Solved Actual print size when printing picures

[TheScog]

Hi,
I work quite a bit with photos and images. Since Windows 7 there no longer seems to be any way of printing pictures in their actual size and their actual resolution. There's just this wizard that assumes you want to print a standard photo size. The problem is that some of the images I work with require the rasterization to stay true. If I create an image at 600dpi that is 3x4 cm I need to be able to print the image at 600 dpi and get a print that is 3x4 cm in size. With Windows 7 I cant do this. Is there any reasonable way around this? It would seem that making Windows 7 "idiot proof" has made it less useable by non-idiots

Regards
Mike

 

[Neutron16]

If it opens in MS Paint you can click File - Print - Page Setup - Scaling - Adjust to 100% normal size. This way you can print the real size, but I do not know about DPIs.

 

[seavixen32]

As Neutron16 says, Microsoft Paint might be the answer, albeit a bit basic.



GIMP (which is freeware) is another option: http://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Check Irfanview as well: http://www.irfanview.com/

 

[seavixen32]

If it opens in MS Paint you can click File - Print - Page Setup - Scaling - Adjust to 100% normal size. This way you can print the real size, but I do not know about DPIs.

DPI stands for Dots Per Inch and put simply, a higher DPI increases the resolution of the picture. In other words the image looks a lot clearer and sharper.

 

[Neutron16]

I do not know about DPIs.

DPI stands for Dots Per Inch and put simply

Thanks seavixen32. I know what DPI is. By that phrase I meant "I do not know if printing with this trick in Paint will keep your original DPIs".

 

[seavixen32]

I do not know about DPIs.

DPI stands for Dots Per Inch and put simply

Thanks seavixen32. I know what DPI is. By that phrase I meant "I do not know if printing with this trick in Paint will keep your original DPIs".

I do apologise, I just interpreted the comment as asking for a definition of DPI.

Obviously not.

 

[PooMan UK]

Your going to have to use your printers software to give you the best possible results. When you open the image in any software, goto your printer preferences before printing and choose the best possible results for what your trying to achieve, otherwise you might end up with poor print quality

 

[TheScog]

Thanks for the replies guys. I guess It's time to drop good old Paint.NET and perhaps invest in something proper...like Photoshop.

 

[seavixen32]

If you don't want the full-blown version of Photoshop you could always go for Photoshop Elements 10, which although more basic than its big brother is also a lot cheaper.

 

[PooMan UK]

Thanks for the replies guys. I guess It's time to drop good old Paint.NET and perhaps invest in something proper...like Photoshop.

Nope pal ... there's no need to purchase PS, you can carry on using paint.net or Gimp or any other free graphic package available to printout your images.
(You can even use a free image viewer program like Fasstone image viewer
Photoshop isn't going to solve the issue.
All you need to do is change your printer settings to print at a higher quality.

 

[bobkush]

How to get Photoshop to display actual print resolution

How to get Photoshop to display actual print resolution

1. Create a blank document that has 300 dpi print resolution, 9″ x 9″ in dimensions.

2. Fill it with white if it is not already filled

3. From the menu choose “View/Print Size”

4. With an accurate ruler and using great care not to damage your screen measure the displayed dimensions in inches. In all likelihood it will be a good deal smaller than 9 inches

5. Divide 9 inches by the actual measurement you obtain from the screen which will provide the correction factor. I am not using an example since this number may vary from one screen to another.

RKNOTE: My monitor displayed an image 6 inches wide. 9 divided by 6 = 1.5

6. Now, go to “Edit/Preferences/Units & Rulers” and find the screen resolution. Most likely it is set at 72 pixels/inch

7. Multiply the current ppi, 72, by the correction factor you calculated above and enter that in the screen resolution field. Click OK.

RKNOTE: 72 x 1.5 = 108

The resulting screen resolution may have a decimal fraction, that’s OK.

From now on, when you choose “View/Print Size” your screen will display the actual dimensions of the print.

RKNOTE:
For my 17.3 inch Laptop, the settings of 108 dpi in Photoshop automatically displays Print Size at actual resolution.