iPhoto'08 printing features "crippled"?????

[ftaok]

OK guys,

I haven't seen anything about this on the forum, so here goes.

We just got iLife'08 and I started using iPhoto'08. Of course, the library gets converted to the new version, so there's no going back (I did back up prior to installing).

The problem I'm seeing is that the printing features are not as numerous as with iPhoto'06. I'm not seeing options such as Sampler and N-Up. What I liked about iPhoto'06 was that with 4x6 photo paper, I was able to print up 4 separate photos onto one 4x6 sheet with N-Up. Then I would cut them up and have 4 wallet sized photos. It's was a great thing to fill my wallet with pics of my daughter. Since the photos all "butted" up against each other, there was very little wasted space, plus the photos all measured 2x3

Anyways, with iPhoto'08, it seems as if N-Up went away (I never really used Sampler). Anything that I try to get a 4 photos onto a single 4x6 results in large borders surrounding each photo. Each photo now measures something like 1.75x2.75 or so.

Has anyone else noticed this?

I'm going to boot up the cloned back-up to see how I used to do it with '06. Apparently, on iPhoto'04 (which is loaded on my iBook) didn't do it correctly either.

ft

Apparently, I'm not the only one that noticed this. This blogger has the same issue.

Blogger

 

[skybolt]

I'll look tonight when I get home and back to the mac, but I thought that N-Up was part of the printer setup, not iPhoto. I printed some pics the other day, and believe I saw N-Up in the printer dialog box under advanced or something like that.

 

[ftaok]

I'll look tonight when I get home and back to the mac, but I thought that N-Up was part of the printer setup, not iPhoto. I printed some pics the other day, and believe I saw N-Up in the printer dialog box under advanced or something like that.

Thanks. I'm pretty sure that I went through both the iPhoto print settings and the print setup settings. N-Up was nowhere to be found. There seems to be a kludge workaround by using the Layout tab to print 4 photos on one sheet, but I couldn't seem to get rid of the white space.

ft

 

[ftaok]

Just to update ...

I booted up my clone back-up that still had iPhoto'06 on it and N-UP is definately a selection choice from within iPhoto.

On iPhoto'08, N-Up is gone, as is Greeting Card. There are work-arounds, but for my situation, it doesn't work as nicely as it used to.

Oh well. The other new printing features are worth the upgrade, but it's still disappointing that they took N-Up away.

ft

 

[MisterMe]

...

On iPhoto'08, N-Up is gone, as is Greeting Card. ...

Neither are gone. Greeting card is right in front of your face. You select N-up is selected after you select File > Print...

 

[ftaok]

Neither are gone. Greeting card is right in front of your face. You select N-up is selected after you select File > Print...

Isn't that Greeting Card button used for buying the cards from Apple? I have to admit that I did not try it to see, since I never really used it previously. It just stuck out as being missing in the normal iPhoto print dialog.

As for N-up, I still contend that it's not there. After going in through File>Print, I am greeted with the iPhoto print dialog. The print choice that I have are (going by memory): Standard, Contact Sheet, Simple Border, Simple Mat, and Double Mat. If I choose "Print" from this dialog box, I get the OS X print dialog. Even going into the "Advanced" mode, there is no N-up. The closest thing is changing the Layout to fit 4 photos onto 1 sheet. It's similar to N-up, but you can't (or at least I haven't been able to) get the individual photos to "butt up" to each other.

Maybe it's my printer, I have the HP Photosmart 7360. N-up worked perfectly for me with iPhoto'06, but I don't seem to have N-up with iPhoto'08.

In any case, the other print options that I gain with '08 make it worth it. I really like printing the faux mats with my photos. They look very real.

ft

 

[ArleighB]

As for N-up, I still contend that it's not there. After going in through File>Print, I am greeted with the iPhoto print dialog. The print choice that I have are (going by memory): Standard, Contact Sheet, Simple Border, Simple Mat, and Double Mat. If I choose "Print" from this dialog box, I get the OS X print dialog. Even going into the "Advanced" mode, there is no N-up. The closest thing is changing the Layout to fit 4 photos onto 1 sheet. It's similar to N-up, but you can't (or at least I haven't been able to) get the individual photos to "butt up" to each other.

I'm having the exact same problem. I miss the old options; maybe they'll add them if enough people say something? I found this thread by googling "iphoto ilife print settings". it was the first hit.

editing to add: epson 340R photo printer.

 

[ArleighB]

sorry; I thought I'd post a new reply rather than editing my previous post a hundred times.

I just found this blog article. let's see if I can figure out how to link. iphoto-7-drops-n-up-printing-as-a-feature-dumb

the article shows how to do an N-up alternative. but also says that you can't choose your paper type anymore? I haven't explored this.

edit: playing around, I find that you can get to two more print dialog windows after you hit "print" from iphoto's print window. you get another print dialog box, then you can (well, I can, with my printer) hit the advanced button for paper choices. so I'm not sure why the blogger was saying their parents couldn't print on photo paper.

