However, I simply can't get an opportunity to select &/or crop AT SIZE into the second box in any way. It simply does the same reduced image as the first box no matter what custom settings.
J Vee
I think you wish to print a test that shows a piece of the image in a test print as it will look in the final large print.
This is done in Qimage Ultimate by using the TEST STRIP function.
You find this tool in the print editor AKA Full Page Editor screen. There's a Cropping tab, Click that. Look for a set of three tools. The center one is a magnifying glass. We want the one on the left.
That's the Test Strip tool.
Just click it a number of times and watch the image shrink in the large view panel. The print is getting smaller, but maintaining the original Pixel Per Inch allotment
If you reduce the size of the print depending on the number of clicks, you can say OK, go back to the Main screen, change only the paper size in your driver to 4 x 6 or 5 x 7, whatever you have handy, and make a test print.
If you were checking how the lace of a bride's dress will look on your large print, this system is ideal!!
Please look at the attached screen snaps.
The first one ( 063) is an image to be printed on a 27 x 17 size page. I have 140 ppi
Next is 064 which is showing the portion of the image I want to inspect. You can see that the print size is 6.60 x 4.40. That will print nicely and cheaply on 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 and keep the 140 PPI.
065 shows you that I am about to print that 6.60 c 4.40 on 8.5 x 11 paper and it is at 140 ppi.
You can learn more about it from the HELP section which I am pasting below.
Holler if you need more.
Fred
Test Strips - Before printing large prints and committing large amounts of paper, printing a small section of the large print can be helpful for the purpose of judging detail, sharpness, and color. There is a "Test strip" function on the full page editor that will allow you to create a small, proportional print that contains a piece of the larger print. From the main window in Qimage, start by adding the photo you wish to print at the desired final size (20x30 inches for example). Then click the "Edit Page" button below the preview page, select the print on the page, click the "Cropping" button on the right and the "Test strip" button will be visible under the small crop window. The test strip button can be used in any of the following ways:
You may repeatedly click the test strip button to make your test strip progressively smaller until you have a size as small as you like.
You may click the test strip button once and then change the size of the print manually using the sizing functions on the main window. Once the test strip button is clicked, that print remains a test strip which will conform to a piece of the original size print until you remove the print crop or manually move the crop zoom lever in the page editor. You could, for example, start with a 20x30 inch print, click the test strip button, and then choose a new size of 4x6. Since the print has been identified as a test strip, the 4x6 print will be a 4x6 portion of the 20x30 print! The area of the 20x30 print shown in the 4x6 can be adjusted by simply dragging the crop in the page editor or using the high precision cropping tool in the page editor.
You may select a smaller paper size (4x6 for example) and add your large print to the queue, specifying that it is OK to create a poster larger than one page. Then simply click the test strip button in the page editor once and the test strip will automatically be resized to the size of your (smaller) paper. The crop can then be moved manually to any part of the print using the cropping tool in the page editor.
Note that while left clicking on the test strip button will make the test strip smaller, right clicking or Ctrl-clicking on the test strip button will make the test strip larger.