Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

Historically I have always printed my images as borderless.

Today I am struggling with printing an 8-1/2 x 11 calendar.

I have set my printer to not print borderless.  I have placed my image and have set it to be centered.

Regardless of what I do, the print comes out with uneven borders.

On the monitor screen it shows the right and bottom sides as being wider.

When I print, the top and left sides are wider.

I have even placed a border around my calendar pages and still can't get it to print with equal sided white borders.

Tried borderless and it continually cropped the top of my page.

Help!

Alan

Hi Alan,
Some information please!
What printer?
What size paper?
Print size is????  8,5 x 11?

What does this mean? Rge actual print is cropping the image?

Fred

Paper size and print setting is 8-1/2 x 11.  Printer is Epson 1400.

I just can't seem to come up with any setting where my calendar is printed with equal spacing top, bottom, left and right.

When I go into Edit Preferences, Printing, I see that the margins are not equal.  Even if I change them to being equal, the template in Qimage, where you add your image, does not change.

My image size is 8-1/2 x 11.

I've been messing with this all day.

One simple question.

If I select 8-1/2 x 11 as my paper size, why are the default page margins not equal?

Same goes if I select 4 x 6.

Ok.  I would be happy to be able to just have my left and right margins match.  Is that doable?

You need to select Optimal spaced in the placement selection menu.

Unless you select borderless, the printer always needs some housekeeping room.
You can see 2 things from the first screen snap.
The printable area shown above is 10.766 x 8.266   not 11 x8.5.
You can also see that there's an 8 x 10 evenly spaced on the 1400 printer screen.
Screen snap 046 shows the margin spacing and also showing Optimal spaced as my placement.

Let me know.
Fred

Here are three more screen snaps to help.
047 shows a 4 x 6 page with a slightly smaller print as the printer need a little working room.
The print size is 3.76 x 5.76

Next shows borderless 4 x 6.
Now you can see the zero margins and the last one shows a full 4.0 x 6.0 print about to be made.

Fred

I appreciate your assistance.  Looking at your screen shot it is apparent to me that the right border is wider than the left border.  Will it print as it is seen on the screen?  In reference to your 8 x 10 example.

Alan,
Look closely at 046 screen snap.
You can see the numbers... .50 on top and .51 on the bottom...... . .25 to the left side, and .26 to the right side...
Half inch top and bottom and 1/4 inch side to side.... that is what will print as long as you didn't mees up the driver.
Give me another minute to screen snap the driver for you.

Fred

OK Alan,
Make sure the Layout page is as clean as a baby's  tush.
Just like in teh screen snap
Now print!

Fred

I'm not trying to print an 8 x 10 image on an 8-1/2 x 11 paper.

I already have all my borders/white space set up in my images -- 72 to be exact.

I want to make my image any size as close to 8-1/2 x 11 as long as I can have equal size borders on the left and right when I print.

If my paper size is set to 8-1/2 x 11 in printer properties, why does the template not show equivalent borders on the left and right?

There is no way I have found to make that happen.

Does the image template view actually represent what is printed?

As far as I can tell it does.

That is why I have spent all day trying to get as close to 8 inches wide and have equal side to side borders in portrait mode.

Can you do it?

Alan,
I am struggling to figure out what you are trying to print.
What does 72 to be exact mean?
Try using FIT TO AGE,  That will give you the largest print possible (no borderless)   Of course, you need the crop scissors on at all times.
Maybe you have that off.
Fit to page gives you .12 margins all the way around... and a print size of 8.27 x 10.77

Could you send a screen snap of your situation? I know I can help if I was sure what you were trying to do and what you were gitting.

Fred

I did a total Qimage reset.  Selected 8-1/2 x 11 in printer properties.  Select my image as Fit to page.  My page margins were roughly .12 for all sides. The final print output has the left margin of my print about 40% wider than the right side.

If the printer's margins aren't equal on all sides then you need to choose Center on Physical Page.

You can find it at: Edit/Preferences/Print and Page Formatting/Page Margins

That may be the problem in your case. Centering in the printable area isn't the same as centering on the physical page for most printers.

Tom

Thanks for the tip but that did not work.  Still printing more border on left side.

Well finally got something I can live with.  Even thought my document is 8-1/2 x 11, I set it to Print Exact Size, Optimal Placement, Left Margin -.0486.

Should have thought of that earlier...