Pattern placement on page

[OCtoolguy]

I have been told that there is no dumb question. So, with that in mind, I ask this....When I print a pattern on either plain paper or the peel and stick shipping labels, the pattern always seems to print in the center of the page and it is a total waste of paper or whatever. Is there a way to tell the printer where to put the image that I want printed? I have been messing around with Word but so far haven't made any progress. I must admit being a bit ignorant on most software. So, knowing how smart you folks are, can you please give me some idea of how to go about this. I know it should be simple but please take it easy on me. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

 

[neal560sl]

Ray, I do mostly Christmas ornaments, so I know exactly what you are talking about.  I usually use a lot of Steve Good's patterns which may have multiple patterns on a page and I may only want one, so I pull the pattern into Inkscape and can delete and move others around or even make multiples of the same ones that I want.

[OCtoolguy]

9 minutes ago, neal560sl said:

Ray, I do mostly Christmas ornaments, so I know exactly what you are talking about.  I usually use a lot of Steve Good's patterns which may have multiple patterns on a page and I may only want one, so I pull the pattern into Inkscape and can delete and move others around or even make multiples of the same ones that I want.

So, say I want to make multiple copies of the same pattern and I can fit say 6-8 within an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. If I pull it into Inkscape and do a copy, paste, invert and so on, I can put it anywhere I want on the paper and it will print that way?

 

[Scrappile]

I tell my printer what I want it to do all the time.  It is like my wife, it just don't listen to me.

[OCtoolguy]

12 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

I tell my printer what I want it to do all the time.  It is like my wife, it just don't listen to me.

TRU DAT Paul!

 

[JimErn]

When you print a picture, printer software automatically centers it

You have to print a page, which means putting your pic on a page to be printed, you do that in inkscape using the outline of a page in the work space, or you can add it to a word document, or make the canvas size of the pic the size of the paper

[Foxfold]

10 hours ago, octoolguy said:

So, say I want to make multiple copies of the same pattern and I can fit say 6-8 within an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. If I pull it into Inkscape and do a copy, paste, invert and so on, I can put it anywhere I want on the paper and it will print that way?

 

You can, I did it with some stars. Not the best photo I'm afraid, but it will give you an idea

[kmmcrafts]

I use the crop feature within windows photos when an image is in the center of a page.. It'll fool with sizing though.. I almost always size every pattern I do anyway.. at least the first time and then save it so its ready the next time..

IF it's a ornament in the center of the page.. crop it down to just the ornament... then I right click the file ( photo ) and choose print.. this brings up "Photo" size to print photos.. you get options for 8.5 x 11, 8 x 10, 5x7 etc etc.... I usually choose  the one with 4 photo to a page I think it's 3.5 x 5... This will print at pretty close to the normal "ornament size that I do.. then I can print 4 to a sheet.. or if I only need 2 then just select quantity to 2.. I do a lot of sizing with this for my ornaments.. For instance the puzzle patterns from Iggy.... I do this but usually print on a 4 x 6 or 5x7.. Then I don't have to alter the puzzle patterns original size.. but I do crop it down and save a copy that way.. sometimes once printed I'll scan it and save it in my hard drive in the ornaments pattern folder with the 4 patterns on it all ready.. but when doing the puzzles you only get 2 patterns per sheet.. anyway sure beats wasting several sheets of paper.. This may not work for those that only want to cut one pattern though.. most everything I make gets cut multipal times anyway... 

With the Sue Mey patterns.. They don't all sell the same as one another.. She usually has 6 patterns to a sheet... usually 1-2 sell real well and the others not so well.. so then I was ending up printing patterns that I didn't need to cut, LOL.. Those that didn't need to cut I saved for a while..and boy was that pile growing.. I finally printed a sheet and scanned it to the computer.. I then singled out ( cropped ) each ornament pattern and saved the file.. I know do the same as mentioned above... This way I print one full sheet of the popular patterns by printing them at the 3.5 x 5 mentioned above.. Probably a better way to do this but... This is how I've been doing it and it works for me with my production cutting.. Now... be awesome to be able to do the photo printing like I do.. but be able to choose several different ornaments so I could do a sheet with 4 different patterns... I haven't figured that one out yet..   

Now I just need to go through all these patterns that are printed that I only cut half the sheets worth and I have the other half of sheet with the patterns already printed..   

