How do I print a specific sized picture.

Question

How do I print a specific sized picture.

I'm trying to print a picture to fit in a frame size of 6 5/8 X 4 5/8. (6.625 X 4.625). The size of the picture in pixels is 416 X 288. The width is more important than the height. I've used the "constrain" feature in iPhoto, to constrain the size to 6.625 X 4.6, but the problem is that when I actually go to print it out, it just insists on using the entire 8.5 x 11 page. I can't seem to convince it to just print out the size I want. Is there any way to constrain the actually size of the printed image? Is there some program other than iPhoto that will do the trick? This is driving me nuts. It seems like such a simple thing? After software has been evolving for 50 years, it's still can't do something this elementary?

There's a slider that allows one to adjust the "size of the image" but it has nothing to do with the print size. It's just oriented to the visual size on the digital display. How silly is that?

MacBook 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM, 233 GB Internal Drive, Mac OS X (10.5.4), 80 GB USB external & 233 GB USB connected to Airport Extreme Base Station

Posted on Oct 11, 2008 7:30 PM

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Answer 1

Yer_Man

Level 10

165,840 points

Oct 11, 2008 11:57 PM in response to Scott Talkington

When you click the Print Button in the iPhoto Window you get a new Sheet. Click on Print Size and set it to custom...

You need to be aware that the print will not be great quality with so few pixels.

There's a slider that allows one to adjust the "size of the image" but it has nothing to do with the print size. It's just oriented to the visual size on the digital display. How silly is that?

Not silly at all. What has the size of the image to do with the print size? It’s exactly oriented to the visual size on the screen. After all, some folks need to zoom in to their images.

Regards

TD

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Answer 2

Dec 25, 2008 8:30 PM in response to Scott Talkington

I understand. I've arrived at this forum for the same reason. It is disappointing to see this apparent limitation. And the lack of understanding! I guess I should upgrade from iPhoto 7.1.5! My specific issue is that I want a photo to sit under a matt. The frame dimension is 5 by 7 and the matt is 3.5 by 5. I hope someone can think of a solution and let me know.

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Answer 3

Oct 12, 2008 9:15 AM in response to Yer_Man

First of all, I don't see a "print button" anywhere. The bottons I see are "Rotate," "Edit," "Slideshow," "Card," "Calendar," "Book," "Email," and a small search box. Of course there's a "print" option in the "file" menu. If I open that dialogue box there's a small window that says "Size" to the left of it, but there's no "custom" option. Just 2x3, 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10. That's for "Letter" paper with a "Standard Prints" style. Other options besides "Standard Prints" are: "Contact Sheet," "Full Page," "Greeting Card," "N-up," and "Sampler." None of those options allows a "custom size."

At the top, under the Printer is a box that says "Presets," so I changed that to "Photo," but it didn't change any of the size options.

Well, 5x7 is close enough. I can't probably put a small border around the picture instead of cropping it at the very edge, and when it prints 5x7 the image width will be 6.625 inches.

But it sure is a roundabout way of doing something that ought to be simple and straightforward.

As for the slider bar, what's silly is the overwhelming assumption that the image wanted will be digital. We've left any conventional expectations about photographs so far behind that "image size" is just assumed to not translate to the printed image.

Strictly speaking one probably can't define an image size using the old film technologies either. One would probably have to order 5x7 and just make do. So there's not an actual loss of capability, just sort of a failure to optimize.

It would, of course, probably be very confusing for people to actually have to define the printed image size. I don't know. I'm just guessing.

BTW, I'm using an HP Photosmart C4385, so the driver may not allow customized adjustment. That is, it may be a printer thing. I've had a lot of problems with the HP Printer driver in the past, too. Took me about 6 tries to get it installed so that it doesn't crash the system.

In his video "Time Management" Randy Pausch quotes a guy who says: "Computers are really really fast, but they take too much time." That about captures it.

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Answer 4

Yer_Man

Level 10

165,840 points

Oct 12, 2008 9:32 AM in response to Scott Talkington

As for the slider bar, what's silly is the overwhelming assumption that the image wanted will be digital.

It’s a digital image file on a digital device. It’s in the viewing pane - not in any print dialogue. And it‘s silly to assume “that the image wanted will be digital”?

We've left any conventional expectations about photographs so far behind that "image size" is just assumed to not translate to the printed image.

Exactly. It’s a digital image on a digital device. You might be surprised by the sheer number of folks who never print an image at all.

Regards

TD

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Answer 5

Oct 12, 2008 9:36 AM in response to Scott Talkington

"Well, 5x7 is close enough. I can't probably put a small border around the picture instead of cropping it at the very edge, and when it prints 5x7 the image width will be 6.625 inches."

I meant "can probably..." of course. I'd have to eyeball it and use a little trial and error, but would eventually get there.

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Answer 6

LarryHN

Level 10

106,142 points

Oct 12, 2008 9:41 AM in response to Scott Talkington

After software has been evolving for 50 years, it's still can't do something this elementary?

It could be that you just are behind the evolution curve - iPhoto '08, the very latest in the evolution curve has a custom print size selection - when you choose not to stay (you say you have iPhoto 6) with the latest in evolution you don't have the advantage of it - do you 😟

LN

BTW - In my world digital photography Software has not been evolving for 50 years but more like 15 years 🙂

Message was edited by: LarryHN

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Answer 7

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Dec 26, 2008 1:06 PM in response to Tigerbalm

Hi, Tigerbalm and Freewheeling. The solution is to export your pictures from iPhoto and then open and print them in a photo editing application that supports greater printing flexibility. iPhoto is a "mom and pop" photo manager designed for people who are arranging and emailing pictures, putting them up on simple personal web sites or commercial picture-sharing sites, and ordering their prints, books and calendars from the iPhoto order service. It isn't designed to be used for specialty printing like what you two want to do. You may not think of it as very advanced work, and in truth it isn't, but it's not what iPhoto is made for.

By the way, iPhoto 7.1.5 is the latest version. The version number is confusing because it's part of iLife '08.

Message was edited by: eww

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Answer 8

LarryHN

Level 10

106,142 points

Dec 26, 2008 11:59 PM in response to Tigerbalm

You have posted in the iPhoto 6 forum but say you have iPhoto '08 (version 7.1.5) - in iPhoto '08 simply select a photo. click print and select the printer, paper size and print size and click print - make any printer specific selections and click print again any you can print any size photo you want

LN

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Answer 9

Dec 27, 2008 2:30 PM in response to LarryHN

Larry, I will move the question to the right forum, but I'll explain further. What I want to be able to do is maximise the number of photos on a page, eg, with each photo having a border of 6 by 4 and a photo size of 5 by 3. iPhoto does not seem flexible enough to do this fairly simple thing. You would be aware that Mum's and Dad's may not have access to other more flexible software.

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Answer 10

LarryHN

Level 10

106,142 points

Dec 27, 2008 2:47 PM in response to Tigerbalm

you will have to play with it - the preview shows what will be happening so it is easy to try different things - set the paper size to letter (or A4 probably) and the print size to 5 x 3 and see what the layout looks like - then try some of the border themes and see if anything looks good

LN

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Answer 11

Oct 12, 2008 4:07 PM in response to LarryHN

Sigh...

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