I can’t find any adjustment than permits me to print my image over the ENTIRE dimensions of the photo paper. For example, when I print a 4 x 6, there is always an excessive border/margin to the left or right. Commercial print services never have this border. How do I fix it?
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Does your printer support borderless printing? If so, please post the brand and model, and I’m sure someone can give you instructions for setting it up properly. Not all printers have the capacity to print without margins, and others have to have manual adjustments made so the image will center properly on a sheet of paper.
Even borderless printing is no panacea, since the process introduces some distortion at the edges. The only reliable way to be precise with an inkjet is probably to print your correctly sized image on larger paper, and trim it with a paper cutter. That clearly adds to paper costs, but is pretty much necessitated by the inkjet feed issues.
What kind of 4×6 paper are you printing on? Does it have perforations? I don’t know if this relates to your problems, but for the first time I tried printing onto some 4×6 photo paper last night. It was very frustrating as I kept on getting off size borders and problems with fitting when I used print preview. Then I noticed there were perforations on the photo paper and under ‘page set up’ were the choices for 4×6 paper, including paper with or without perforations. You might find your solution in using page set up and print preview. Your printer should support both types of 4×6 printing. My printer now prints my 4×6’s perfectly within the perforated lines. I would recommend using page set up to see what the options are for your printer and then select print preview. I went back and forth between the two until I got it right.
I have yet to find a way of trimming my photos where they look good. Even the paper trimmer at the print shop leaves something to be desired and the photos are never consistently the same size. Anyone found a good trick for clean and uniform trimming?
Anyone found a good trick for clean and uniform trimming?
Porter’s and other photo supply stores sell precision paper cutters that do a beautiful job. Trouble is, they cost close to $200 and they take up a lot of desk space. Still, I want one… Bert EDIT: The other issue, which nobody has mentioned so far, is that if your images come from a digital camera, you need to crop them to make them fit a 4×6 print.
Groan is right ! <G> Papercutters of whatever type are at their best when the blade is very sharp ( much like utility knives ! ) . Therein is the primary rub, I think.
I’m using a Boston ( X-acto) rotary trimmer. New blades are under $5 . The unit cost around $40 new and does a decent job, but not a perfect job . I use a cutter at work which has a replaceable xacto type razor blade on it, and it does a very good job indeed. Price was about $500 , several years ago. My preference is to print, mat, and frame . Any edge problems are not real problems at that point <G> .
Good scissors can set you back more than $40, I know . I usually pre-cut my photo paper into quarters ( for snapshots ) and half sheets ( for 5×7 prints ) and find the table of the rotary trimmer quite handy. However, if I had better manual skills, a good set of scissors would be fine for me , too. ( Really BIG scissors ! <G> )
I use a about $200 rotary trimmer with a self sharpening blade. I serves me for about 10 years now without any problem and I never had to buy another blade. I suppose I have trimmed about 50.000 images, so at least 200.000 timesand extremely exact to tenths of milimeters. Until now it has cost me about 0.01 cents per cut. 😉
Leen, I saw a description of a rotary trimmer that sharpened its blade on a 2d blade under the table for a self sharpening action. Is that what your’s does ?
Yean, down mine as well, Leen. I had never seen her name used as a verb as Jodi used it. Didn’t realize it had become part of the language…. <shudder> Bert
Bert, I’ve been using that as a verb for a long while now. Was in the restaurant biz not too many years ago and if someone didn’t want their sandwich cut in half or something…I’d yell out to the cook…"hold the bobbit!" or " don’t bobbit that! "…..I had made it a regular verb around the restaurant. I’m so bad…but fun 🙂 You should have seen some of the looks I got..ha ha ha ha…i love that.
The cold medications slow downed my brain so much, it took a looong while to get Jodi’s "bobbit". The thought gave me shivers and tingling down the spine. 😉
These are available at any decent size sewing/fabric store. The blade in mine has probably cut 1K pieces of heavyweight matte paper (times 4 sides) and is still OK.
works great…wide ruler so you have plenty to press your palm onto, stabilizing paper and ruler. Perfect cuts each time. The grid on the mat makes alignment easy.