[neal560sl]

Ray, 

For instance, what I do is pull a pattern into Inkscape that has 6 ornaments on a page and I only want one of them, I select the images by clicking on any one of them which in turn selects them all.  Then you go to "object" and click on "ungroup" and this will put individual boxes around each ornament. Then click anywhere off the images to unselect all.  Now you are able to click on any individual image and delete it, copy it or move it anywhere on the page.  The one thing I might warn you about is when you select each one, use the pointer curser to draw a box around it, as ungrouping may ungroup items within the individual ornament.

Edited January 24, 2019 by neal560sl

[OCtoolguy]

7 hours ago, JimErn said:

When you print a picture, printer software automatically centers it

You have to print a page, which means putting your pic on a page to be printed, you do that in inkscape using the outline of a page in the work space, or you can add it to a word document, or make the canvas size of the pic the size of the paper

Jim, I realize I'm from California and you're in Texas so I'm a bit slower than you. Can you explain how to do that in Word? I tried it but I don't know all the ins and outs of that program so I'm missing something. I figured it out in Inkscape and was able to put the pattern pretty much where I want it to print so that works but I'd like to know how to do it in Word. I am running an old version 2003. My source for software passed away and I'm too cheap to buy a new version.

 

 

[Ivan Nikolaev]

23 minutes ago, octoolguy said:

Jim, I realize I'm from California and you're in Texas so I'm a bit slower than you. Can you explain how to do that in Word? I tried it but I don't know all the ins and outs of that program so I'm missing something. I figured it out in Inkscape and was able to put the pattern pretty much where I want it to print so that works but I'd like to know how to do it in Word. I am running an old version 2003. My source for software passed away and I'm too cheap to buy a new version.

 

 

"Inkscape" free program. Install and be happy 

Edited January 24, 2019 by Ivan Nikolaev

[JimErn]

4 hours ago, octoolguy said:

Jim, I realize I'm from California and you're in Texas so I'm a bit slower than you. Can you explain how to do that in Word? I tried it but I don't know all the ins and outs of that program so I'm missing something. I figured it out in Inkscape and was able to put the pattern pretty much where I want it to print so that works but I'd like to know how to do it in Word. I am running an old version 2003. My source for software passed away and I'm too cheap to buy a new version.

 

 

I'm still using 03 too

with a blank page, use the menu insert>picture> XXXX

the pic will inset where the typing cursor is.  You can enlarge it, and depending on the quality it may look good or not

Edited January 24, 2019 by JimErn

[crupiea]

23 hours ago, octoolguy said:

 

Use excel or a spreadsheet program.

Click intsert picture and select the pattern.

You will be able to change the sizes by pulling the little grabby corner things.

You can put it basically wherever you want on the page and it will print it where you put it.  I like to expand the margins as big as they will go.

It will also let you print across multiple pages. You just need to cut them out and tape it together.

[OCtoolguy]

12 hours ago, Ivan Nikolaev said:

"Inkscape" free program. Install and be happy 

Thanks Ivan, I have had it for quite some time and have been trying really hard to learn it. I'm getting there but still have a long way to go.

 

[Phantom Scroller]

Just import into MSWORD click on it, resize it, then right mouse on edge of the side of the box, click text wrapping and then behind text, then you can move it anywhere on the page and resize it and print it out . Roly

[OCtoolguy]

10 hours ago, Phantom Scroller said:

Just import into MSWORD click on it, resize it, then right mouse on edge of the side of the box, click text wrapping and then behind text, then you can move it anywhere on the page and resize it and print it out . Roly

I will give that a try Roly. Thanks.

 

[Sycamore67]

Personally, I think Word is the wrong program for patterns. I find it annoying try to work with graphics.  I am pretty good with it as I used it extensively when working.  PowerPoint is much easier and what I use for all my patterns.

[OCtoolguy]

6 minutes ago, Sycamore67 said:

Personally, I think Word is the wrong program for patterns. I find it annoying try to work with graphics.  I am pretty good with it as I used it extensively when working.  PowerPoint is much easier and what I use for all my patterns.

Thanks for the input. I would have to have you show me how to use it as I've never done anything with PowerPoint. I have it but that's as far as it's gone.

 

[Sycamore67]

Learning PowerPoint is the same as learning anything else.  It is just a time and effort investment.  I am certain there are videos.  I have been using it for 15 years or so.