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Author Topic: Uneven fixed paper borders  (Read 1711 times)
Mark42
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« on: August 05, 2023, 05:36:21 PM »

QImage Ultimate 2023.115
Canon PRO-300 (2 months old)
Canon Pro Platinum 4x6 Paper (measured as 4 x 6)

I have been trying to print 4x6 images with a fixed 0.25" border on all sides. (having now been educated on the horrors of borderless printing Cheesy)

What is actually produced is a bit strange; the top and left side borders are equal at about 9/32" (~ 7mm), the right side and bottom borders are equal at about 7/32" (~ 5.5mm).

The 'error' of +1/32" on two borders and -1/32" on two borders seems trivial, but it is obvious.

I have endeavored to make sure all the borderless expansion options are turned off in the driver and that the QImage Ultimate options are set correctly.

Fiddling with the paper does not seem to affect the output, it appears to be repeatable.  Maybe this is as good as the printer can produce?

I would appreciate any thoughts anyone may have.  TIA

Best Regards

PS. Is it 256K per attachment or 256K total for all attachments?

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Mark42
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« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2023, 06:53:35 PM »


Some option screen caps

Best Regards
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admin
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« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2023, 12:34:53 PM »

Your post says "measured as 4x6" regarding the paper.  How accurate was your measurement?  Since you need pinpoint accuracy, you need to make sure that paper is exactly 4.0 x 6.0 inches: being off by only a couple millimeters (around 1/16 inch) can cause what you describe.

If the paper is exactly 4x6 inches, the issue is the printer.  No printer can load paper perfectly and there is always some slop in the mechanism.  If that loading error is consistent, for example always shifted down and right by a consistent small amount, you can manually move the print in Qimage to compensate, create a layout with that setup, or just enter user page margins to compensate for the printer's paper loading tolerances.

This is one of the down sides of borderless printing.  Even though you aren't printing to the edge, you are expecting a borderless print: the print+border you specify has to print perfectly on the paper.  This is why many people print on larger sheets (for example three 4x6 prints on an 8.5x11 page) and use .25 inch white borders with cut marks.  That way you are not at the mercy of the paper loading/feed mechanism being accurate down to the micron.

Regards,
Mike
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Mark42
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« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2023, 06:31:14 PM »


I appreciate your thoughful response.

I have seen other posts about printing on say 5x7 and cutting down to 4x6, but none of the posts that I've seen mention any specifics about suitable rotary cutters.

I have an (admittedly cheap) rotary cutter, but I wouldn't trust it to cut a straight line.

Perhaps you or others could suggest a cutter which can provide accurate and repeatable cuts. TIA

Best Regards
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« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2023, 07:05:59 PM »

Can't go wrong with any of the Rotatrim cutters.  They are pretty much the standard.

Mike
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Mark42
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« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2023, 09:26:55 AM »


Thx!

I'll give B&H a look.

Best Regards
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