Hello I am trying to print photo's & pictures I have Gaffed on playing cards I am not able to size it out during the print, can anyone help out with this? I have paint & paintshop photo pro. Thank you.

Hi Funky, I've made a few gaffed cards by printing onto blank Bicycles.
Just print the image onto a blank sheet of paper first so you can check the size.
Then use double-sided tape to attach the card and run it through the printer again.
Slightly abrading the surface of the card first with a green Scotchbrite pad makes for a better final image.

Speaking in general terms:
If the photo's size is not what you want, you can resize it by using the appropriate command button(RESIZE) on the tool bar. Once the dialog box is opened,you can specify the width and height (in inches, centimeters or millimeters)of the picture -- usually the size
of the playing card minus the border framework. This command function is tabbed as: MANUAL RESIZING.

Specifically, try the software's website for a Photoshop tutorials(rotating, resizing, cropping ) for advance commands.

Good luck on your project.

Thank you

Funkytek, if you are making your own gaffed cards I have two resources for you:

1) A free online card design tool: http://www.lybrary.com/card_designer/
(This tool might solve your sizing problems.)

2) Blog about making your own cards: http://www.lybrary.com/make-your-playing-cards-a-11.html

That is BRILLIANT! Thanks for the link. I've read your blog before but never noticed the card designer.

Edward, let me know how you like the tool and if you have any suggestions to make it better. We are in our 4th development phase working mainly on the uploading of images feature. After that is done I hope to add a couple of new designs to choose from.

Thank you very much for this it helps allot!!

Chris, can you let us know the ideal size, dpi, etc for uploading an overlay image? For example, when I'm creating my work in photoshop, how should I set my image parameters and so forth for upload to the design tool?

Thanks!

Kevin

Yes I have the same question...What is the size to fit in the boxes? I have Paint & Corel paintshop photo.

Folks, the 'upload your own image' is not yet the way I want it. Eventually it will be possible to resize the uploaded image, rotate it etc. For now the size of the image should be roughly 210x300 pixels which is probably too low res for most applications.

Thanks Chris, great to know

Kevin

Funkytek

Choosing the correct resizing before printing is important. Here is how it is done in Paint Shop Pro:

Choose "Image" in the menu and click on "Resize"
Skip the "Pixel Dimension" option and go directly to "Print Size".

Be sure the "Lock aspect ratio" box (near the bottom) is checked and write the exact width or height of the printed picture you want (one changes automatically when the other is changed).

Then choose a resolution. It should be at least 300 dpi to look OK. 600 dpi will make it look perfect close up. Paint Shop Pro measures printing resolution in Pixels/Inch which is not quite correct since pixels belong to the screen, while a printer makes dots in a more complicated pattern.
Never mind - the result is the same.

When you choose your printing resolution you must be sure that the original picture has more pixels than needed for the chosen resolution and size. If PSP has to upscale the picture you will get poorer results. If your picture should be 3 inches wide a print with 600 dpi requires 3x600=1800 pixels in width. The calculations are not complicated when you understand the process.

If you print yourself it is important to set the printer to the same resolution as your picture in PSP.

If you want others to print your image file, you must specify your chosen resolution to get the correct printed size.

If you take the trouble to make theese easy calculations your print size will be 100% presize.

Good luck
Troels