Mine is a "Lip Edge" transparent ruler, it says "for cutters and mats". It is totally flat (except for the lip, which can hold onto the edge of the mat, but is really unnecessary), it has straight edges. Though mine is 5" wide and 24" long, this is probably a bit of overkill size wise for most people, but it is used for making my quilts (originally the intention of my purchase, til I discovered how perfect it was for cutting photo paper). These can be purchased at stores like JoAnns Fabrics, New York Fabrics etc.
I match up the paper to the grid on the mat, place the body of the ruler over the photo such that the right edge (being right handed) of the ruler is where I wish to make my cut. You really don’t have to match up with the grid either, just lay the ruler down where you want to cut. Place your left hand firmly on the ruler and with your right hand take one uninterrupted stroke with the rotary cutter along the edge of ruler, keeping the blade snugged against the ruler. It wants to follow the ruler edge so it is not difficult. Cut all sides like this. Just make sure you get a cutter with a straight edge, they also come in "pinking shear" edges, which means kinda scalloped.
I don’t put anything between the photo and the ruler. My ruler is good quality plastic and has no burrs. I don’t really drag the ruler over the photo, it’s more of a placing it on the photo… though for minute adjustments, yes it might move a little bit over the photo to get it exactly where I want it. The ruler itself is a grid also.
The "self healing" mat means that those razor blade type cuts from the cutter (which has a very, very thin blade) have no permanent impact on the mat and it will remain a solid, flat surface without scarring. Mine happens to be made by Fiskars, but several companies make them in lots of different sizes. Get one a tad larger than the largest paper you will be cutting. Finding one on sale is best, of course. I have had mine for about 6 years and it is still perfect.
Chuck, I’m surprised! You? Lacking the courage to go into a hobby store? Tsk, tsk, tsk. You probably refuse to buy ‘unmentionables’ at the store for your wife, then, too, I assume? I knew I should have been talking to your wife.
Well, the last time I went into a "fabric store" looking for fabric I was sorely disappointed! The JoAnn stores up here seem to stock almost everything BUT decent fabric, unless it’s for crafts or hobbies. I think it’s a safe place for you to go, Chuck. Heck, MY husband even went in there and bought embroidery floss for me when I was home with one of my broken bones. What a guy. He said not one person laughed at him, especially not the guy buying ribbon. 🙂
Beth, I rarely go into JoAnn Fabrics but we have one close by and I could have sworn i’ve seen men go in there….really 😉 I’m not sure why he would feel ‘funny’ about going in there <excuse me while I sit and laugh to myself >……….
Chuck, I’m not laughing at you…really i’m not…it kind of makes me think of a Seinfeld episode where Elaine sayse she could have sworn she sees men on the streets early in the morning ( ya had to see it )….yada yada yada…anyways, it’s what had me laughing…really
Beth, it’s not so much the problem of going into the store….it’s that when I get in there I might have to ask for directions to find the stuff! Makes me break out into a cold sweat thinking about it…..
Chuck don’t do it. Going into a ladies store a trap. I am sure they take great delight in seeing us squirm. Once Doreen dragged me off into a ladies store and left me sitting in the comfy chair while she tried thing on. The lady that owned the store and a lady sales rep from Burlington Hanes were discussing a product. THE THONG. They were discussing the fit and benefits of this product loud enough to make me crawl. I am sure there was a certain wicked glee in their voices. To top it off no matter in what direction I looked away, I was staring at some sexy unmentionable and boy did I fill like a perv in a gold fish bowl. Get the misses to get it for you.
Thanks for the tip. I’ve been using a 24" precision steel rule left over from my woodworking days. The need to press down the 1" wide ruler hurts my arthritic finger joints. A bigger problem still is trimming a larger print. I have to march my fingers along with the cut. Otherwise the unsecured ruler would slide sideways and skews the cut line. The 5" wide ruler would make the pressing down easier, and the plastic would be less likely to scratch the prints.
