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21 January 2007

Ask MeCha: I need Photoshop help! Trying to print a large image which should fit on a piece of standard paper, but it keeps coming out squashed. →[More:]

I'm trying to print an insert for a DVD case (this kind). It's the one that wraps around the outside. I took out the paper that was in the cases (these were Sony blank DVD-Rs) and measured it: 10.5 inches wide, about 7.25 inches high.

I have a Photoshop image that I want to print and use as the insert, but no matter what I do, it comes out squashed about half an inch too short, lengthwise. I've looked for a way to turn off margins and whatnot when printing, but nothing seems to work- it always comes out too short.

Can anybody hope me? I can send you the image file if you want to look at it directly. Thanks!

post by: BoringPostcards at: 17:10 | 10 comments

When you go to the print/preview thing, does it list the scale as being 100%?

posted by CitrusFreak12 21 January | 17:13

Yes, it does.

posted by BoringPostcards 21 January | 17:17

As an experiment, what happens if you scale it up slightly? Does it still come out with the borders cropped off?

posted by interrobang 21 January | 17:25

Yes, tweaking the scale slightly (it was originally 11 x 7.5, until I measured the insert it's replacing) seems to have no effect. Nothing is cropped off, though- it's just squashed, and comes out about 10 inches wide instead of 10.5 like I want it.

posted by BoringPostcards 21 January | 17:30

Your printer may not support edge to edge printing. Very few do, actually.

posted by doctor_negative 21 January | 17:31

In that case, I'd go to imagage > image size, then unclick constrain proportions, and alter the widths so that they look distorted to you, but look "normal" to your printer.

It's a temporary solution, but it might work.

posted by interrobang 21 January | 17:32

Sorry, I meant "width and height", but yeah, doctor_negative is probably right.

posted by interrobang 21 January | 17:33

Oh, and I meant "image", not "imgage", too.

posted by interrobang 21 January | 17:35

Mmmm, strange. This is a strange workaround, but might work. Then again, it might not. Save it as a Photoshop PDF, open the PDF and in the print options make sure scaling is turned off (I think it's called "scale to fit").

posted by TheDonF 21 January | 17:35

Thanks, y'all, I'll go try this now. If that doesn't work, I bet it's the printer- in that case, I'll get some "legal" length paper tomorrow and see if it'll print correctly on that.

On preview: I'll try that, too, TheDonF.

posted by BoringPostcards 21 January | 17:36

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