i have been working with photoshop for over 2 years, i love it... i fix pictures for a living..... anyway... my questions is this.

I am wanting to make a cardboard cut out...( like at a carnival for pictures) to do this i took a picture and removed the head and hands so someone can put their own in place of it and have a pic took..... this is for a church thing if you are wondering.....

Anyway.... the pics have to be around 72 inches tall.... i can make the canvas that big on screen, and i can streach the pic..... but when i go to print it it does one of 2 things.... locks up or prints like #3 of 24 pages.

I know there are machines and companies that will print a custom cut out for like $150... but if i can print these out one sheet at a time i can decoupage them on to cardboard and save about $125 dollars.

Any suggestions?

Is the problem that you are trying to print the entire picture but the computer locks up so you can't print the entire thing?

If that is the case I guess you could lay a grid over the entire picture, dividing it into page size pieces. Then you could select each piece, copy it to a new document and just print one page at a time. It would take longer but it might work?

There might be an easier solution. If there is I'm sure someone here will have it! Good luck!

That math only works out if you set your own time's valuation at zero. Buy an inkjet that can print on foamcore, it will pay for itself in saved time and low wastage. If you can't afford that, job it out and make up for the added cost by using the saved time to get more business.

Well to decoupage the picture onto cardboard i cant use injet.... it will run. I have a lazer printer i was going to use..... i am going to see if the GRID might work.... keep the idea's coming thou..... someone might have a easy answer... thanks!

Well that aint going to work..... i heard someone say try batches? There is something i have never used. Don't know how.

Well that aint going to work..... i heard someone say try batches? There is something i have never used. Don't know how.

Suppose your figure is 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide and you could print 12"x12" squares. I know you can't really do that, but for this illustration let's pretend.

6x3 would be 18 panels you would need to print.

You could create an action that:
* Draws horizontal and vertical guides every foot
* Then invokes the Crop tool set at 12" x 12"

....then you could duplicate your master image 18 times and put these files in a folder.

....then you could apply the above action to the folder of images via the File > Automate > Batch command which would:
* Open copy 1
* Allow you to position the crop tool and crop the image, so only the TOP LEFT square remains
* Save what's left of copy 1 in another folder and name it something like "File-01"
* Close open file

* Open copy 2
* Allow you to crop it (top middle square)
* Save what's left of copy 2 in another folder and name it something like "File-02"
* Close open file


* Open copy 3
* Allow you to crop it (top RIGHT square)
* Save what's left of copy 3 in another folder and name it something like "File-03"
* Close open file

....until all 18 panels are created and saved...

Then you could print the individual panels numbered File 01, File 02 ... File 18.

= = = = = = = = = =

If this would work for you, you'd need to take actual paper size into consideration, overlap between panels, etc.

If you tell me the actual dimensions of your image (72" high, how many wide? resolution in PPI) and the size of each panel, for example, 8"x10", 8.5"x11", whatever works for you, I'll write the action and show you how to invoke it in batch.

~Danny~

Your statement about ink jet inks running is true. Yet you say you want to decoupage them. Have you thought about going to your local art supply place and purchasing a can of "Fixatif"? It is made by Krylon, is relatively cheap (around $8.00) and works...really. That would protect the ink part of your image. The next purchases would be a foam core board and a can of "Spra-Ment" (3M) that you can purchase at Wally World (Wal Mart). Cut, paste, and glue. Hey it works. It is cheap :) . Right up my alley...the cheap part I mean. Giggle.

Janet

Suppose your figure is 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide and you could print 12"x12" squares. I know you can't really do that, but for this illustration let's pretend.

6x3 would be 18 panels you would need to print.

You could create an action that:
* Draws horizontal and vertical guides every foot
* Then invokes the Crop tool set at 12" x 12"

....then you could duplicate your master image 18 times and put these files in a folder.

....then you could apply the above action to the folder of images via the File > Automate > Batch command which would:
* Open copy 1
* Allow you to position the crop tool and crop the image, so only the TOP LEFT square remains
* Save what's left of copy 1 in another folder and name it something like "File-01"
* Close open file

* Open copy 2
* Allow you to crop it (top middle square)
* Save what's left of copy 2 in another folder and name it something like "File-02"
* Close open file


* Open copy 3
* Allow you to crop it (top RIGHT square)
* Save what's left of copy 3 in another folder and name it something like "File-03"
* Close open file

....until all 18 panels are created and saved...

Then you could print the individual panels numbered File 01, File 02 ... File 18.

= = = = = = = = = =

If this would work for you, you'd need to take actual paper size into consideration, overlap between panels, etc.

If you tell me the actual dimensions of your image (72" high, how many wide? resolution in PPI) and the size of each panel, for example, 8"x10", 8.5"x11", whatever works for you, I'll write the action and show you how to invoke it in batch.

~Danny~

It would be 68 inches tall and 37 inches wide. I was going to print them on 8.5x11 paper.... i would like the DPI to be no less then 150 no more then 300.

I have repaired many photos... but batches is new to me... thank you for helping.

It would be 68 inches tall and 37 inches wide. I was going to print them on 8.5x11 paper.... i would like the DPI to be no less then 150 no more then 300.

I have repaired many photos... but batches is new to me... thank you for helping.

Are you able to print "borderless" on the 8.5 x 11, that is, to the exact edges? If not, what's the maximum print width and length?

re: 68 x 37
Assuming you can print 8.5 x 11 borderless. That would be 24 pages:
* 6 pages tall (66") with 2" leftover and
* 4 pages wide (34") with 3" leftover

Would it be OK to chop off 1" at the top and bottom (or 2" off the bottom) and 1.5" on each side? Or how would you want to handle that? (To include all of 68 x 37 with 8.5 x 11 paper would require 7 tall x 5 wide = 35 pages.)

When I know this additional info, I'll be able to move forward.

~Danny~

There's another way you might like to look into that are outside of PS.

For printing large images as tiles of paper, there's a few programs out there that are available. CorelDraw and CorelPaint both have the ability to print a large canvas size as tiles of whatever size of sheets you want. It even allows you to print an overlap to make it easier to trim the white borders off before assembling the mosaic if you can't print borderless.

I've also seen some programs available on EBay for photo mosaic to produce mural sized prints. (I just found some using the search "print* mural software" in both titles and descriptions).

BTW, I've not used any of the Ebay-available software as I have CorelDraw version 9 and its pretty easy to use.

I've used this to print out large patterns for woodworking projects.

Richard Hanlon

There's another way you might like to look into that are outside of PS.

For printing large images as tiles of paper, there's a few programs out there that are available. CorelDraw and CorelPaint both have the ability to print a large canvas size as tiles of whatever size of sheets you want. It even allows you to print an overlap to make it easier to trim the white borders off before assembling the mosaic if you can't print borderless.

I've also seen some programs available on EBay for photo mosaic to produce mural sized prints. (I just found some using the search "print* mural software" in both titles and descriptions).

BTW, I've not used any of the Ebay-available software as I have CorelDraw version 9 and its pretty easy to use.

I've used this to print out large patterns for woodworking projects.

Richard Hanlon

Good suggestions, Richard. We Washitonians gotta stick together!

~Danny~

= = = = = =

tristansmother:

By now you've probably found another solution. If not if you reply to my 2nd set of questions we can move forward if you still want to try this in batch.