 

[ftaok]

sorry; I thought I'd post a new reply rather than editing my previous post a hundred times.

I just found this blog article. let's see if I can figure out how to link. iphoto-7-drops-n-up-printing-as-a-feature-dumb

the article shows how to do an N-up alternative. but also says that you can't choose your paper type anymore? I haven't explored this.

ArleighB,

That's the same link that I provided in the first post.

For me, the work-around for N-up isn't totally satisfying. As I mentioned above, the old way that N-up worked allowed me to print (4) 2x3 photos on a single 4x6 sheet. With my printer, this would fit perfectly and there was little to no wasted space.

The '08 work-around puts a white border around each photo, so instead of getting (4) 2x3's, I end up with (4) 1.75x2.75's. It'll work, but it's still not as good as it used to be. Oh well.

When I get home, I plan on sending Apple some feedback to urge them to add n-up back into iPhoto. Looking on Apple's support forum, it seems that others miss the n-up setting as well.

ft

 

[ArleighB]

I see your link now. sorry, I mistook it as part of your signature.

I miss those settings a lot. I used N up and the two samplers most of the time.

I wonder if someone will write them as a freeware mini-app that we can grab from versiontracker. wouldn't that be nice!

 

[rjc3000]

Way to get N-Up working on iPhoto 08

First off, if apple brings back the N-Up printing that would solve this problem nicely. In the absence of that common-sense decision, try this procedure to restore N-Up printing to iPhoto (to a certain extent).

Isolate the photo(s) you want to print multiple copies of on a single sheet.

Click the "Print" button in the bottom row of icons.

Choose "Contact Sheet" from the left side choices.

Click the "Customize" button on the right side of the dialog box.

You will see your photo(s) on the print project. Select the number of columns you wish from the bottom slider (see note below).

Near the thumbnail of the print page at the top of the iPhoto window are two buttons on the left side with the top button a "page" icon and the bottom a "photos" icon. Click on the "photos" icon (mouse over it to see "View the photos in this Print project" popup text).

Drag the photo(s) multiple times onto the layout below. The photos are duplicated on the layout.

Note: if you change the number of columns then your work disappears and you have to start over.

Hope this helps someone! Let me know if it works for you...

 

[ftaok]

First off, if apple brings back the N-Up printing that would solve this problem nicely. In the absence of that common-sense decision, try this procedure to restore N-Up printing to iPhoto (to a certain extent).

Isolate the photo(s) you want to print multiple copies of on a single sheet.


snip

That's definately a work-around, and can come in handy. The main problem with that technique is that you still get wasted space in between pictures. With the old N-up, you can basically get the photos to "butt" up against each other, provided you have the photos cropped correctly.

Also, you can essentially do the same thing as your technique by selecting layout tab in the Print dialog box and selecting 2, 4, etc.

ft

 

[ArleighB]

well this is what I'm doing: I'm creating templates in illustrator, dropping the photos into the template, then resizing to fit and printing from there. a total PITA. what I liked about the previous iphoto print dialogs was the ability to "not waste paper" and let the pictures be rotated as needed to fit the paper.

I haven't used indesign yet. can I do essentially the same thing there, too?

 

[wpostma@mac.com]

iPhoto printing options are bad.

If you want to print with a border, there is a two-page option.

There is no way to print TWO UP without a border, in iPhoto 2008,
unless you are fancy with the File->print advanced menu options.

The old printing dialog options, greeting card, standard sizes (4x6,5x7) and all that have been replaced by a theme-based printing system missing many options that were easy in ilife 06.

I hope they're smart enough to add them back.

When you're in the new PRINTING filmstrip view, you get the following buttons along the bottom: PrintSettings, Themes,Background,Borders,Layout, Adjust,Settings, and on the far right side, there's Cancel,Print, left-arrow and right-arrow.

If you select LAYOUT, you get different stuff, depending on which of the THEMESE you picked. If you first go to THEMES, and pick STANDARD, then go to LAYOUTS, there's no two-ups. This is the only theme without any extra crap in it, and it's impossible to print 2-up that way.

But once you're in the PRINTING film-strip view, you can get a two up if you click File-print MUST BE AS PULL-DOWNMENU ITEM! Then you pick advanced, and you can mess around and create a two "pages per sheet" which lets you do a hacked version of 2-up pretty much. But the old menus were much nicer.

Apple, what kind of drugs were your developers smokin?

iPhoto 08 is way worse than iPhoto 06 at printing.

Who needs the stupid green fake matte stuff. I want nice 4x6 sheets.


Warren