Mike,

I am not looking for a vector design application in Qimage Ultimate. I have Illustrator in CS 5.5, Xara Designer Pro X9 for that kind of work if Photoshop or Photoline is not sufficient enough. Fred makes nice sheet size colored image print pages, something I do not need in 99% of my work but have the tools for already. Can be done now in Qimage Ultimate too.

Yes, I need that simplicity. If I have 8 images supplied by a customer, same or different original size(s) (Photoshop Tiff described), I can put them at their original size together on one print page, say 44" wide and 60" long. I want them printed with 15,5 mm white borders all around each image and an extra 15 mm (hand) signature white space underneath for a signature with a pencil. Qimage cut marks at the corners so I can cut each image + the white space around fast and precise from that total. When framed with a matte there is just that extra white for the signature within the matte window. That is one unique print job for a customer, he might come back and order half of that job and a third of another job and I want them printed as economical again but on a 36" roll as it would waste less paper this time.  The same for a print that goes into a frame without matte that gets wider uneven borders due to signature space needed and/or an aspect ratio of the frame that does not suit the image aspect ratio + even borders. More of them on one print page. I have my ways of doing that these days with Photoshop as the external photo editor, canvas sizing, batch processing when needed.

Saving templates does not fit the variety of jobs here, it is way easier to recall an older job and improvise on that one.

An extra signature white space feature in the border settings would be nicer. Another one for opposite sides to solve the aspect ratio issues an improvement on that. Less often needed though and I personally do not like the uneven borders framing but it happens sometimes. That, or less nice a canvas tool in the image editor of Qimage but showing inches or mm next to the pixels. As a filter, so easy to remove. The extra white preferably behaving as border white though and not as image white. My HP Zs can lay down gloss enhancer on the image only within the borders or on the total print page. The first would be compromised if the extra signature white behaved like image white. I solve that today by making wider borders and cutting an extra 5mm off at 3 sides.

This morning I went the way Fred goes with Qimage but for more images on a print page. The third time. What I need is way simpler than Fred's designs but I need the changes for more images on one print page. It simply is not a satisfying solution for my jobs. I am prepared to learn, I too do experiment with Qimage's tools for odd tasks where it can be efficient. For example Print to File is an excellent route to gang 80 pictures in a  4x20 order for 4 leporellos printed on one a 44" roll of Photorag paper. No memory issues in creating the 4 long images and no memory issues when printing it 5 meter long. Done more tasks like that where the tools were not intended for. But there is a limit on what is sensible tool use ....

I have made my plea and not willing to waste more time defending my point of view. The tool of customer feedback has it limits as well and I understand that.


--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots. [/list]

Mike,

Thank you for the replies and for the suggestions of new features that might fit my workflow more.

I need to make the following clear:
In the example I had in my message there are 8 images + borders + cut marks on that print page of 3.5 x 5 foot, when cut their size can be 1.6 x 1.2 foot or similar including borders + white space enough to sign with pencil or a silver pen. Just the example where I face the issues mentioned. One big print on one print page of 3.5 x 5 or four of 9 feet long happens too but is rather the exception. No, I do not print signatures, that is unusual with my customers.

It is not the math to be done that I object to, no problems with that, it is the way this method does not fit my jobs.

Yes, I think that Qimage Ultimate drifts away from my needs and that of several other Q users that have wide format printers, 24" and above. Maybe we are not vocal enough here, maybe you are right that we are outnumbered by the other users.


--
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2014, 600+ inkjet media white spectral plots. [/list]

As I said, all of that can be done now and there will be tools to make it easier.  In my A2 example above, we arranged prints on a page on roll paper (A2 size is typically printed on roll paper on a wide format printer).  After we arranged them, we add templates, size them manually based on how much bigger we want them than the print, and positioned the colored templates behind each print to get any uneven border combination you want.  If you have typical layouts that you use over and over, it becomes very simple because once you've designed the layout, you can save it and use it rather than recreating each time.

What I was saying above is that, when sizing on the fly and working with arbitrary sizes that don't fit a predefined layout or "package", it would be easier once you are done adding prints to the page to be able to just select all the prints, choose "add placemat", and then choose the gap on the 4 edges.  All those prints end up on top of colored template placemats (you can call them borders) with the specifications you provide.  Saves manually adding colored templates and manually placing the prints on top.  That works within the current functionality (which is much more versatile than just uneven borders) and at the same time provides a way to do uneven borders very easily.

You can't deny that you can get any combination of uneven borders you can imagine already.  The only thing we are refining here is the mechanics of how you get to the end result: which will be made much easier with upcoming tools that automate the process for different needs.

Mike

Mike

What I would like is something like a simpler version of the 'Page Margin' box, with the option to save setups, with perhaps a percentage option for the  margins, obviously with colours added.



Brian

Mack

I suggested percentage as an option - you could still use mms if you want. The idea of using percentages was to automatically give wider borders with larger prints in the same proportions - you would only need one pre-set whatever the print size.

Brian