Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

I'm still having issues with layouts so thought it best to give a more detailed description.
The layout is designed to fit a 12x8 paper size and consists of 4 frames, 1 of 12x8 (used as a background), 1 of 9x5.5, 2 of 3x2.5 (see attachment for example)

I save the layout with the background image as part of it so that all I need to do is add the 3 images to complete the montage before printing.

This all worked fine in qimage studio (I've been doing this for years) but in Ultimate I get the following issue;

I start by selecting the correct paper/printer size, then using "default print properties" button I select custom/layout and pick the montage layout file I have saved previously.
This gives me a background image and 3 empty frames (all good so far), BUT I then try to add an image to the layout (either by using the "+" or by drag and drop).
Instead of this new image filling one of the empty frames, it adds 2 new pages with the same template layout, the 2nd page has the image I selected as the background (largest image) and the 3rd page is another copy of the template with the background image in the correct place.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG  ??? ???

Thanks

Chris

PS I could really do with getting this sorted before the weekend as I have a big job on that will require this to work

Hi Chris,
sorry to hear you have a problem.
You seem to be doing the right thing.
I cannot reproduce this here at all no matter how I try to add images to a template.
I can use the + on a thumb or drag and drop and all works as expected and even drag to a space outside  template frame.
Which version of QU are you using? It is possible there was a problem in an earlier version.
Terry

Hi Terry, Thanks for looking!
I seem to have encountered similar/the same issues with each version of ultimate that I've tried (tried 218 this morning). Did/could you try saving a similar layout to mine, then open the layout on a empty page and see if you get the same results.

thanks

Chris

I am having the same problem... Chris,,

Even if I drag the image to the template, it goes where it wants to go...
You WILL be fixed by the weekend...
Fred

FANTASTIC  ;D ;D
It's not me LOL

thanks

I created a Layout similar to yours and saved it.
Then I recalled it, and tried to add images to the templates... U want to add to the lower left, and it goes to the background.... the next goes to the center template regardless where I drag it to.
Fred

I made a similar template but could not get the bring to front, send to back options to work in the page editor when setting up the layout.
I did find I could make the images go to the right place by dragging to the items ion the queue tab.
That may have been a work round for Chris for now except there's a printing problem with v218.
Terry

Hi Terry,
I just tried what you suggested (drag image into print queue) and it does work BUT it also adds another whole template page to the queue!  I therefore end up with 28 images on 7 pages in the queue!!!  :o  :o

 :DHello Chris,
"Wait for it! Wait for it!"

:-)
Fred

 :D ;D :)

Just a little longer...

Hi Chris,
Just a little suggestion to simplify your template while we are waiting:
Rather than use a background image, all you need to do is change the Page Background Color. The icon is 3rd from the right of those under the page preview, next to the padlock. Doing it this way simplifies the overlapping of image, send to back or front etc.
Terry

Hi Terry,
Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately the 'background' image I use needs text on it (it's probably a bit small to see on the image I uploaded) at a few different font sizes which I dont think will work if I just add floating text (well it didnt in the old studio version).
I'll just have to use the old studio version for montage prints until this one is working.

Thanks anyway

Chris

Hi Chris,
The floating text can be on the page, it does not have to be on an image.
See screen shot below of a template with a black page colour.
Terry

I said:
Of course we are not waiting,   ::) V219 fixed the freehand drag problem.
Terry  :-[

 ??? It didnt fix it for me  ???

Also one can only have one size/font type when using floating text and I need different fonts and different sizes unfortunately, which is why I create a seperate jpeg image to use as a background

Chris

Not so!
You can do anything... when Qimage asks if you want to apply this to other texts, say NO

Thanks for the tip Terry  :) I'll give it a try.

I'd still like to be able to use a jpg as a background as I occasionally also add some clipart to the montages (Halloween events etc)

Chris,
What exactly do you mean, dragging images to the template?
OK it does not work like a word processor; all you need do is create a separate floating text for each font. Those could be incorporated into you template and the texts edited if required for each job once the template is loaded.
Terry

Hi again,
Trying to make you work flow easier:  ;)
I noticed the clip art - make them images and place on the page as normal; they don't have to be part of the template.
Terry

Yes, it's still not working for me (dragging images on to the layout when I already have a background image saved as part of the layout).  
If I drag an image to the print queue it does go on to the layout BUT it adds a new layout to the queue for each image that I add, and when I try to delete the extra images from the queue, it ends up removing all the images (just left with empty layouts over multiple pages).

I think I need to give up for now and just use the old Studio version  :'( :'(

At this point it's hard to imagine where you are starting.  Please post a screen shot of your layout before you add anything to it!  It's possible there is still some rare bug affecting your setup but I don't know whether you have images on top of templates, templates on top of images, both, the placement you are using, whether crop is on or off which can affect image size when added to the templates, etc.  If you can post a screen shot of the main window right after you load the layout, I can see everything I need in order to replicate it.  The screen shot you used in your first post already had all the slots filled and I need to see the layout itself exactly as it is saved: before adding images.

