Multi Picture printing

Question

Level 1

10 points

Multi Picture printing

What I greatly miss in MAC OS is a simple way to print more than one picture on a page, let's say 2, 4, 6 or thumbnails.

On Windows machines, from XP on, one simply selects a (vast) number of pictures in a folder, then select Print...

A menu appears where you can tell the printer (any printer) what number of picures you want per page.

You will be informed how many pages will be needed for your selection. Exactly the way you want it, very intuitive: like Apple could have invented it.

As simple as that.

It is hard to believe that MAC OS does not have this ability, but I am not able to find it.

When I select a number of pictures in a Mac OS folder I can Select Print, (but not Print...). Each picture will be printed separatly on one page.

Posted on Dec 5, 2016 7:48 AM

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Answer 1

zendrik

Level 1

4 points

Jul 17, 2017 1:33 PM in response to JanSr

@ Viking OSX : Thanks for the explanation with screenshots. It helped me out ! :-)

@ JanSr : The essential detail you're missing is this : you have to change the 'Preview' dropdown menu ('Voorvertoning' in Dutch - just above 'Roteer richting' and just under 'Richting') to 'Lay-out'. And then you get this extra option : 'Number of pages per sheet' (in Dutch : 'Aantal pagina’s per vel' ). If you chose for example the number 8 then 8 pictures will be displayed on one page, etc.

Succes en prettige dag!

Zendrik

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Answer 2

VikingOSX

Level 10

126,828 points

Dec 5, 2016 11:46 AM in response to JanSr

You are not going to achieve this by selecting multiple images in the Finder.

Double-click on an image to launch Preview and display your image. From Preview's View menu, choose Thumbnails. Now you can drag successive images from the Finder into the Preview thumbnail gallery, and when you see the green plus symbol appear on the image, release it to add to the Preview thumbnail gallery.

Click any single thumbnail, and press command+a to select all thumbnails. Then command+P will open the Print dialog. Change it as shown to print images n-up on a sheet.

Apple did not set out to duplicate the functionality in Windows Explorer. The above is how you adapt by using tools in the Mac.

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Answer 3

JanSr Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 6, 2016 12:33 AM in response to JanSr

This “solution” is not even near to what I want. It showed how to print 4 or 6 indentical pictures to one page.

What I need is to get prints with a sequence of the pictures as they are shown in the folder.

So: On the first page picture 1 to 6, on the next page picture 7 to 12 and so on.

Or I did not understand your instructions.

And than it is even worse. From 1984 on (my first Mac) one did not need instructions, it was all simple to find out.

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Answer 4

JanSr Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 6, 2016 1:35 AM in response to JanSr

To make myself clear:

And now how simple it could be (the Windows trick):

Select your pictures:

Then select Print (command Print, in this picture Afdrukken)

In the right column one can choose the number of pictures per page.

that's all.

Why is this so complicaties in Mac OS?

Similar example: When I plug my iPhone into a Windows machine I can see and move and copy and delete its data in "the finder".

Why not in Mac OS? There I have to open iTunes en every time again to find out how it's done. Far mor complex, hard to remember, totally in contradiction to the "Law of Apple": When you need an manual it is too complex.

I fear it has to do with thelaw of the handicap of a head start

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Answer 5

VikingOSX

Level 10

126,828 points

Dec 6, 2016 6:40 AM in response to JanSr

Jan,

I am not the person that seeks complication over simplicity. If the OS X/macOS Finder offered the ability to directly print all Finder selected images in the manner that you expect, I would have shown you that approach. Operating Systems have become far more complicated than they were on any platform in 1984, and are no longer just “intuitive.”

You are not using MacOS System 5 - 9, or Windows Explorer, and since the OS X/macOS Finder does not emulate these with selected file printing — change your expectations; follow my prior instructions more closely, and observe that the screen capture that I provided refutes your observation: “It showed how to print 4 or 6 indentical pictures to one page.”

Your screen capture shows duplicate images, and that is not the correct result when following the prior instructions. Try again.

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Answer 6

JanSr Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 6, 2016 7:14 AM in response to VikingOSX

Hi Viking, Yes I believe that you are trying to help me.

