Printing JPG Files at 1:1 Scale- How To?

[rob_with_a_mac]

Hello Photoshop users,

I need to print several JPG images at a 1:1 scale (the printed image needs to be the same size as the actual image files, which will fit on letter or A4 printer paper).  Lacking experience, how can this be done?  Are there specific printer settings that I should be aware of? 

I am on a Mac, and the image viewing program is Preview.  Thanks for the kind help!

[Tai_Lao]

If you really mean what you say, exactly as typed, your prints are going to look like cr@p.  Full stop.

Tell us what the exact dimensions (so many pixels wide by so many pixels high) of your images are, and we may be able to make more sense out of this and advise what you can do.

For instance, if your images were something like 4800 pixels wide by 3200 pixels high and you wanted to make an A4 (or letter size) print, that may be done satisfactorily.

But, if you really mean 1:1, as in printing a 792-pixel wide x 612 pixel high image on a letter-size sheet of paper, then what I wrote above applies:  the print is going to look like cr@p and there's not much you can do about it because you cannot upsample (digitally re-size) the image that much without a massive loss of quality.

[rob_with_a_mac]

Hi Tai, thank you for the reply.

The image files are about 170 X 256 pixels, the actual size of the image itself is about 50 mm or so in height.  I don't think there is any scaling up or down when this image is printed, am I right?

Yes I do have a copy of Photoshop, though it's a student license.

Thanks for the help.

[Tai_Lao]

Oooooops!

rob_with_a_mac wrote:

…and the image viewing program is Preview…

Then why on Earth are you posting in the Adobe Photoshop forum?   Do you plan to get a Photoshop license and print from within Photoshop?

[Guest]

rob_with_a_mac wrote:

...the printed image needs to be the same size as the actual image files...

rob_with_a_mac wrote:

image files are about 170 X 256 pixels

That's not going to happen. Return your Mac and Photoshop for a refund.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_resolution

[Lundberg02]

Just print it.

[Joseph.A.Salinas]

Lundberg02 wrote:

Just print it.

Alas, rob_with_a_mac, the simplest answer seems to be the correct one.  Just print it ... but make sure that you uncheck any Scale options when you print.

Also, check the DPI (dots per inch) of your jpg files:

• In Preview, go to Tools > Show Inspector and check the "Image DPI".
• In Photoshop, go to Image > Image Size... and check the "Resolution".

This number will affect the actual print size of your jpg files.

Hope this helps.