins?

 

I'm used to a print dialog that lets me specify the size and each margin. For instance, I want to print my image 4"x5" with 1/2" border top and left on letter size paper. Later I'll print the same image with other dimensions.

 

Thanks,

[Lee D]

Hi kenmckab,

Welcome to the forums.

 

The print window doesn't have options to set the top or left positioning of the image, it will print centre. You could always create a canvas that includes the margin and then place your image into position.

[Ken McKaba]

Don't others miss that feature? I have to resize the canvas and image every time I want a new print size?

 

How would I get a 4x5 in the corner of an 8.5x11 sheet?

 

Further, Is there a way to print multiple images arranged on 1 page?

 

Thanks!

[toltec]

Save your existing document and create a page 8.5 x 11, put one or two 4 x 5 rectangles shapes on the page.

Select a rectangle, click on the Insert Inside the selection button

 

 and go File > Place. to open the saved file. 

 

Each image or document will be cropped by the rectangle. You can move each rectangle where you want, have one, two etc.

 

It is easy to replace an image, double click and a Replace Image button will appear on the Context toolbar. 

 

That way, you can use a page as a template, or more than one page for different layouts,

 

[Ken McKaba]

Thanks!

 

I'm having a hard time getting the margins right. I want 1/2" margins. I moved the rectangle on the page to 1/2" but when it prints it places the image inside the printable region which makes the margins much different. I've been trying to manually shift the rectangle and its size slightly so the printed margins come out right and after a few trials, I still don't have the margins right.

 

Is there a better way to position the rectangle?

 

I added a feature request to add margins and size to the print dialog. I used to use PrintShop that had it and it made my printing a lot easier. Is this not a reasonable request? Don't most people who print want to have custom margins and size?

[Freddie360]

'Don't others miss that feature? I have to resize the canvas and image every time I want a new print size?' ..... Yes, I would like the Print dialog to have the same print resizing facilities as PS, as an artist I work with a photo manipulation program and with the hard copy original drawing. At the moment I have to take the AP scanned 'working image' into PS to print the sections I need quickly. The proposed work-around is just not fast enough for working artists.

[v_kyr]

Custom size and margins:

[Freddie360]

How did you get that dropdown menu shown within your Print Dialog window, I have tried and cannot find it?

[toltec]

Click on Properties next to the Printer. See Custom Page Size under Page Size

 

[Freddie360]

I have a high spec Ricoh laser printer and a Canon Ink Jet printer and neither will give me the options you seem to have. This surprises me as I can get lots of options from these printers in other programs. Is there something else you are doing and I am not/missing to enable these printing options.

[toltec]

It depends on the printer driver.

 

If you are using a fixed size printer, like an A4 printer, generally speaking you can't set custom page sizes quite the same. Obviously the physical limitations of the paper feed etc. 

 

I am using a PDF printer driver, which allows almost infinite sizes.

 

Have a look to see if the driver allows user defined sizes.

[Freddie360]

Its not the A4 printer that is restrictive to the sort of use I have need of as an artist, it is the lack of being able to position the image on the fly. In other words, to be able to click the thumbnail and move the image around within the A4 ratio area and to position what one wants it to print. Artists will want to print sections of a scanned drawing where for example he/she will want to make the hands slightly larger than the original drawing. So they will print and match it to the original hard copy drawing, this is just tool to to use as preparation for a painting/artwork. If I wanted to do the same with the feet, I can't because I cannot move the image around.  See attached video link.

 

PS thumbnail move print.mov (iPad, iPhone 4 & Apple TV).m4v

 

I did use the 'Open in Preview' in the print dialog, which did give a correct visual sized thumbnail, but I could not move the image around in the thumbnail - see attached image. Its the speed of use I want as I constantly amend drawings this way, to do it at document level is too time consuming. This is I believe an AP print dialog issue and if AP wants to attract artists as well as designers, photographers etc. it will need to emulate PS in providing this facility. Sorry its a long reply, but it is also intended for any Affinity staff who may monitor these communications, thanks for trying to help.

[toltec]

Fair enough, but in the meantime it is very easy to work round it.

 

Save the artwork file, create a blank A4 document, or any size you want and then "Place" the artwork document inside that.

 

You can drag the artwork file around inside the "print" document, just like in the video.

 

 

Doesn't take that long.

[Freddie360]

Yes, thats a good workaround and I will use it, the problem occurs when you have multiple layers and the need to flatten it first and unflatten it afterwards - it all gets messy when you need to be quick. However, thanks again for your responses.

[toltec]

Why do you need to flatten or unflatten anything ?  You can place a multi-layer .afphoto document as an embedded file inside the "Print" document.

 

Save the artwork file, (leave it open) place the saved file as an embedded file, print it and carry on with the artwork file, untouched. All you are doing is using the "Print" file the same as a custom print dialogue box. There is no need to flatten or unflatten anything.

 

Three operations

 

Save. (the artwork file)

Place (inside the print document)

Print

Back to the original artwork to edit as required.

 

Maybe that's four operations. I never was very good at maths 

 

You can even use the Print document as a sort of Macro. There is a Replace Document button in the "print" document to load an edited artwork file, keeping its position and scale.

 

To my mind that's every bit as convenient as a custom print box. More so if you want different positions and scales. Make more than one "print" document and use Replace Document.

[v_kyr]

3 hours ago, Freddie360 said:

How did you get that dropdown menu shown within your Print Dialog window, I have tried and cannot find it?

Not sure here if you meant this in response to my image posting above?

However, in the AD print dialog you can use the "paper format" popup menu entry, which might show (let's say ) an "A4" entry as your default setting and change that selection to "Custom own format". Then another panel pops up, where you can alter the paper format size and the non printable section values for the print. Note that this is OS and printer driver dependent!

[Freddie360]

toltec - I did not know of the embedding option, I will use this to overcome my immediate print dialog problem. I do not think its as elegant as the PS print dialog, but until AP updates to a more versatile print dialog window this workaround is good alternative. Many thanks again.

 

v_kyr - I do not have these dropdown options - see attached images.

[v_kyr]

Seems like the Ricoh laser printer driver probably doesn't offer those then. - Maybe your Canon Ink Jet printer driver supports this, since I too use a pretty old Canon printer (S900) on the Mac side.

[Freddie360]

The Canon does offer the Custom format, but I need to resize on the fly as the requirements are generally flexible. The toltec workaround will do the job for me until AP provides a more versatile Print Dialog. Many thanks for helping with my problem.

[R C-R]

@Freddie360 I think the issue you are seeing is the same one you would see if you used any app that uses the standard printing interface built into the Mac OS; namely that the printing options the app can use are limited by what the printer driver makes available to the OS. For good & bad (it is a bit of both) Photoshop does not use this interface.

[Freddie360]

Well thats enlightening, but I am disinclined to renew my reasonably new Ricoh laser printer to accommodate AP's use of the Mac OS interface for print dialogs, I hope that this can rectified in AP future upgrades. However, until that time comes I will use the toltec workaround as AP is just too good and wonderful value for money to ignore.