Can’t imagine the rotary cutters are sold in fabric stores. There is a JoAnn in one of the small malls somewhere around here. I think I am old enough to go in there without fear of attracting comments. <g>
Hey, cmon you guys! There’s no reason to feel that your masculinity is challenged by going into a fabric store. Jeez, I buy my wife all kinds of stuff every year, including negligees! They LOVE to have you come in and buy stuff like that. Bert
Glad to hear you have no fear in the store! The rotatary cutter I’m talking about is a hand held thingy. I’m going to take a pic of mine and put it on my pbase account in a little while. I’ll post a link when I get it together.
All got done yesterday (last minute gifts, of course!). Lucky for me, we always buy wrapping paper, cards and stickers after Christmas on the preceeding year. So we get nice wrapping paper at, sometimes, 70% off. And when the time comes, supplies are available 🙂
I missed the beginning of this thread because I got so far behind I just deleted the past few weeks posts. But for trimming pictures the Fiskars mat trimmer (available at OD, Staples, Sams, Max) can trim a 32nd and even less of an inch sliver of white off the edge of a photo. The rotary blade rides on an arm that also holds the photo in position. Replaceable hard rubber strips underneath ensure a clean cut.
I often add .1" to both sides to make sure I have no white border after cutting to size. Start with a sharp "chop" type paper cutter and finish with the rotary is necessary.
Pete
Ok, here is a link to a closeup of the rotary cutter, showing some of the
Pete !!!! Where have you been ??? You’ve been on my mind for quite some time <good stuff> and I was afraid to ask if anyone had heard from you….I mailed you but got no response. I’m glad you are OK…you are aren’t you ??
And Chuck, a few weeks ago I tried Fuji glossy photo paper. I had not seen it before and it works as well if not better than the Kodak paper I use. Will be curious to hear whether it works well with Epson printers.
Pete, is the Fuji paper a low-cost option like the Kodak? I saw that Sam’s has an Ilford paper now; will be looking for feedback on that also before shifting away from the yellow box. I’ll keep shopping around until I join the Epson forces…
Well Merry Christmas Pete! I’m glad you are OK and keeping busy. My mail must have been screwing up on the times I mailed you. It’s been a couple of weeks though. Lately I’ve had no problems with it. How’s the weather down there ? Got to be better than here. I keep hesitating leaving the house….I’m such a cave dweller.
Probably this might depend on the kind of Epson printer. When I used the 2100 Ilford papers were extremely good, but now with my Epson 7600 I stick exclusively to Epson paper. The reason for this decision is quite simple: my software has been profiled for three different surfaced Epson papers.
In my opinion once you have very good results with some kind of paper, stick to it. Each paper has its own qualities and printing with less good profiles usually will disappoint.
Next year, in January I will have my set up profiled for the magnificent Hahnemühle German Etching 310 grams fine art paper and I’m really looking forward to using it and to produce giclée prints. But I will have my printer profiled for this paper before I will start.
BTW, there is an about 600 grams Hahnemühle fine art paper too. I would love to use it, but the automatic Bobbiter of my printer will probably not be able to cut it.
but the automatic Bobbiter of my printer will probably not be able to cut it.
LOL!!! Leen, you are sneaky! I am reading along on your excellent and serious comments on printers and papers, and then….BANG!…comes the Bobbiter. Got me right between the eyes. I was totally unprepared! Bert
Office Max had the Fuji paper buy one get one free at $11.99 for 20 sheets. One thing I like is that the back is pure white. (no names stamped all over it like Kodak:)
, is the Fuji paper a low-cost option like the Kodak? I saw that Sam’s>
has an Ilford paper now; will be looking for feedback on that also before
Hi Pete, it’s finally over….Christmas and all that other stuff that goes on with me during this time….on another level. Kids are happy. Santa brought what they wanted. Send some of that warmth my way will ya…thanks
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