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J
JenNilesArt
Participant
August 29, 2020
Question

Understanding weird behavior of Print Preview in Photoshop Elements

  • August 29, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 371 views

Hi! I am using a trial version of Photoshop Elements 2020, but this also happened in my ancient version of Elements 9 that just died. All the time. So it's an Elements thing. Let's see if I can explain it clearly.

 

Let's say I have three files open and I want to print one of them. I go to Print, and I see little thumbnails all three of the files in the Print Preview at the left. I click each one I don't want to print, click Remove, and voila! I am printing the one I want.
HOWEVER...
Sometimes, I will have three files open (for this example, let's call them Cat, Dog and Bird) and when I am in the file called Cat, and decide to print it, I hit File>Print as usual, but this time the Preview thumbnails at the left only shows the file called Dog. WHY? This happens all the time. So then I have to go back in to each open file (in this example, files called Dog and Bird), and save and close them, and only THEN can I print Cat.

Why this inconsistent behavior?

I don't know what to call this behavior, so I cannot look up what kind of settings I might need to change. How does one file seem to become "dominant" and the others fail to show up and be printable?
Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks!

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    2 replies

    hatstead
    hatstead
    Inspiring
    August 29, 2020

    Are you printing via Editor or via Organizer?

    WINDOWS  or MAC?  ?version

    Do you have the latest driver for your printer?

    You state that you had this issue in PSEv.9. I have PSEv.8 installed on my computer.  Go to Edit menu>Preferences>General and check the box "Allow floating documents in full edit mode."

    I opened 3 picture files in Editor. Then File>print. In the print dialog-preview I see pct #1, and below that a notation 1 of 3. I can advance this with the slider to 2 of 3, then 3 of 3. Note that all of these pictures are in portrait mode, and will fit on the same paper size.

    I never print via the organizer. The print engine is not the same as in the editor.

    How/why did your old version of PSE "die?"

     

     

    J
    JenNilesArtAuthor
    Participant
    August 29, 2020

    To answer your question, I have a newer MacBook Pro, and I probably don't have the newest driver for the printer. That's a good idea; thanks for reminding me of that. And I am never consciously choosing to work in anything called Organizer. The thing with the preview thumbnails literally pops up when I do File, Print.  BUT let me go back there and try the floating documents thing you mentioned.

    As for my poor old Photoshop Elements, which I had since forever and no longer had a disk or serial number etcetc so I couldn't try and revive/rehabilitate/upgrade or whathaveyou. The way it died was slowly. For a long time it would just hang (spinning colorful wheel) and I'd have to Force Quit. Or, it would just quit on its own. But THIS time, Force Quit did not work, and neither did any of the other ideas I found when I Googled the problem. I couldn't even forcibly shut down my computer because it would say "can't shut down because of Photoshop Elements; force quit it..." So I just got rid of the whole thing. I definitely got my money's worth out of it so I am not too upset. Now I am trying the new 2020 version and I like it so far. I don't do enough photoshop work to justify the monthly expense of the cloud.

    hatstead
    hatstead
    Inspiring
    August 29, 2020

    I don't know anything about Mac computers. I follow the posts on this board daily, and am unaware of a prior report re print preview. Perhaps someone will come along with more insight.

     

    Just Shoot Me
    Just Shoot Me
    Legend
    August 29, 2020

    I moved your post over from the poorly named "Using the Community" forum, which is for getting help using this forum system, to a better forum.


    I hope this helps. Best of luck to you.

    J
    JenNilesArtAuthor
    Participant
    August 29, 2020

    Whoops!  Thanks for putting it in the correct place. How did I miss that.

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