Let's start again: In my (Dutch) version of MacOS Sierra 10.12.1 (16B2555)

From Preview's View menu I can select:

Option Command 1, 2, 3 and 6.

2 is called Miniatures

and 6 is called Contact Sheet

When I select option Command 3 (Miniatures) I get this:

When I select option Command 6 (Contact Sheet) I get this:

In BOTH cases I get this when I select Command a and then Command Print:

So It seems that I am missing an essential detail, somewhere.

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Answer 7

VikingOSX

Level 10

126,828 points

Dec 6, 2016 8:05 AM in response to JanSr

Skip the contact sheet for now. Click in your thumbnail gallery (left side panel) of different images, and then press command-A to select all of the thumbnails. Now, press command+p, and set your 6 items per page. Does this give your different images?

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Answer 8

JanSr Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 6, 2016 8:12 AM in response to VikingOSX

As I said, in BOTH cases (miniatures and contact sheet) the result is the same, only pages with a number of the same pictures.

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Answer 9

VikingOSX

Level 10

126,828 points

Dec 6, 2016 8:40 AM in response to JanSr

Ok. Let me boot up my Sierra box, and check into this. Won't be too long.

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Answer 10

VikingOSX

Level 10

126,828 points

Dec 6, 2016 9:30 AM in response to JanSr

From macOS Sierra 10.12.1, and monochrome printer print panel:

Again, I opened the first image in Preview, enabled the side-bar thumbnail view (not contact sheet), and then dragged, ➕ dropped each image after the one before it. Then, brought up the print panel as shown.

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Answer 11

JanSr Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 6, 2016 9:50 AM in response to VikingOSX

Well, no way on this side of the world. I restarted my Mac.

Selected option-command 2

Also a monochrome printer.

Same result.

What I could try is to re-install MacOS and select US as my country. Would this work?

If yes, I hardly can believe this is the way it should work.

Do you know a Help file where this issue is published? I did not find it.

And is there a way to bring this to attention of Apple? With any chance of serious response?

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Answer 12

JanSr Author

Level 1

10 points

Dec 6, 2016 9:55 AM in response to JanSr

I tested this on a MacBook Air.

To convince myself, I just tested is also on an MacBook Pro, other files, other folder.

Result exacty the same.

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Answer 13

VikingOSX

Level 10

126,828 points

Dec 6, 2016 10:20 AM in response to JanSr

Boot into Safe Mode. Does Preview work correctly with added images for you in this mode?

Quit Preview, and venture into the Library : Caches folder in your home directory, and look for a Preview folder, or plist, and move either to your Trash. Reboot normally, empty your Trash, and try the Preview image n-up solution again.

If it still is not working, then verify that your printer driver is the current vendor recommendation for macOS Sierra. You may need to reset the printing system, and then re-add your printer (with updated driver code) back into your print panel. Try Preview again.

I have never had to reinstall the operating system to get some component of it working correctly again in over 10 years. I very much doubt that doing so in your case will change the outcome in any language. I believe this to be resolvable in the first three paragraphs.

You probably realize that Apple product teams do not participate in these open support communities, and they almost never respond to feedback submissions either. You can provide feedback to the macOS Sierra product team on this page.

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Answer 14

Hiroto

Level 5

7,487 points

Dec 6, 2016 2:24 PM in response to JanSr

Hello

In order to print multiple selected images in Preview, I need to use option + command + p in lieu of command + p under OS X 10.6.8.

* Actually OS X 10.6.8's Preview.app's File menu has distinct menu items for Print… (command + p) and Print Selected Images… (option + command + p) which result in different behaviours when printing multiple images on a sheet of paper (or pdf page).

Just my observations. Not sure about later OSes.

Hiroto

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Answer 15

Hiroto

Level 5

7,487 points

Dec 6, 2016 2:40 PM in response to JanSr

Addendum.

A procedure to print multiple image files (under OS X 10.6.8).

1) Select image files in Finder.

2) Open the selected files with Preview.

3) Select all thumbnails in Preview.

4) Press option + command + p.

5) Set number of images per page in print setup sheet and perform print or save as pdf operation.

Good luck,

H

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