Hi there! This might not be the most perfect way to do what you want,
but it is one solution. I will walk you through this on the
assumption that you are unfamiliar with photoshop.
1. Open the photo you wish to make prints of.
2. If the image size (actual size of the photo) is 3x5 and the canvas
size (actual size of the document) is 3x5 then move to step 6. If
you're not sure about either, check under Image > Image Size. The
second set of numbers is the document size (usually the default unit
is inches, if not, click on the arrows next to the unit of
measurement and change it to inches.)
3. If the image is not 3x5 then you need to enlarge/reduce the image
to this size. Using the Document Size options (we're still in Image >
Image Size), make sure the Constrain Proportions box is checked, then
change the width or height so the measurements are around 3x5, but not
under those measurements. Please note that if you have to scale the
image up to those measurements, then your print quality will decrease.
For reasonable print quality, your image should be no less than 150
pixels/inch. This is something that really can not be changed at this
point (besides just making the picture smaller). I would recommend
either re-scanning or re-importing the image with at least 150
pixels/inch for good quality.
4. If you need/want to crop the picture so it is exaclty 3x5 you can
do it one of two ways. First, turn on the rulers by pressing Ctrl+R.
Use the crop tool (in the floating toolbar, third tool down on the
left) and hilight a 3x5 area. You can adjust the size of the box with
the "handles" located around the perimeter of the box. To make this a
little more accurate, you can drag guides out from the rulers to help
pin-point 3 inches and 5 inches. You can also "snap-to" these guides
with the crop tool by enabling View > Snap To > Guides. Don't worry,
the guides will not appear on your printed picture, they're there just
as a reference for you. When you are satisfied with your crop,
double-click anywhere inside the highlighted area or right-click and
select crop (if you are unhappy, right-click and cancel.)
The alternative way to crop the picture is to let Photoshop do it for
you. Select Image > Canvas Size. Make sure your units are inches and
change whichever dimension needs to be adjusted. Notice the anchor
graph at the bottom? The arrows indicate which direction you will be
cropping into. It defaults to crop evenly to the middle (cutting
evenly on both sides.) If you want to to cut only left or right (or
top or bottom, depending) just click on the arrow opposite the
direction you want to cut. What? Okay, example. The picture is 5.5
inches wide. I want to cut off the left side. So I click on the
arrow on the right (the graph should now be centered on the right and
the left arrow should be pointing inward, indicating a left cut.) then
click Okay.
Remember, if at any time you are unhappy with your change, Ctrl+Z will
undo one level of changes. You can also use the History window to
revert even further.
5. Save any changes you made with either Save or Save As (if you want
to keep a copy of the original.)
6. Leave this document open. Open a new document with the paper size
you are using (assuming 8.5x11.) Make sure you have rulers and
snap-to guides enabled (see step 4 if you don't know how/forgot) and
pull out guides to create a 1/4 inch margin.
Guides at this measurement prevent any clipping from occuring in the
images when they are printed.
7. Return to the original document. Using the Move Tool (in the
floating toolbar, first icon from the top, on the right), click and
drag the image into the new document. Position this image by dragging
it to one of the corners created by the guides (it should snap-to if
you've turned snap on.)
8. Make sure you have the layers window open (Window > Layers). You
should see an icon of your image (and a name for it) in the layers
window. Click on that layer and drag it down to the "Create A New
Layer" icon at the bottom of that window (it looks like a Post-it pad
with an edge curled up.) A new copy of your picture should appear in
the layers window (nothing should change in the document window, you
are making an exact copy of the layer, meaning even the position is
still the same). Click on that layer to select it. You've created a
second copy of your image.
9. Again, using the Move Tool click and drag this new layer to another
corner of the document (but within your guides). When you drag, you
should be able to see the orginal beneath this new copy and it should
stay put.
10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 until you have 4 copies of the picture. In
the document. Save the document.
11. I don't know what settings you have for your printer, but use
whatever settings you prefer for the quality of photo you desire.
These settings can be found under File > Print and then click on the
Properties... button. If you're using photo paper, you might want to
tell your printer, it will help the printer manage color and ink.
There might be a warning box that will pop up and tell you clipping
might occur. Don't worry, the margins you set should prevent the
clipping.
That should do it, I think! |
