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Cannot find how to print photo copy to original size

billgkohl
Apprentice

When I copy and print a photo it is always being scaled to size of paper in tray. How can I set printing to print copy to original size of photo?

3 REPLIES 3

BurnUnit
Whiz
Whiz

It's a matter of the differences in the resolution that the image was scanned in and the resolution it's being printed in. It takes a while to get your head wrapped around what's going on but try thinking of it this way. You start out by scanning an image that's 4"x4". You tell the scanner to scan the image at 400 DPI (Actually it should be designated as LPI, lines per inch). The resulting file will be of an image that's 1600x1600 pixels. Scanners don't know from inches, they only know pixel dimensions.

Now when you go to print the image your printing or editing software may be set to print at 200 DPI/LPI. So every 200x200 pixel area of your image will occupy a 1"x1" area of your print. As a result your 1600x1600 pixel image makes a print that's 8"x8" instead of your original 4"x4" size.

Inkjets like around 300 DPI/LPI to make good quality prints. If you want your print to be the same size as your original, or smaller, set your scanning resolution to 300 DPI/LPI. Then in your printer or editing software check the document size and set the resolution to 300 DPI/LPI without resampling the image. This should give you a print the same size as your original.

If you haven't already, spend some time reading up on your scanner and printer or editing software user guides.

Thanks for the reply, BurnUnit. I scanned at 300 dpi, but there is no printer setting for dpi or lpi. There are only settings for paper size. (My printer is  Pixma MX922. Still getting 3.5x5 photo printing to fill letter size paper. In other words, original image is enlarged.

Are you printing from Photoshop, one of the Canon print utilities or from some other photo editing software? I would think that any of them should allow you a means to set the size of your prints. There just may be different ways of accessing the menus for these settings.

 

This may help you grasp the relationship between pixel dimensions and print sizes.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlG2osOl-Fw

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