Thanks,
Mike

see 2 following images

2nd image

OK so the first image above is loaded via default print props/custom/layout (all looks Good).
The 2nd image is when I try to drag and drop an image from the file list onto the large central empty template/layout/place holder??
at this point I end up with 2 pages, with the image I just dragged and dropped as the background image.

Thanks

Chris

Just for information,
I have made a new template very similar to Chris's, with a background image, a couple of clip art images and floating text.
What ever I do I cannot break it. I Tried with the file list rather than thumbs too. See attached screen shots of the drag process.
248 is with the dotted lines showing
248 is with only the pointer showing, no dotted lines
250 is with all pace holders filled.
It's best to drop when the dotted lines are not showing with the mouse pointer near the middle of the place holder. Even so, it worked whether showing or not.
Terry

Hi Terry,  Thanks for doing that, could you try it with 0.2 border around the 3 images that lay onto of the background as this is about the only thing that seems different.

Hi Chris & Mike,
That's it, it goes crazy when there are borders on the place holders.
Whew, we found something  ;D
Terry

 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

However if the new Mats are used to make the borders, no problem at all.
Chris, just modify your template, delete border, add 0.2" white border mats and save template - it only takes a couple of minutes to do that - sorted!
Terry

Thanks for the suggestion Terry, as you said, that works!!

Thanks

Chris

Had an issue while trying the layout whilst using the the Mats for borders.  When the page was sent to the printer it apparently tried to print each image on a separate page event though visually everything was on one page in qimage.
Any ideas??

Hi Chris,
It sounds as though you are printing to file and have a dot in the RIP box. That will treat all images, including mats on the page, as individual files.
Remove to dot, see attached screen shot of the save dialogue.
Terry

Hi Terry, Thanks for the very quick reply!
I cant check at the moment as I don't have the computer here, but would this actually result in my printer outputting separate images, ie My wife turned the printer off after the first page came out, it was the black background image with just the text on rather than the full montage that she was expecting??

Hi Chris,
So you are printing to printer and not to file.
I cannot reproduce your problem here, maybe it was due to the printer being switched off.
When you try again, set the driver to get a print preview, that way you see what you will be getting before printing.
One other thought, had you accidently got the background image on an additional page?
You should be able to recall that print job from the auto job log (File menu, see attached below) -it is set by default unless you have turned it off. That way you can check what you actually sent to the printer.
Terry

Good idea Terry I'll check the job log tomorrow.  The printer was switched off when my wife realized that it was not printing correctly (after the first page came out)
Thanks

Chris

Hi Chris,
Chris. Was following along with Terry, and I even made my own test template etc.
The only way I can make the background come out first as a single page is when I messed up my job.
(I've done this!!)
I put the beginning of my job in the queue. I forget to click the red F button and the next addition goes on page 2, but I didn't see that.
Oh fudge, I lost my initial input so I put it back in.
I now have 2 pages... I didn't realize it... page 1 comes out first.

I thought you were printing to file too....
I hope you saved the JOB and can recall it.
That's the only way I can think if for you to get two pages....
You can also click the Print queue tab and actually see the items being sent to the printer.
This is my test screen.

Fred

Hi, I've just tried it again and it actually printed 2 pages, one with the black background image and a 2nd page with the other 3 images on!
The print queue was showing 7images, 1 page?
I think It may be that the background image is slightly to large for the page as the 2 nd sheet to come out of the printer had a thin black strip at the top of the page.

I've adjusted the size and I'm about to hit print......

That will happen when Qimage warns you that your print will not fit on one sheet.
It usually shows you a red 2x at the top  left. Then it puts all it can on one page and the rest on page 2.
Use FIT TO PAGE for your black part. Select it, and set the size to Fit to Page.
Fred

The queue shows all in teh queue that will be printed... not by page, but in total.
You have to watch what page you are looking at.
Notice my PAGE 1 in my last screen snap.
Fred

YES, it now works!!
It was just odd that qimages printer queue didn't show that it was going to print on 2 pages
Anyway it working now after adjusting the size of the background image

Many thanks for the help!

Chris

Edit. Oddly it didn't have the red 2x2 warning text with the initial problem

Thanks Fred for helping out while I was away  ;)
Chris,
I think Fred said that the Queue list all the images to be printed (including mats) but does not indicate the umber of pages.
You can easily check the number of pages using the page drop-down list below the preview.
See screen shot below.
Terry

Chris,
Qimage only shows that 2x or 4x once, and you select yes or no to continue like it is or put on one page.
It's more than a warning in the sense that there will be times when you want to have it print on multiple pages; when you make a poster for example.
See screen snap. It is saying that it will need 2 pages wide to fulfill my request of 12.0 x 8.0.
Then when you go to correct, you get the choice select screen.

OK I think you have it now.
Fred

I just wanted to say thanks for all your help guys!