PRINTING 4R - how to arrange in photoshop

[Pinkishy]

I have a few questions.. i hope someone can answer them..

Let's say for example, i want to send my photos for printing.. on 4R.


Question No. 1:

Now, in photoshop, if i view the photo in actual pixels (ie: 100%) , does that mean is is the actual true physical size of the photo that will get printed?

*note the file is at 100% view.. so whatever i see on screen, is it going to be the actual size of the photo when i print it out? I don't know how else to explain.. :dunno:

 

[Pinkishy]

Question No. 2:

Another question is, if i'm not wrong, 4R is 4x6 inches, right? So if lets say, i want to create a new image, i would click on FILE >> NEW, and choose preset size 4x6 inches? But when on screen it seems so big.. how can it be 4R? I don't understand this... if this is the case, it means that whatever is 100% on screen is not ACTUAL PHYSICAL SIZE ?

If you look here - see if i've done it correctly..

** NOTE** I have so much to scroll still, and it's already way over my laptop's monitor size, and is definitely bigger than 4R if it's physical size... ?!??! :dunno:

Question No. 3:

That brings me to last question.. now, if i wanted to do something like this:

which is EXACTLY 4R size when printed.. how should i go about, since whatever i see isn't the actual 4R ?? Is there anyway i can do this without having my pictures/ words distorted? I send the prints to No. 1 Color Centre (cheaper! 100 pcs - 20cents per piece) .. and i want to do some montages.. and those aunties don't know what the hell i'm talking about.. i also want to cut individual photos with 'white borders' and smaller than 4R.. and it's more economical to do it this way.. but i can't for the hell of me figure out the sizing..

i need help :sweat:

 

[Adam Goi]

Hi.

Try using using the crop tool which is found on the 2 rows of icons which you see on the left-hand side. Click the 3rd one (counting from top) and you see that a dialogue box on your menu bar. Set 3in by 2in for landscape and vice versa for portrait since you are mainly developing 4Rs. By doing this, it'll save you the hassle from going through the steps to crop your work.

Hope it helps.

 

[Pinkishy]

Hi.

Try using using the crop tool which is found on the 2 rows of icons which you see on the left-hand side. Click the 3rd one (counting from top) and you see that a dialogue box on your menu bar. Set 3in by 2in for landscape and vice versa for portrait since you are mainly developing 4Rs. By doing this, it'll save you the hassle from going through the steps to crop your work.

Hope it helps.

Hi Adam..

thanks for the advice..i tried it.. it's so small! U mean that is going to be my actual size for 4R? I'm sorry i don't really understand.. :cry:

 

[Adam Goi]

Hi again.

Once you've cropped it, press Crtl + to zoom it before you apply your other photoshop actions, i.e. curves, USM and such.

 

[jOhO]

aren't 4Rs 4x6"??

wat i do is i select my crop tool, enter the values as below:

1800x1200 @ 300 dpi is 4in x 6in (for landscape orientation)

if you want a portrait orientation just change the width and height values using the double ended arrow in between (PS CS new feature)

yes the 100% view will be big, but don't worree, it'll still come out at 4R.

your question regarding 100% view on ur screen equals wat u see when printed out is correct ONLY if the resolution is set at 72 dpi (not 300). even then, at 72dpi, it's not all that accurate, depending on ur monitor size, and the resolution of your desktop. (800x600 or 1024x768 or 1600x1200 etc etc...)

hope this helps..

 

[varf]

Another question is, if i'm not wrong, 4R is 4x6 inches, right? So if lets say, i want to create a new image, i would click on FILE >> NEW, and choose preset size 4x6 inches? But when on screen it seems so big.. how can it be 4R? I don't understand this... if this is the case, it means that whatever is 100% on screen is not ACTUAL PHYSICAL SIZE ?

don't worry about the size of the image on your screen. when you send your images to the shop, they will scale your image down to fit 4" x 6" for 4R, or whichever print size you specified.

as a general rule of thumb, just keep your images to a 3:2 aspect ratio and try not to downsize them. if you give the shop a 3000x2000 pixel copy and a resized 600x400 pixel copy of the same image, they can print both at 4R but the first will look much better than the second.

hope that helps!

