Borders, Framing, mat mounting & all that???

[Box Brownie]

Hi All

Someone please say if this makes sense and whether there is a solution.

Many folk like to put a "frame" around their web images and though not always to my taste I can see some benefit sometimes. There is an acion called 'Mikes Framer' that gets good crits for doing a good job of it but my dilemma is that I want to print with a border for use when mat mounting (note here that it is possible using Mikes Framer) and most methods I have read of to date are or seem so counter intuitive.

To explain - you have cropped and PPed your image as needed but if you wish create a border by the method(s) I give above you need to reduce the image area by a required number of pixels before expanding the canvas (as a border) to get back to say the 10x8 inch print size.

The reason I say the above is counter intuitive is that I think the logical way to achieve the end result is to crop the image at print size but leave some 'dead space' that will be occupied by the border, then run an action (or some other automated method) that will make the (white) border and in the instance I am hoping to get a text copyright statement and Title of the image as needed.

In other words IMO it is easier to visualise the 'dead space' needed i.e. not cropped as tight as needed for a borderless print and 'overwrite it' with a set border than having to calculate the reduced size (by pixel count) for the canvas increase method.

I hope that makes sense and that others can comment on & possibly offer a solution for the "new" method I describe  

Many thanks in advance.

[DarkPenguin]

What?!?

[framah]

Yeah, what the penguin said.

[AndyF2]

Hi All

Someone please say if this makes sense and whether there is a solution.

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It sounds like Framer is going to draw the frame around the edge of the canvas, and either needs the graphics under it to be empty so it won't show through (not likely, the frame is probably not transparent), or they just recommend the image be shrunk so people won't find the outer 20 or 50 pixels of their image have been overdrawn by the frame, and shrinking the image is the simplest way to ensure people do what's needed.

Doesn't Framer work anyway, using your method?  It probably should.  They probably recommend their method so people start with a standard size and later just shrink it by a few pixels, instead of having to figure out you want an 8x10print but need to leave a 100 pixel border, so how many 7 and what sixty-fourths fo an inch should it be, to leave that 100 pixel border.
 
Andy

[JeffKohn]

I'm not entirely sure I understood the original post, but I know that printing borders with Qimage is pretty easy. You can specify your print size and then specify the border with. You have the option of the border being part of the total print size you specified, or adding to it. Either way you can easily resize/crop your image on the fly to fit.

[Box Brownie]

Hi Guys and thanks for the feedback.

Sorry if my ramblings were just that too rambling and confused but Jeff I think has pointed out something of what I was trying to describe.

Let me see if this summary makes it more clear?

1) I normally use a commercial online lab for my prints and typically will PP my images for the intended print size and have never needed to add a border.

2) I now wish to make some prints ready for mat and framing - now this needs part of the print (does it not) to be used on the mat that will never be seen i.e. a border area.

3) The only border actions and scripts I have come across so far are intended for web use and work by simply adding to the canvas size e.g. an 800 x 600px image may become 900 x 700px

4) But as I want a border for print purposes the intended print sizes are predetermined e.g. 10 x 8 inches (inclusive of any border).  So using the web type actions/scripts means you have to do a manual calculation to reduce (cropped or otherwise) the image size and then add the border by canvas increase back to the originally intended print size.  

Also ideally what I would like to be able to do like in the Mikes Framer Action is add text into the border e.g. Title and copyright 'line'.  Granted this will not be visible when mat mounted but should anyone want to get the image copied and take it out & to somewhere like WalMart it will be obvious this is a print needing permission for such reprint.

5) So the way I perceive it is to have an action/script that is run once you have PPed to the desired print image size (leaving some border usage area) - on running it, it makes the white border and adds the text {manually entered as part of the action script running steps} resulting in a finished image with border ready to be printed by, in my case, the online lab.

I do hope that makes more sense and that there is KISS principal answer to the need/question.

TIA for your added insight & help  

[DarkPenguin]

I'm still not entirely sure what you're looking for.  It might be this.  I have a template the size of the final print.  I have placeholders for things like when it was taken, title, etc on the border.  I drop in the image on to this at whatever size looks right to me.

No action but most of the work was done when I make the template.

This isn't good for volume work but is okay for one offs.

[AndyF2]

BB,
Can you edit the script or create custom scripts, so it performs the sizing and border you want?
Andy