Centering a photo when printing

ebanista

Welcome to the Apple user to user assistance forums

No way that I see short of creating an 8 1/2 x 11 image with the 5x5 image centered in it using a third party editor (Photoshop Elements, Seashore, etc) - but Old Toad is the master of this kind of work around

LN

Message was edited by: LarryHN

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. I just tried to see if I could center a photo on a letter page with iPhoto 7 and had no success. However I think you can do what you want with Preview.

1 - crop the photo to square and export to the desktop.
2 - open with Preview.
3 - start the Print process
4 - in the print window select the Center Image checkbox
5 - click on the Scale radio button and enter a figure to reduce the image size to what you want. You may have to experiment to get 5" exactly. Start with 40% and go from there. (Note: when you enter the percentage click on another field to get the image to resize without printing).

With a little trial and error you should be able to get what you want.

TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier versions) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. There are versions that are compatible with iPhoto 5, 6, 7 and 8 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

NOTE: iPhoto 8's new option in the library rebuild pane, "Rebuild the iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup" may make this tip obsolete. We'll know when users have occasion to use it and see if that's the case.

Old Toad is the master of this kind of work around

Ribbit

😉

LN

LarryHN wrote:

Old Toad is the master of this kind of work around

Ribbit

😉

LN

I'm on the hunt. 🙂

It's probably something I just don't see, but I don't get a Scale radio button...just a check box under Center Image that says Scale to Fit. There is no place to enter any figures to reduce the image size.

It's in Preview's print window. If you don't see it there then it's probably a Leopard feature.

Click to view full size

Ah, yes, thanks. That must be it. The only option I have is a second check box for "Scale to Fit.' I'm still in Tiger for a bit longer....wanting to finish up a few projects first.