Can anyone tell me the difference between the Image Size and the Canvas size? I use PSP8 and I'm still trying to figure out why my pages aren't centered when I print even though I've selected the centering options under the print menus. This time I played with the canvas option--I changed my image size to 11.5 x 11.5 which is the size of the Epson Scrapbook paper and I've changed the canvas size to 3450. This time it was centered up and down but the page came out about 1/2 inch shorter than the last page I printed. What can I do? I'm using the Epson Photo 1280 wide format printer. Can anyone help me?

Debbie 57

__________________
Crazy about Scrapbooking

Ok. Whatever you have on a page, at ANY size, the page can be printed "centered" on your paper. (It will just look funny, or pixilated if the resolution is too low.) Canvas size shouldn't have anything to do with it. It's how the printer's set up.

When you choose to print from PSP8, from the FILE>Print option, a dialog box opens up. The first tab is for "Placement". There is a set of radio buttons in the lower, middle part of the box. The choices you have here are "Fit to page", "Center on page", "Upper left" and "Custom offset". In this box, choose "Center on page".

ALSO there is a button at the upper right that says "Properties". When you click on that button, another window will open that allows you to change the printer's properties. There is a tab on this one that says "Paper". Click on that tab.

You need to tell the printer what size paper you are printing on. For my printer driver, I don't have a default option for the new Epson Scrapbook paper. If you have one, use that. If you don't, then scroll to the bottom of the list and choose "User Defined".

Make sure you've chosen the ".01 in" option (so the measurements your putting in are INCHES). Then put in 1200 and 1200 for the width and height. Click on OK.

At the bottom the Paper tab, there is a section for "Printable Area". In that section you need to turn ON (click so there is a black center) "Maximum". When you do that a dialog box will pop up, just click on OK to close it. Click on the box for "Centered" so there is a black check mark in it.

Now you can click on OK at the bottom of your properties box to close it. Click on the print button on the dialog box in PSP8, and it should work.

One thing to remember is that this printer sometimes has a hard time printing edge to edge. It wants to leave an automatic "border" around whatever you're printing. It will leave a BIGGER border at the bottom than on the sides and top. There is an option to override that problem, too... but first let's see if your printing is centered when you do the above.

If you are still having problems after that, let us know.

Tandika *

__________________

Thanks for the info, Tandika. I needed to know about the printer automatically leaving an edge bigger on the bottom than at the sides and top. I was doing it correctly then because that is what I was getting. However, when I played with the canvas size it put an equal amount of space at the top and the bottom, so apparently changing the canvas size did do something.

So what purpose is there to changing canvas size? Won't changing the image size do the same thing?

Also, since the actual size of Epson's Scrapbook Photo Paper is 11.5 x 11.5, shouldn't I use that for the paper size instead of 12 x 12?

Thank you for all your help!

Debbie

__________________
Crazy about Scrapbooking

You didn't say what size your image was to start with, but let's assume you started with an 11.5-inch square canvas at 300 pixels per inch. If you then go and change the canvas size to 3450 x 3450 pixels, you should have seen NO change, because that's exactly the same size. (11.5*300=3450). If that was the case, the printing coming out "right" was either coincidental, or something else changed in between.

If your original image was some other dimensions, then changing the canvas size either:

1. made it SMALLER, in which case it was now the "right" size for printing
2. made it BIGGER and put a border of empty pixels around your original image.

I would think you would have noticed a border around the original, so #1 might be what happened.

And yes, since the paper is 11.5 square, you would set the numbers for the custom size to 1150, not 1200. However, it still will not print edge-to-edge ... it will give you a small (about 1/4-inch) border around it. Your printer does this to keep from spraying ink past the edge of the paper and damaging the printer.

So, if you want to print on 11.5 paper, your best bet is to open a new image at 11.5-inches (square) set to 300 pixels per inch. You will have a tiny amount of shrinkage when you print (because of the printer's enforced border) but you shouldn't notice any loss of detail, since the printer actually prints more "dots" per inch than that.

Tandika*

__________________

Thanks Tandika! That helps to clarify things. Appreciate your help!

Debbie

__________________
Crazy about Scrapbooking

No problem, Debbie! I remember how totally confused I was when I started dealing with printing. I ended up doing a bunch of experiments to figure it all out. Back then there wasn't anything like this site for help! I used a lot of paper and ink before I got it right.

Tandika*

__________________