Printing photos with captions

Question

Level 1

8 points

Printing photos with captions

In a photo album I've put a caption into the Description box of each picture. I haven't been able to figure out how to print the photos with the caption beneath each picture. I can make a web page with the text in the Description box beneath each picture so surely there is a way to do it with printing. My goal is to print the sheets of a simple photo album -- two 4x6 pictures per sheet with the Description text below each picture. Can you help?

PowerBook G4, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Sep 19, 2010 6:34 AM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

215,082 points

Sep 19, 2010 9:48 AM in response to Bill Huston

If you want the captions beneath the photo then use the Contact Sheet theme in the Customize section of the print window. In the Settings page you can check the Comments box to have the comments printed under each photo.

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You'll have the option as to how many columns to have per page which determine how many photos will be per page.

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OT

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: The new rebuild option in iPhoto 09 (v. 8.0.2), Rebuild the iPhoto Library Database from automatic backup" makes this tip obsolete.

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Answer 2

Bill Huston Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2010 12:50 PM in response to Bill Huston

Thank you, that provides a way for the caption to appear. And it creates a few more questions. The photos have all been cropped to 4x6, yet the picture seems to be enlarged to fit the width of the page. Is there a way to keep image size 4x6? In the single column mode, it puts only one photo on each page, with the caption (comment) several inches away at the bottom of the sheet. Is there a way to put two photos within the one column, so that the caption would be immediately below the picture?

Thank you for your help.

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Answer 3

Old Toad

Level 10

215,082 points

Sep 19, 2010 5:56 PM in response to Bill Huston

No. If you need to keep them all at 4x6 you'll need to use a 3rd party image editor that supports layers and text.

Some Image Editors that support layers:

Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac - $79

GraphicConverter - $45

Rainbow Painter - $30

Acorn - $50
Pixelmator - $60
Seashore - Free
GIMP for Mac - Free

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Answer 4

Bill Huston Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 21, 2010 2:41 AM in response to Old Toad

Will each of the these bring the comments text from iPhoto? I have Photoshop 7 and HP Photosmart Mac, and as far as I can tell, they don't have a way to bring the text from iPhoto.

Thank you for your help.

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Answer 5

Old Toad

Level 10

215,082 points

Sep 21, 2010 10:44 AM in response to Bill Huston

No. With those applications you'll have to add the comments to the photos themselves or create a canvas where you add the photos as separate layers and then the comments as additional text layers.

There are some apps that might do that a bit easier like Portraits and Prints. I've not used it but you can find it and others at MacUpdate.com or VersionTracker.com.

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