how to test print button layouts to scale??

[pharoah007]

I am trying to position some buttons on a outline of my cp and then print on multiple sheets, laying them out on the CP to see how the buttons look/line up with some existing buttons.

I already have a to scale cp outline (thanks to this sites helpful members) and I have put some button layers on a separate "layer" and am moving them around to find a position I like.

Is there a way to print out this to scale picture on multiple 8.5"X11" sheets and line them all up on the CP to test scale and position?


Thank you all.;

[dfmaverick]

If you are using Illustrator, what you are trying to do is called Tiling. Other programs may do it or may call it something else.

[pharoah007]

If you are using Illustrator, what you are trying to do is called Tiling. Other programs may do it or may call it something else.

I will be doing it with photoshop CS2

[dfmaverick]

With photoshop, you may have to do it manually with slices, rulers, setting guides, print selected area, etc.

[pharoah007]

With photoshop, you may have to do it manually with slices, rulers, setting guides, print selected area, etc.

ooh that is balls    Is there a easier way?  I do have the program "Gimp" as well.


Thanks.

[HanoiBoi]

I'm not too sure I understand the question, but have you been to http://slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html?  You can find a button layout that you like and print it out in actual size.

[pharoah007]

I'm not too sure I understand the question, but have you been to http://slagcoin.com/joystick/layout.html?  You can find a button layout that you like and print it out in actual size.

yup been there, as a matter of fact I am using templates they have supplied.

Let me attempt to clarify what I need.

I have a "outline" of my CP in a photoshop file. this "outline" is to scale with my cp, meaning if I have a print shop prints it just the way it is without any cropping it will be the exact dimensions of my cp. 

I have the button layouts from the site you linked me to as a "layer" and am dragging hem around to different spots on the cp to see how they look.  I also have a few holes already drilled in the cp that I have plotted on the "outline" layer.

I want to print just the outline of the cp (the outline file) with the joystick templates positioned on them on multiple sheets of paper that I lay out in order on the cp (cheap 8.5"X11"). I want to do this to see what the layout looks in real life, to confirm my holes I have plotted in the file line up with the actual holes in the cp, and last to confirm my scale is right so when I go to a print shop and spend big $$ to have the cp art overlay printed..it will all fit nice.

I do not have any art on the cp overlay as of yet....that is the next step.

please let me know if anything is still unclear, and thank you for all the help everyone.

[SavannahLion]

Yeah, it's not hard but you'll need some sort of reference grid or reference markers to make things a little easier. I think printers usually use dots or stars that don't appear on the final print/cut. Instead I just created a series of reverence lines across key areas (eg the buttons and joystick) that extend all the way across the CP. When I print the CP out, I align the paper on these aligns (a bright light helps or trimming with an X-acto blade and a straight ruler one of the two pairs of sheets helps here) taped them together and set them down.

For the damndest reasons I haven't quite worked out. GIMP doesn't print correctly on multiple sheets. I don't know if there's a setting somewhere that I'm missing. It's not in the printer settings where I would expect. Instead, I flattened the final image to BMP, opened it up in Paint and printed from there.

[pharoah007]

Yeah, it's not hard but you'll need some sort of reference grid or reference markers to make things a little easier. I think printers usually use dots or stars that don't appear on the final print/cut. Instead I just created a series of reverence lines across key areas (eg the buttons and joystick) that extend all the way across the CP. When I print the CP out, I align the paper on these aligns (a bright light helps or trimming with an X-acto blade and a straight ruler one of the two pairs of sheets helps here) taped them together and set them down.

For the damndest reasons I haven't quite worked out. GIMP doesn't print correctly on multiple sheets. I don't know if there's a setting somewhere that I'm missing. It's not in the printer settings where I would expect. Instead, I flattened the final image to BMP, opened it up in Paint and printed from there.

well i guess that leaves photoshop for me, any hints?  or do you know the correct name for this multi page printing (photoshop name) so I can google it?

thanks.

[SavannahLion]

Yeah, it's not hard but you'll need some sort of reference grid or reference markers to make things a little easier. I think printers usually use dots or stars that don't appear on the final print/cut. Instead I just created a series of reverence lines across key areas (eg the buttons and joystick) that extend all the way across the CP. When I print the CP out, I align the paper on these aligns (a bright light helps or trimming with an X-acto blade and a straight ruler one of the two pairs of sheets helps here) taped them together and set them down.

For the damndest reasons I haven't quite worked out. GIMP doesn't print correctly on multiple sheets. I don't know if there's a setting somewhere that I'm missing. It's not in the printer settings where I would expect. Instead, I flattened the final image to BMP, opened it up in Paint and printed from there.

well i guess that leaves photoshop for me, any hints?  or do you know the correct name for this multi page printing (photoshop name) so I can google it?

thanks.

I don't own a recent version of Photoshop

Generally speaking, it's called tiling or tile printing. Sometimes it's called banner printing. Other than that, I wouldn't know. Not a lot of programs have the feature and some programs (namely Acrobat) forces you to pay for it. Massively irritating when you're trying to print schematics.

[tsaylor]

I was just facing this same problem using Photoshop Elements, and it was driving my crazy that it wasn't something really simple to do.  I had done this easily with my first prototype in OpenOffice Draw, so I assumed it would be easy in Photoshop too, but nope, no such option.  First I tried using a pdf writer to create a pdf, thinking the Acrobat reader would easily print tiled pages... but it wouldn't do it either!

Eventually I just saved the Photoshop file as a jpg, and then printed it using mspaint.  A simple program like mspaint was able to do the tiling I needed.

[pharoah007]

I was just facing this same problem using Photoshop Elements, and it was driving my crazy that it wasn't something really simple to do.  I had done this easily with my first prototype in OpenOffice Draw, so I assumed it would be easy in Photoshop too, but nope, no such option.  First I tried using a pdf writer to create a pdf, thinking the Acrobat reader would easily print tiled pages... but it wouldn't do it either!

Eventually I just saved the Photoshop file as a jpg, and then printed it using mspaint.  A simple program like mspaint was able to do the tiling I needed.

hummmm  MS Paint of all things eh!  I will give it a shot when I get home in a few days.

Thanks for the input all.

[SavannahLion]

I did mention Paint

[Nephasth]

I save my photoshop files as a .PDF. Using Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Standard: Printer setup-> Properties-> Finishing-> Pages per sheet and posters drop down ->  Select poster that will work for your size. Mine was 3x3 (9 sheets). Worked perfect.

[SavannahLion]

I save my photoshop files as a .PDF. Using Adobe Acrobat 7.0 Standard: Printer setup-> Properties-> Finishing-> Pages per sheet and posters drop down ->  Select poster that will work for your size. Mine was 3x3 (9 sheets). Worked perfect.

IIRC Adobe puts that feature in their paid apps.

[Nephasth]

Might be why I can only do it on my work computer and not on my home computer.

[amellors]

I use a program called PosteRazor

http://posterazor.sourceforge.net/


It takes a raster image and cuts it up and makes a PDF that you can print.

Pretty self explanatory.

-Andy

[Firebat138]

shame you dont have a plotter at your disposal...  lol...  But u could just crop 8x10 sections and print them separately and then overlay... a pain yes....

[pharoah007]

Sorry guys, I kinda got off track as I started a GT "99" Bar top JAMMA build, lol.

This CP is my next project for sure. I just had a craving for a Golden Tee in my games room. I had the PCB, CP and Marquee already so it was a easy job to build a cab. In the process now.


Gotta keep focused, lol