Getting the right print size for a CD cover?

[Nick]

I'm using file photos to make front and back cover inserts. I position them inside the standard template and "pull" the sides to make them fill up the template. The photos fill up the side boundaries quicker than top/bottom, so I continue pulling them until the top/bottom is filled which means I'm going outside the side boundaries, and I wonder if this would cause a larger than expected print?

Sometimes my saved file (jpeg) will appear on the computer as if on a page of paper and sometimes not, the latter printing out larger despite both stating the same size. When it appears as on a sheet of paper it prints out about 1/4" too small which I could possibly compensate for thru boundary bleed or a larger template. When not appearing as such it prints out across the whole page. How did I get it to appear on computer as if on a page of paper?

I've been trying to print on a office supply store color printer (Staples) and haven't been able to hone in on the right template, dimensions, whatever, to make the size I need. I figured to print the standard size template, take note of the printer deviation and adjust my template size accordingly but thus far it's not working as planned. An employee mentioned PDF files would not change in size when printed out but I'd prefer to work with jpeg. The Staples printer does have the landscape/portrait option.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks

Hi,

The printed label should match the exact dimensions set in the "Change Label Template" dialog. Stretching an image past the edges of the label does not affect the printed image size (the image is clipped at the edge).

As a test, print out a label with the "Print Border" option turned on in the "Print" dialog. Next measure the printed border with a ruler.

If the Width and Height of the printed border does not match the template dimensions, then print driver is mostly likely scaling the output. Please check your print driver settings for any scaling options. If there is a scaling option, it should be set to No Scaling, or 100% size.

If the Left or Top dimensions of the printed border do not match the template dimensions, you can manually change the dimensions in the "Change Label Template" dialog.

When printing, there is also a "Background Overlap" option which determines how much of the background is printed outside of the border. This can affect the size of the printed image, but all of the dimensions are still based on border location.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

[Nick]

Thanks for your reply.

My problem was the self-serve printers are not setup to print those file dimensions. I went by another place and used a printer behind a full service counter where the attendant could control the printing. The files printed out the right size.