 

[jOhO]

oh can i add that i use 300 dpi.. if u want u can use 72 dpi, but it's not recommended..

and for the 1800x1200px part.. u can always change it to 6" x 4" , @ whichever dpi you like, that works too.

and as varf said, as long as 3:2 they will print it!

 

[Pinkishy]

oh i see.. i still don't quite get it but i'll just make sure everything's 3:2... :bsmilie:

A big THANK YOU to adam, joho & varf .... sorry i'm so s-l-o-w

Cause i had a really bad experience where i kept asking the aunty and she just got frustrated.. they just print it.. they dont do anything at all.. don't know anything at all so i gave up trying to ask them what is the exact sizing
****, they don't even know what's a pixel :angry:

and my pictures were all cropped wrongly! i had to add words to them for captions and the words were half chopped.. or the borders gone... and i dunno what's the actual size.. till printed.. :cry:

Thank you.. lemme try this method and hopefully my prints come out complete!! *fingers crossed*

I'll let u all know.. :lovegrin:

 

[jOhO]

oh i see.. i still don't quite get it but i'll just make sure everything's 3:2... :bsmilie:

A big THANK YOU to adam, joho & varf .... sorry i'm so s-l-o-w

Cause i had a really bad experience where i kept asking the aunty and she just got frustrated.. they just print it.. they dont do anything at all.. don't know anything at all so i gave up trying to ask them what is the exact sizing
****, they don't even know what's a pixel :angry:

and my pictures were all cropped wrongly! i had to add words to them for captions and the words were half chopped.. or the borders gone... and i dunno what's the actual size.. till printed.. :cry:

Thank you.. lemme try this method and hopefully my prints come out complete!! *fingers crossed*

I'll let u all know.. :lovegrin:

ahahah.. it's pretty simple once u get the hang of it.. go and try first lar.. u'll figure it out.

 

[Gosu_John]

oh i see.. i still don't quite get it but i'll just make sure everything's 3:2... :bsmilie:

A big THANK YOU to adam, joho & varf .... sorry i'm so s-l-o-w

Cause i had a really bad experience where i kept asking the aunty and she just got frustrated.. they just print it.. they dont do anything at all.. don't know anything at all so i gave up trying to ask them what is the exact sizing
****, they don't even know what's a pixel :angry:

and my pictures were all cropped wrongly! i had to add words to them for captions and the words were half chopped.. or the borders gone... and i dunno what's the actual size.. till printed.. :cry:

Thank you.. lemme try this method and hopefully my prints come out complete!! *fingers crossed*

I'll let u all know.. :lovegrin:

can understand what u're tryin to say. i had my photoshoped borders and signature cut off when they printed it too.

its not ur fault its just the machine. even after the aunty clicked on resize to include all on the machine it still cut it off

dunno... *shrug*

 

[Pinkishy]

Yeah!! I hate it when they say it will be okay it will be okay then it all turns out chopped then they just say.. "IT"S LIKE THAT LOR" ... wth does that mean..


AHh! I forgot to ask.. so .. urm, if i want to create a new image for a montage, should i still open a new canvas with the dimensions 4X6 inch? and just crop the photos i want to put into it with Adam's method of setting crop tool at
3:2 ?

When i put the canvas size 4x6 inch.. seems very big .. i'm very confused. :sweat:

 

[jOhO]

Yeah!! I hate it when they say it will be okay it will be okay then it all turns out chopped then they just say.. "IT"S LIKE THAT LOR" ... wth does that mean..


AHh! I forgot to ask.. so .. urm, if i want to create a new image for a montage, should i still open a new canvas with the dimensions 4X6 inch? and just crop the photos i want to put into it with Adam's method of setting crop tool at
3:2 ?

When i put the canvas size 4x6 inch.. seems very big .. i'm very confused. :sweat:

well if ur montage is gonna be 4x6 yes, open a new file with 4x6 at 300dpi (usually the more the merrier, but 300 is quite standard for photo printing, even at 150 it still looks ok - this is wat offset printers use for magazines etc)

as i mentioned, don't worree about how big it looks on screen. firstly, PS already sized it at 4x6, and secondly the photo shop WILL PRINT at 4x6 since u specified 4R.

if it's too big for u to edit, just zoom in and out.

anyway it's always better to be "big" then resize small, than to have it small and later decide wanna be big.

skarly u do ur montage until SO NICE then u decide to print at 8x12" then how? redo?