CS3 Page Setup need A1 not in Paper size list User Defined?

[geoffrey edwards]

Hi  I am selecting photos for printing and I am using Print Size to check how large I may have the photos printed.  What I do is I open a photo file and then select Page Setup. For example A2. I can then go to View - Print Size and my display will show the rulers in centimeters correctly. But when I tried to select A1 that size is not available in the list under Page Setup. I have tried selecting User Defined but there is nowhere to add the dimensions and no popup to allow dimensions to be added.

I use an Epson R2400 (to print up to A3) and that does not offer an opportunity to enter the dimensions for User Defined under Page Layout.

[JJMack]

OK you Open an image file and it opened some size in Photoshop. What size did it open. You use page setup and selected A2 did you choose that size because it the size paper you have in the printer or because it the size the image in Photoshop is?  What page setup size you you choose for my image

In My CS3 I do not se an A2 option or an A1 I do see an envelope A2 Have no idea where CS3 has this list may be built in Photoshop.

Printer settings are print driver settings. ]

In CS3 it look like you must first set the printer or CS3 will default to your system default printer.   When I used Print in photoshop and selected epson 4800 the page setup changed it tune.

[geoffrey edwards]

Hi JJMack  What I am doing is using Photoshop to see what my photo looks like if I were to print to A2 or A1 and larger. If I select Image and   Image Size and I alter the Document size Resolution to 99 pixels/inch the rulers will be correctly displaying centimeters.  I had set the Page Layout to A2. So selecting View - Print size I can decide whether my photo will look good in this instance printed on A2 paper. This would have to be done by a commercial print company aas my printer is A3.  What I am unable to do is select A1 or A0 as it is not an option in my Photoshop Page Setup Size list.  What I could do is select User Defined but as I am enquiring there is no place to enter what User Defined sizes I want to enter.

[JJMack]

IMO you are a bit confused.  View Print Size will only display your image print size if you set your Photoshop Preferences Display resolution correctly to the display's DPI resolution you viewing Photoshop image on.   If set correctly the image displayed will be the same size as the print.  Photoshop will scale the image to display the imager the size it will print.  The image you are viewing is a scaled image not your actual image.  You see the print size image of your image.   I would not say that view would be a good way to judge how well the image will print.   

How well an image prints has do do more with the Print resolution and the quality of the Pixels being printed.  

IMO for a good print you need a sufficient number of high quality pixels that when you print the image the size you want you will be printing with a print resolution above 200DPI.   If the image's print size is BIG large and will be view from a distance you may be able to print at a resolution lower like 100DPI. If the Image print size is very small you may need to print at a higher resolution.    It has to do with the human eye.  At a distance the human eye can not resolve down to a very high resolution  so you do not need  a Large print that will be view from some distance to have a 300DPI resolution.  On the other side of the coin if the print size is a small wallet size print  you need a higher resolution to be able print the small details the eye will be able to see close up.   The thing is it not just the number of pixels it is also the quality of the pixels.   If you have a 100MP Camera and take a picture you 100,000,000 pixels if the the camera's lens was not focused well you have 100,000,000 poor quality pixels.

[JJMack]

DPI is pixels size displays can not change their Pixel size.  Printers can print any size pixels within reason.   So Display must scale the number of pixels in your image into a different image with fewer or more pixel and display that image not your image on the display.    Without change the number of pixels you have for your image a printer can print the size image  you want by printing at the print resolution required to print the image the size you want the print to be.

[geoffrey edwards]

"IMO you are a bit confused.  View Print Size will only display your image print size if you set your Photoshop Preferences Display resolution correctly to the display's DPI resolution you viewing Photoshop image on.   If set correctly the image displayed will be the same size as the print.  Photoshop will scale the image to display the imager the size it will print.  The image you are viewing is a scaled image not your actual image.  You see the print size image of your image.   I would not say that view would be a good way to judge how well the image will print."

Yes I have set the resolution to 96 DPI.   But to get back to my OP I want to be able to set the Page Setup to A1 and also AO.  It appears that Photoshop CS3 does not have these settings and no information about how to use User Defined which would allow the user to enter the dimensions for A1, A0 and any other paper size. 

[Per Berntsen]

Since the largest print size your printer can do is A3, it will probably not allow you to create a user defined size larger than that.

What you can do is to resize the image to the required size, then make an A3 crop and print that on your A3 printer.

That will at least give you an idea of what quality to expect.

Other than that, see my previous post about viewing the image at 100%.

[geoffrey edwards]

CS3 allows me to set to A2 size Page Setup even though my printer is A3 size. I have found that experimenting with the Document Resolution produces interesting results. I'll  need to review the maths as there is a resolution that will generate any width, ie 841mm for getting an A1 display.

[JJMack]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/geoffrey+edwards  wrote

But to get back to my OP I want to be able to set the Page Setup to A1 and also AO.  It appears that Photoshop CS3 does not have these settings and no information about how to use User Defined which would allow the user to enter the dimensions for A1, A0 and any other paper size.

What options appears in the Page Setup depends on what printer Photoshop is currently setup to use.  If you look in my above appends screen captures you will see Page Setup has different setting.  They are the Setting supported by the Printers Device Driver.  User Defined may not be one that is supported.  My system defaults to using our cheap HP Envoy 4500 on our home network.  It does not have a User define or A2 or AI option.   When  I set Photoshop to print the Document  on our Epson 4800 which is connected to one of our machine  on our network via USB. Page setup had many more setting including a1 a2 and user defined.  When you Install a network printer the Printers device driver is installed one you machine and commcates with when need be.

