66. Print an Image Before You Start  65 Set Print Options
105 Ensure That What You See Is What You Get
See Also  68 Print a Picture Package
69 Print Images Using an Online Service
After you're through making changes, you can print an image from the Editor. You'll be able to scale the image to fit a particular size (such as 5" x 7"a process that may result in portions of the image being cropped or not printed). In addition, as I mentioned earlier, scaling the size of an image within the Print Preview dialog box may also reduce print resolution (quality), so avoid doing that if you can; instead, resize the image using the steps in 68 Change Image Size or Resolution. For prints that are smaller than the paper you're using, you can adjust where on the paper the photo prints (which may help you trim the print). You'll be able to add a colored border around the image, print the image filename and text caption, and select the specific ICC printer profile you want to use. Before printing, you can preview your selections to see how your image will look. NOTE  | Printing low-resolution images in a large size results in poor quality (grainy) photos. If you took the photos using a low-resolution setting on your digital camera (or scanned them using a low resolution setting), choose a small print size for best print results. |
1. | Click Print
Open the image you want to print in the Editor and save it in Photoshop (*.psd) format. Make any changes you want, including resizing the image to fit the print size you need, then save the result in JPEG or non-layered TIFF format, leaving your PSD image with its layers intact so that you can return at a later time and make different adjustments if you want.
TIPS  | If you want to print more than one copy of an image or multiple images on a single photo sheet, use the Organizer. See 68 Print a Picture Package. If you've already displayed an image in the Print Preview dialog box discussed here, click the Print Multiple Images button at the top of the dialog box to change to the Organizer, where you can print multiple copies of your image or print this image along with other images on the same page. You can print a photo in a custom size by selecting the Custom Size option from the Print Size drop-down list and entering the Height and Width dimensions. Alternatively, if the Show Bounding Box option is enabled, you can resize the image by dragging the corners of the bounding box that surrounds the image in the preview window. You can also reposition the image on the page by disabling the Center Image option and then dragging the image inside the preview area. |
Click the Print button on the Shortcuts bar, or select File, Print from the menu. The Print Preview dialog box appears.
| 2. | Select Print Size
If you need to change the paper size you've selected for use during this work session, click the Page Setup button to display the Page Setup dialog box. Select the size of paper you want to use from the Size list and click OK to return to the Print Preview dialog box. See 65 Set Print Options for more help.
The photo normally prints at its actual size which is shown next to the words, Actual Size, in the Print Size list box. (Here, "actual size" is based on the image size in pixels divided by the resolution of the image in dots per inch.) If the image's actual size is larger than the paper size you've chosen, parts of the image will be cropped (not printed). If you want to scale the photo to print at a different size, open the Print Size list and select the photo size you want to use, such as 5" x 7". The Fit to Page option from this list makes the photo as large as possible, while still fitting the paper size you chose. For best results, use these last two options only when the print size you select is smaller than the actual print size. To print in a size larger than the image's actual print size, resize the image as described in 60 Change Image Size or Resolution.
To scale the photo to fit the print size you select (not Actual Size), the Editor may crop (not print) portions of the image. To prevent this cropping, disable the Crop to Fit Print Proportions option. With this option turned off, the image will print at the largest size possible within the Print Size dimensions you've chosen.
| 3. | Adjust Scale and Position
After you select a photo size from the Print Size list, the Editor adjusts the photo as best it can to fit that size. Still, you can fine-tune the Height and Width values as desired.
 Typically, the photo prints in the center of the page. To position the photo along the side (so that you can easily cut it) or anywhere else on the paper, disable the Center Image option and enter values in the Position frame that place the image relative to the Top and upper Left corner of the paper. A 1 inch Top value, for example, places the image 1" from the top of the page; .5 places the image 1/2" above the top of the page, essentially cropping off the top of the image and not printing it.
TIPS | If you make a selection before printing an image, you can enable the Print Selected Area option in the Scaled Print Size frame to print just that area. You must use only the Rectangular Marquee tool to select the area, there must be only one rectangle in the selection (not more than one joined), and the selection must not be feathered. See 72 Select a Rectangular or Circular Area for more about making this specific kind of selection. To rotate the image on the paper, click the Rotate 90° Left or Rotate 90° Right button just below the preview window. When you do this, even though the upper-left corner of the image might be shifted to a different corner, the Position of the image remains relative to the upper-left corner of the area being printed. Whatever you do, do not choose your monitor's color profile (the one you created using Adobe Gamma) from this list because you are trying to select the color spectrum intended for your printer and not your monitor. See 105 Ensure That What You See Is What You Get for more information about ICC color profiles. |
The Scale setting shows the magnification of the image being sent to the printer, relative to the original size of the image. It's best to scale your image to the desired print size before you start the print process, to both save time and prevent printout degradation. If you do enter a setting here, keep in mind that degradation can be minimized by choosing percentage values that make for less awkward fractions. For example, 50% (1/2) or 75% (3/4) scale has less chance for degradation than 95% (19/20) or 98% (49/50).
| 4. | Set Other Options
Enable the Show More Options check box to display all options related to printing, then select from among these additional options:
Add a border around your image by enabling the Border option, setting the size, and then clicking the Choose border color box to select a color using the Color Picker. You can choose a color from the image by clicking anywhere within the image window (you may have to move the Print Preview dialog box out of the way to see the actual image). To print crop marks (tiny Xs at the corners) that can help you trim the image after it's printed, enable the Print Crop Marks check box. Print the image File Name or text Caption just below the photo by selecting the corresponding options. See 31 Add a Text Caption or Note. Be sure to choose the ICC color profile you want your printer to use from the Print Space list. If you have installed an ICC color profile made just for your printer or for the paper you're using, you should see best results by choosing that ICC profile from this list and disabling printer color management through the printer driver, whose icon is located in the Windows Control Panel. In the absence of a printer color profile, your next best bet is choosing Printer Color Management, which assumes that your printer driver has its own color management routine (most photo printers do) and that it's turned on. If you don't like these results, try choosing Adobe RGB, again with the printer driver's color management turned off. NOTE | When you change the width of the Border option to any value above 0, the Editor scales the print size down to compensate. This can result in loss of print quality. You can adjust Scale back to 100%, but if you're working with a large image or with small paper, you could conceivably push the border off the edge of the page. Be sure to check the preview in the Print Preview dialog box to make sure that your image size is what you intend and that your bounding box falls completely within the page edges. |
To flip the image so that you can print it backwards onto iron-on transfer paper, enable the Invert Image option in the Transfer Printing frame. This way, when you iron the image onto your t-shirt, sweatshirt, or other material, the image will look correct.
| 5. | Select Printer Options and Print
Click the Print button to display the Print dialog box. If you have more than one printer, select your photo printer from the Name list.
If you haven't set your paper type and print quality for this work session as described in 65 Set Print Options, then click the Properties button to display the properties for your photo printer, make your selections, and click OK to return to the Print Preview dialog box. When you're ready, click OK to print the image.
|
|
