Centring images on the paper when printing

[JakeD]

I don't seem to see any instruction on how to quickly and easily centre an image on the paper in the Lightroom print module. Is there an easy way. I seem to spend ages moving lines around the image and checking margin measurements. That's not the only way - is it?

[TonyW]

There may be better ways to do this but until someone come along with 'the' method perhaps try this:

Page setup - Set printer to borderless
Margins - Left, Right,Top and Bottom to 0 ( or equal amounts)
Cell Size - Set to required image area size.  As you change cell size the image should remain centred in both the horizontal and vertical

[JakeD]

Thanks Tony. I hope Adobe can improve on this in the future. I know some printing apps place vertical and horizontal crosshairs on the image as soon as it's dragged into centre. Adobe, why don't you do the same? In the meantime, your method sounds a lot better than the one I'm using at the moment.

[KeithR]

You have to keep in mind the "printable area" of your printer for cut sheets. I know that for my 4800, the printable area is less than(the full size sheet) .12 on 3 sides and .56 on the 4th(trailing edge). So, for example, an 8.5" x 11" sheet(fed in portrait orientation) would yield a boarder of .12 along the top and sides and a boarder of .56 on the bottom. So in order to have my image printed in the center of the paper, I would have to set the bounderies at .56 on top, bottom & both sides. My personal preference is to go no smaller than .75 all the way around for 8.5 x 11. In any case, you have to be aware of your printers printable area.

[JakeD]

OK. Thanks Keith. I've been experimenting with a fully paid version of PrinTao8 on a 7900, which does a lot of things better than LR. That has it's foibles though. They say it can print directly from LR., but it can't. It only sees the jog's., so no profile attached. Files have to be exported from LR first. Not much of the time saver they claimed it to be in the workflow overall. They say they're going to fix it!!! So it was over to LR 5.5 again.
Thanks for your time.

[donbga]

Is there any magic to getting the Identity Plate centered ?

Thanks,

Don Bryant

[TonyW]

If you first resize the identity plate bounding box to the edges of your print area the plate will be centred in either the horizontal or vertical. 

Then using the scale slider to get the image size you need will resize from the centre maintaining the centre position of the plate.  You will have to use the up or down arrows on your keyboard to position in at least one plane.  Hope that makes sense!

[donbga]

Just to add an observation.

I'm printing with an Epson 3800 using the front paper feeder using A3 size paper. When the front feeder is selected in the Epson driver the borderless checkbox is absent, explaining why I could never get the option in LR Print module to center the image!

The front feeder works with matt papers much better which is what I've been using for preliminary proofing since I have a lot of matt paper which I wish to consume along with the MK ink. For final prints I output to baryta type paper. Of course I have to soft proof again for the different paper.
 
I'm sure this maybe documented somewhere but I totally missed it.

Don Bryant

[TonyW]

Never used a 3880 but this I guess is a case where as KeithR pointed out you need to be aware of the maximum print area and uneven borders.  So setting the borders all to the same amount (largest number shown in the LR borders dialogue) should leave you with a centred print and ID plate.

[PhotoEcosse]

Not sure that I understand the problem.

My experience is that the LR Print module automatically centres the printed image on the paper. (Normally I am using A3+ paper on an Epson R3000, but it was the same when I used an R1900.)

The only thing I have to adjust is the size I want the image to print and I do that by simply dragging the guidelines to suit. The image stays centred throughout any such dragging. I then guillotine the paper to suit the proportions of the image and the size of the mount aperture I am using.

[TonyW]

...My experience is that the LR Print module automatically centres the printed image on the paper. (Normally I am using A3+ paper on an Epson R3000, but it was the same when I used an R1900.)

The only thing I have to adjust is the size I want the image to print and I do that by simply dragging the guidelines to suit. The image stays centred throughout any such dragging. I then guillotine the paper to suit the proportions of the image and the size of the mount aperture I am using.

I only see this automatic centring when borderless option selected in printer page settings. 

If borderless options not available then you are stuck by the limits imposed by the particular printer and driver and how they handle the media.   LR uses the information from the printer driver to determine the minimum margins (at least I think it must!) and will not actually allow you to alter these below this minimum. 

If you try (and have not selected borderless) you will get a warning dialogue box which tells you the minimum border size and will alter the margins to this size automatically.

Most printers I have used margins are uneven when borderless has not been selected.  For instance with HP B9180 the margins are left 0.12”, right 0.14”, top 0.14”, bottom 0.14”.  Not much of a difference left to right and probably not noticeable for most of us and not at all noticeable if you change the margins to be equal amounts.
 
More noticeable on my Canon A4 printers where the margins are left 0.12”, right 0.21”, top 0.14 in, bottom 0.12”