Print multiple horizontal photos in a vertical "banner" with a consistent white

[stockjock]

How do I print multiple horizontal photos in a vertical "banner" with a consistent white space in between when the photos are different heights.  I have Lightroom, Photoshop, and a Canon iPF8400.  Essentially, I want to print 4-5 horizontal photos on 17" roll paper so that the width of each photo is 15" and with a 1" space between photos.  But since the photos have different heights I can't specify cells in Lightroom.  Visually the print might look like:

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx

that would be an extreme case but hopefully you get the idea.  Constant width, varying height, constant gap between photos on a single length of roll paper.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Paul

[graeme]

Combine all the images into one ( large ) photoshop image & adjust as desired?

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Combine all the images into one ( large ) photoshop image & adjust as desired?

Yes,

Although the file size might choke the printer driver due to lack of memory resources.

While I understand that people want to keep workflows simple and stay with one application, I've long ago decided that Printing is often better left to a dedicated printing application, a RIP or something much more affordable like Qimage Ultimate (a Windows application that also runs on MacOS by using Parallels or a similar virtualizer). That it can provide better output quality as well, is a big bonus.

If the image height is variable, and the inter-image spacing should be the same, a simple solution is to add a blank/white file with the correct output dimensions between the other images in the print queue, and print the whole queue without image separating margins on a page size that is long enough to accommodate all images.

For one-of's, one can also drag the images in place in Qimage, to very accurate dimensions.

Cheers,
Bart

[Ernst Dinkla]

How do I print multiple horizontal photos in a vertical "banner" with a consistent white space in between when the photos are different heights.  I have Lightroom, Photoshop, and a Canon iPF8400.  Essentially, I want to print 4-5 horizontal photos on 17" roll paper so that the width of each photo is 15" and with a 1" space between photos.  But since the photos have different heights I can't specify cells in Lightroom.  Visually the print might look like:

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx

that would be an extreme case but hopefully you get the idea.  Constant width, varying height, constant gap between photos on a single length of roll paper.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Paul

Like Bart suggests; buy Qimage Ultimate. In Qimage lock print orientation as in thumbs, custom scale them to 15" x say 60" (crop off) and add an extra 0.5" white border B+ to the images, use optimal for the nesting on the page which stacks the images+border, reduce the print page length so no paper is wasted, use center spaced for horizontal centering. That does not control the white space above and below the nested range but that will be 0.5"+ print margin for each, at the sides it is 1" each. There are ways to increase the top and bottom white space if needed.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
February 2017 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[Cincinnati]

If you're on a Mac, Roy Harrington has an app called Print-Tool that will handle that just fine. I think it's free to test. But I paid $39 for a serial number. It's well worth it.  IT says it will work with all print drivers. I'd contact him to see if it will interface with the Canon driver.

His site is QuadtoneRIP.com

[stockjock]

Combine all the images into one ( large ) photoshop image & adjust as desired?

That is a less automated than I want but just as importantly I don't actually know how to do it.  All of my experience with Photoshop has been making adjustments to a single image rather than combining/stacking images.  Any tips?

[stockjock]

Like Bart suggests; buy Qimage Ultimate. In Qimage lock print orientation as in thumbs, custom scale them to 15" x say 60" (crop off) and add an extra 0.5" white border B+ to the images, use optimal for the nesting on the page which stacks the images+border, reduce the print page length so no paper is wasted, use center spaced for horizontal centering. That does not control the white space above and below the nested range but that will be 0.5"+ print margin for each, at the sides it is 1" each. There are ways to increase the top and bottom white space if needed.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

I appreciate those detailed instructions and I'm glad to know that it is possible that Qimage might be able to solve the problem.  But I have tried Qimage in the past and I hate the interface.  It is sort of my last resort option if I need to go into a larger production of these banners rather than just the 3 I am doing now.  Maybe I'll give the trial version another try.

[stockjock]

Yes,

Although the file size might choke the printer driver due to lack of memory resources.

While I understand that people want to keep workflows simple and stay with one application, I've long ago decided that Printing is often better left to a dedicated printing application, a RIP or something much more affordable like Qimage Ultimate (a Windows application that also runs on MacOS by using Parallels or a similar virtualizer). That it can provide better output quality as well, is a big bonus.

If the image height is variable, and the inter-image spacing should be the same, a simple solution is to add a blank/white file with the correct output dimensions between the other images in the print queue, and print the whole queue without image separating margins on a page size that is long enough to accommodate all images.

For one-of's, one can also drag the images in place in Qimage, to very accurate dimensions.

Cheers,
Bart

That idea of adding a blank file to create the consistent white space isn't one that had occurred to me.  It might make it easy to use the Layout function built into the iPF8400 driver to create the kind of print I want.  I've tried printing blank files from Lightroom to avoid manually cutting roll paper but it didn't work, nothing would print and the paper wouldn't feed.  It might be different if they are interspersed with real data.  Thanks.

[graeme]

That is a less automated than I want but just as importantly I don't actually know how to do it.  All of my experience with Photoshop has been making adjustments to a single image rather than combining/stacking images.  Any tips?

Open your first image in ps.

Double click background to change to normal layer.

Select the image with the Crop Tool.

Pull the bottom handle of the Crop Tool well down below the image - click Return or Enter. ( You now have a much taller image area ).

Make sure the Rulers are showing & pull a guide down to the bottom of your first image ( Make sure View - Snap To - Guides is checked).

Move your cursor to the Ruler origin ( the corner square where the eight & width rulers met ) & click drag the origin to your Guide.

Pull another Guide down so that it’s the correct distance below your first guide. ie. 1”

Drag & drop you’re next photo into the image - use the Move tool to position it against your guide.

Repeat as necessary. Use the Crop Tool to increase the length of the image area if you have to.

When you have all your images placed flatten the image.

I get Bart’s point about the file size possibly being a problem for the printer driver - maybe do all your soft proofing adjustments, sharpening etc & then save the file as an 8 bit jpeg?

I also appreciate Bart  & Ernst’s comments about Quimage if you start doing this kind of thing regularly.

Graeme

[stockjock]

Open your first image in ps.

Double click background to change to normal layer.

Select the image with the Crop Tool.

Pull the bottom handle of the Crop Tool well down below the image - click Return or Enter. ( You now have a much taller image area ).

Make sure the Rulers are showing & pull a guide down to the bottom of your first image ( Make sure View - Snap To - Guides is checked).

Move your cursor to the Ruler origin ( the corner square where the eight & width rulers met ) & click drag the origin to your Guide.

Pull another Guide down so that it’s the correct distance below your first guide. ie. 1”

Drag & drop you’re next photo into the image - use the Move tool to position it against your guide.

Repeat as necessary. Use the Crop Tool to increase the length of the image area if you have to.

When you have all your images placed flatten the image.

I get Bart’s point about the file size possibly being a problem for the printer driver - maybe do all your soft proofing adjustments, sharpening etc & then save the file as an 8 bit jpeg?

I also appreciate Bart  & Ernst’s comments about Quimage if you start doing this kind of thing regularly.

Graeme

I got a little lost somewhere with the pulling down of guides but I muddled through and figured out how to add multiple images into the area the crop tool created and align them.  That looks like a good solution for right now since I'm only making a few prints like this.  Thanks for the advice.