Custom Print

The custom print gives you complete control over print options and offers a number of additional functions.

Select images to print, then click on the button “Print” of the QuickStep Bar (see below) and choose “Custom Print”.

You can also click the “Print | Custom Print” button on the toolbar or choose “Print | Custom Print” from the “File” menu.

Print Spooler

The selected images will appear in the “Print Spooler" panel. (If you want to open the Print Spooler without automatically including images, click the “Print Spooler” button on the toolbar or choose “Print Spooler” from the “File” menu.)

The “Switch View” button on the left toggles the image list between different display styles. The buttons on the right control the print process in detail, such as the size, number and layout of images.

Number of Prints per Image

This button opens a panel to choose the number of times an individual image is printed.

This can be helpful, if various guests of an event ask for copies of different photos. At this point you should already have all desired pictures in the print spooler. Now, select one or multiple images in the print queue, or use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl+a” to select all images. Click the “Number of Prints per Image” button, then enter the number of prints needed respectively. The advantage is that once you have defined the desired prints for each image, you can start the entire print process and attend to other matters.

Print Settings

Click this button to change the cutout area, orientation, size or resolution of an image.

The drop-down list below the viewing area will list all popular image sizes. The cropping handles in the image preview area will adjust automatically if the aspect ratio of the chosen picture format is different than that of the picture itself. Any excess area is filled with a background color, which can be chosen by clicking the “Background Color” button. The option "Inverse Orientation" will swap height and width. This allows to you crop a portrait image to landscape format, or vice versa.

To crop the image to a smaller cut-out area, drag the cropping handles in the image preview area. Two perpendicular cropping handles will always move proportionally to maintain the aspect ratio of the chosen picture format. To move the cutout area, click in the center between the cropping handles and drag the cutout.

You may also enter custom sizes in the two input fields below the size drop-down list. The cropping handles will adjust to your input. Next to the input fields for size is a drop-down list to change the unit of measure between centimeters and inches.

Changing the image size, unit of measure or cut-out area affects the print resolution, which is displayed next to the unit of measurement. Print resolution is calculated as pixels per inch (ppi) simply by dividing the pixel count of the image by the chosen physical image size. Please note that small or severely cropped images could result in resolutions less than 100 pixels per inch, even if StudioLine is optimizing the print output. In that case it would be best to choose a smaller image size.

If quality is your primary concern, then you can preset a fix print resolution instead of choosing a picture format. In the drop-down list for image sizes, choose the option "Fix Resolution (DPI)". A different set of options will appear below the viewing area:

The drop-down list for "DPI" offers to use the image's native resolution. You can also choose from a list of other common print resolutions or enter a custom DPI value.

Two input fields let you define the aspect ratio. The cropping handles will adjust to your input. If you drag a single cropping handle, the aspect ratio will change accordingly. Choose the option "Fix Ratio" to lock-in the current aspect ratio. Now, two perpendicular cropping handles will always move in unison.

The option "Inverse Orientation" will swap height and width. This allows you to crop a portrait image to landscape format, or vice versa.

Changing the resolution or aspect ratio affects the resulting print size, which is displayed next to the aspect ratio. "Resulting Size" is calculated in centimeter or inches, simply by dividing the pixel count of the cropped image by the chosen DPI value.

Submitting to Printer

After choosing appropriate options for each image, proceed by clicking the “Print” button. This will include all images in the Print Spooler. To choose specific images for printing, select those images in the Print Spooler before clicking the “Print” button.

The “Print” panel opens.

If you have access to more than one printer, choose one from the drop-down list. The “Settings” button will allow you to change options that are hardware-specific.

Two option buttons allow you to limit the print process either to any images that were selected from the Print Spooler – or to disregard the selection and print all images.

The “Copies per Page” option determines how often each page will be printed.

Use the “Crop Marks” option if you intend to cut the printed images with the help of a ruler and cropping blade.

To print captions below each picture, use the “Print descriptors below images” option. The panel “Choose” operates like the “Descriptors” panel covered in the “Adding Descriptors” section, earlier in this manual.

Click the “Print Preview” button to view the effect of any options you have chosen.

“Images per Page” can be used to limit the number of images that are printed on the same page. This may be helpful when pages are intended for a photo album.

The “Maximum Number” option will minimize the use of expensive photo paper.

“Optimize Utilization” will change the order and orientation of images across all pages to further minimize the number of printed pages. This option should be combined with the “Maximum Number” option if you plan to cut the individual images from the printed page.

“Center on Page” will center the page content on the paper. This will produce the most aesthetically pleasing look and probably leave the most room for writing any notes next to images.

“Optimize Quality” will determine the exact resolution of the printer. If necessary, images are printed slightly larger to best match the printer resolution. The results are higher-quality prints – however, the printing process may be slowed down significantly. It may require some experimentation to determine whether or not the slight improvements in quality warrant the increased time in printing.