Basic idea for my current uni project: Im creating a fake room inside a real one. The fake walls need to have images of the real walls scaled down. I have taken high res pics of the real walls and cropped them to the correct proportions. Each wall is 160x120cm (4:3) but considering printers can't pint that big I will do two images for each wall at 80x120.

Questions:
1 does anyone know a place where I can get these printed at a hi res for less than $50 per sheet?

2 should I just be able to send the scaled images and tell them the size I want it to appear as after printing? Or do I have to use gimp to adjust the image size to the exact dimensions I want?

3 because the files are large, is there an easy way to convert to PDF without using those PDF printers, but still with free software?

i have super pdf creating powers

theres not really many options at home appart form your print drivers, which will do a pretty efficient job anyway:

that's pretty deep

boundaries beyond boundaries

omg

i would set it all up yourself as people at printing places are (generally speaking) very retarded.

:*(

i would set it all up yourself as people at printing places are (generally speaking) very retarded.

Yes, that has been my past experience too.

So, I'm getting the s***s with GIMP and trying to even print out an A4 sheet... I change settings in GIMP so that the image size is 800 x 1200 mm... the image scales and GIMP tells me the file size is ~80meg (despite saving as a ~2meg joeg). So, then with my newly scaled image, I try to cut out just an A4 slice at 210x296mm, which seems disproportionately small. I then test to see what happens if I want to cut out a piece at 800x1200 (the size of the image rescaled), and it doesn't fit to the border, but is actually only about half the size. What the f***ing f***... this is s***ting me off so badly. I'm going to upload the pics on the off chance someone here can quickly make them the size I need, so all i ahve to do is send it to the printer and say, "PRINT AT THAT SIZE".

To make things worse, every time I need to check QGL I have to leave my building and go to a different one!

hopefully this works (microsoft sky drive)

http://cid-4287abe07c778188.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/project%20images

As you can see, each "wall" has been sliced into two halves. Each pic is the exact proportion that I need, but I just need the images scaled to the right size, so if I send them to a printer they get printed at 80cm x 120cm.

last edited by B.Hardball at 14:06:14 16/Jul/08

for 5 bucks you could get some indian guy to paint that onto the walls

btw have you tried stitching the photographs together in photoshop to make sure they will work side by side?

So, I'm getting the s***s with GIMP and trying to even print out an A4 sheet... I change settings in GIMP so that the image size is 800 x 1200 mm... the image scales and GIMP tells me the file size is ~80meg (despite saving as a ~2meg joeg).

1. dont use gimp.
2. why the f*** changing the image to that size? it means nothing, your just bloating the image.
3. i can do A2 photographic prints.

Responses
1 I don't really have a choice other than to use GIMP do I?
2 I was changing the image size so I could just send it to a printer and the image would be at the required size (see previous question)
3 A2 doesn't really help:(

Rasterbator:
http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/

It turns an image into a pdf with the image spread out across a number of A4 pages. The way it scales stuff up might or might-not be suitable. But give it a go anyway if you've got some time.

1. You're simply not going to get a 1200mm x 1600mm print for under $50 unless you can find a mate happens to own all the gear and is willing to do it for you. The materials alone for an A0 print on cheap 120GSM paper costs at least $12 in materials alone. Add the man hours (which is a lot, considering how f***ing retarded printing places are) and mark up etc, it gets expensive quickly.

We have a HP DesignJet 5500ps and a Mutoh VJ1304 at work (so that's about 60k worth of printers...) simply because it is too frustrating, expensive and inefficient for us to outsource such work to a printing place. Alas, I'm affraid I can't do the prints for you :(

2. Working with resolutions and dimensions is an annoying thing, since the DPI needs to be factored into your equation. Don't worry too much about the resolution, just make sure that image will have enough DPI when blown up to the size you want. Don't keep chopping and changing between dimensions and resolution while you're working, you'll just confuse yourself. Keep in mind though that 1600x1200 divided up onto A4 sheets is going to be at LEAST 35 A4 prints, so expect each part to look small.

You probably shouldn't be working with a digital imaging program for this type of work. You should get your hands on some sort of publishing software (like Corel Draw or Adobe InDesign, both have free trial periods). They will allow you to set the size of your canvas, and then you can size your images appropriately. I think InDesin can even take your giant image and chop it up into A4 prints for you, I could be wrong though.

3. CutePDF is a free PDF creating software. Is that what you mean? What exactly do you mean by 'pdf' printers?

What uni you at? I work at copying services @ griffith.. we cant print that big though..

I can help you... but not right now, possibly tomorrow afternoon.. I've got access to some designy stuffs, a printer (albeit a bit small) and the like but im in London so the printing bit won't help you..

With the pictures you've put up there I can probably either set them on a page that is exactly 80x120 (if thats what your printer wants) or I can set them on a printable page that you can use.. eg a4.. or even a combination of the above, but it will take time and it will be hard for me to get it to you.. unless you've got some sort of filedump i can get to via work internet.. Hit me up via here or pm or something..

Also do fiddle around with EPS type stuffs... You can scale those guys to anything!