art placement... pls help

[Caro04]

Hi!!
Im really new at this, so Im going to try to explain myself the best way I can.
When printing (digital printing), I need to manually place each item (i.e. presentation card, or flyer) on the page using photoshop. This takes me a really long time, as I need to be very carefull to allign everything correctly and find a layout so as fit as many items as posible in every page.
Is there a program that helps place the items automatically???

thank you!!

 

[dabob]

why would you use photoshop??? Do you have any other DTP programs, ie: Indesign, Quark for example. and what type of files are you "placing"

 

[Caro04]

why would you use photoshop??? Do you have any other DTP programs, ie: Indesign, Quark for example. and what type of files are you "placing"

Hi dabob! Thank you very much for replying!!!

As you can I'm new and very lost.. I basically design in photoshop, export as jpg and then, using the actual size of the page im printing on (12x18") I place each image so as to "cover" the whole page. The files I print are mainly flyers and presentation cards.

And no... I dont have anyother programs (only use photoshop and illustrator). Would InDesign and Quark help me with my problem???

thank you!!!! I really apreciate any help you can give me

 

[mac_man_luke]

Illustrator would do the job

you still have to manually place them but you have step and repeat and other helpful tools

Photoshop is not a design program, its a image editor

 

[Davo]

I'd suggest you look into 'Imposition Software'. This category of software will take your images (you might need to save as .pdf rather than .jpg), and will allow you to quickly arrange them on your sheet. Our software - Metrix - will do the layout for you, calculating the optimal arrangement on the sheet of one product, or many products! And if any product has a quantity change or you change the device or sheet size, Metrix can automatically recalculate everything in just a few seconds. Take a look at a movie that shows what's possible. Make sure to watch the 'Flat and Folded' movie. And if you have any questions, please ask.

LithoTechnics - Metrix, the automatic layout calculator for commercial and gang run printing

 

[X33]

you need an IMPOSITION tool, either upstream (at your workstation) or downstream (at the printer/RIP).

what kind of printer and RIP do you have?

 

[dabob]

Personally, I would get a copy of InDesign . . not only is it an awsome design tool but it will function as an imposition tools also. I always tell my customers to think of their programs like this:
Photoshop=your camera for images
Illustrator= to illustrate or draw in
Indesign/Quark=Your layout/typesetting tool (but in recent days Indesign can draw pretty well also)

With Indesign you get numerical placement of files, can import multiple file types, step and repeat and a multitude of other tools that make your life easier by far.

and no I don't work for adobe

 

[geozinger]

Both dabob and X33 have a point. In our current environment, you cannot use one program to do everything you need to do effectively. I get why people think that Photoshop can do so much, but the reality is that it is still fairly limited.

For lack of a better example, it's not unlike trying to repair your car with only a pair of pliers. You'll get some of the job done, but in the hardest way possible. Get trained on the proper software, get trained on your equipment and you will have much better experiences.

 

[Caro04]

THANK YOU ALL!!!! I really apreciate your help.
As I said, at the moment I'm only using photoshop and Illistrator and use photoshop to print, but I will give InDesign a try!=)... or use illustrator with the repeat function..

again, thank you very much for all your help!

X33, I have a Konica Minolta magicolor 8650dn

 

[Stephen Marsh]

Hi!!
Im really new at this, so Im going to try to explain myself the best way I can.
When printing (digital printing), I need to manually place each item (i.e. presentation card, or flyer) on the page using photoshop. This takes me a really long time, as I need to be very carefull to allign everything correctly and find a layout so as fit as many items as posible in every page.
Is there a program that helps place the items automatically???

thank you!!

If you are after productivity, then using a RIP at the printer with "nesting" or "scatter" features is the most common way of doing this. Another more lightweight option could be:

Qimage Professional Quality Batch Photo Printing Software


HP offer some free software:

Photo Creative


Adobe used to offer "Picture Package" in Photoshop, which is now an optional install:

Adobe Photoshop CS5 * Print photos in a picture package layout


On a related note, an older forum thread can be found here:

http://printplanet.com/forums/adobe...single-page-photoshop?highlight=contact+sheet


Using Illustrator or InDesign, one could create templates of common nesting layouts for printing, then one could re-link the original images to new images when printing at a later time.


Best,

Stephen Marsh

 

[maynardsayswhat]

I've used only Photoshop and Illustrator for years for any and all design projects that are not multiple-page (books, magazines, etc). I even still have Illustrator88 on disk somewhere. Point being that layout software, while a powerful tool, is not a requirement of necessity.

It's best if you use templates for your print jobs if you're printing multi-up. I have 24-, 16-, 20-, 10-, and 12-up templates just for business cards. Each laid out with guides and trim marks in very precise placement.

If you are going to impose in Illustrator, learn to use the precise place method:

Place your image.

Click (or hit "V") on the Selection Tool (can also be done with "A", direct selection tool).

Hit "Enter"

Enter the exact numerical measurement of how far to move the object. For instance 3.5" for the width of a non-bleed business card.

Click "Copy"

Have cake and repeat as needed.

Using this method, I can impose complete gangs or step/repeats of postcard/flyers or business cards etc in just moments. It takes practice but it's a viable way of going about it without spending loads of cash on layout software (Quark or InDesign) or imposition software. The manual method cannot compete with a competent imposition software in high volume production environments of course. But if you're just going DIY in a small volume situation, it can work just fine.

The above method can be recorded via Actions to automate step and repeat jobs.

Also see above: Photoshop is NOT layout software. Photoshop is for photos =)