[Per Berntsen]

In addition to JJ Mack's advice - the best way to judge image quality is to view the image at 100% magnification, where one image pixel is represented by one screen pixel. This is the only magnification that shows you the real image quality.

If you routinely view every image at 100%, you will have reference point, which is also useful when considering an image for printing, provided that you are viewing the image at the dimensions that it will be printed.

(i.e. you have to resize the image to the required dimensions and set the ppi value you want to use for printing)

So to get an idea of how the image will print at A2 or A1, resize the image (with Resample checked) so that it fits within the format.

A1 is roughly 59 x 84 cm, and if you start out with let's say a 24MP image, it will be 6000 pixels on the long side.

84 cm is 33 inches, so without enlarging, the image will need roughly 182 ppi. (6000:33 = 182)

If this ppi value is not high enough, you can increase it, but then the image will not have enough pixels, and Photoshop will have to invent the missing pixels by interpolation.

I can't really say which will give better results, enlarging the image or printing with a lower ppi.

[geoffrey edwards]

Hi Per Berntsen  Thanks for adding advice.  I have tried viewing at 100 percent. With Page Setup to A2 size. I find that the rulers double in size - one centimeter ruler space is actually two centimetres wide.  I do not want to resample my photos as this would damage the originals.

[davescm]

Geoff 100% zoom is the only level that displays accurately. Greater zoom levels will look pixelated and lesser will use previews to blend the displayed image which can introduce anomolies.   However at that zoom each image pixel is represented by 1 screen pixel. It has nothing to do with physical print size. That is why the rulers look double sized.

The way to judge print size (not quality of image) is to set the screen ppi in Preferences.  Then set the intended image size in Image >Size (if you do not want to resample - just uncheck resample) . Then use View > Print Size.

Dave

[Per Berntsen]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/geoffrey+edwards  wrote

Hi Per Berntsen  Thanks for adding advice.  I have tried viewing at 100 percent. With Page Setup to A2 size. I find that the rulers double in size - one centimeter ruler space is actually two centimetres wide.

The physical size the image appears on your monitor at 1:1 has nothing to do with print size - it depends on the resolution and physical dimensions of the monitor, and will vary a lot with different monitors, depending on their specifications.

To put it another way - monitors don't have a clue about centimeters, they can only display pixels, and displaying images at 100% will give you the most accurate information about the image.

I do not want to resample my photos as this would damage the originals.

What are the pixel dimensions of the image?

[geoffrey edwards]

22.9m

[Per Berntsen]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/geoffrey+edwards  wrote

22.9m

If that's 22.9 megabytes, that's file size, not pixel dimensions.

Go to Image > Image size to see pixel dimensions.

[geoffrey edwards]

Yes sorry about that: width 3264 x 2448 px

[gener7]

If your printer will not support A1 and you cannot enter it as a custom size in Page Setup, try Adobe PDF as a print driver. It has a A1 option.

[geoffrey edwards]

Thanks gener7 but what I want to see is what a print will look like when I set the printer to an A size that is not available in the CS3 Page Setup list.

I have solved the issue, well with a little calculation.

In Image Size.  imagewidth/A size width = document Resolution

My commercial printers will just print my photos as supplied to a width that I supply.

[gener7]

I'm glad you got it sorted out.   If you are working with a commercial printer, they should be able to offer advice for your screen proofing as well.

[geoffrey edwards]

Thanks. I will use my Epson R2400 for prints up to A3 size.

[JJMack]

https://forums.adobe.com/people/geoffrey+edwards  wrote

Hi Per Berntsen  Thanks for adding advice.  I have tried viewing at 100 percent. With Page Setup to A2 size. I find that the rulers double in size - one centimeter ruler space is actually two centimetres wide.  I do not want to resample my photos as this would damage the originals.

Without RESAMPLING.   The number of pixels you have for your image a printer can be printed so that image will be the size you want. You just need let Photoshop set the correct Print DPI resolution.   Use menu Image size. Uncheck RESAMPLE.  With RESAMPLE unchecked your image will not be interpolated not a single pixel will be changed. The File size will remain the same.  In the Image Size dialog change one of the three print size settings Photoshop will calculate the other two settings.   What will happen is the Image will be printed with a different size Pixel.  DPI resolution is pixel size. Changing the pixel size changes the size the image prints.

If I open my camera picture use image size and enter 2" in the width Photoshop will calculate it need to print that image at an 1168DPI resolution.  My eyes can not resolve down to that size and examine each pixel but my printer can print my image pixels that small.

It does not matter if  I  have 8.5"x 11" paper in the printer the image will be printed 2" x 3" on the 8.5" x 11" paper. There will be big white boarders.

]

[geoffrey edwards]

Thanks JJMack  The CS3 Image Size is different to yours.  In CS3 only the Resolution can be changed. I have posted a formula that can be used to calculate the resolution that will generate the print width.

[JJMack]

That was not cs3 dialog I posted. Here is CS3

[JJMack]

You should be able to set the width to what ever you want here I changed to MM and set width to 420mm  A2 size. Photoshop set the DPI.  If you can not set the width try resetting your CS3 preferences to see if that fixes that problem.

[geoffrey edwards]

When I tried to alter the dimensions I lost one setting. When the Resample option is not checked the preserve aspect ratio is unavailable.