How to Print to a Printer With Photoshop CS2

You can print your artwork directly from Adobe Photoshop CS2 to your printer, even if the file contains multiple layers, live text, hidden artwork and complex layer styles. Because you're printing directly from within Photoshop itself, you don't need to flatten the layers of your file. Simply make sure your work contains all the elements you want to see on paper and turn off the visibility of any layers you don't want to print. You can usually print by simply selecting the "Print" command from the "File" menu; however, Photoshop also includes printing methods that offer greater control over the results.

Instructions

1. Choose "Print with Preview..." from the "File" menu to open the multi-option version of the "Print" dialog box.

2. Set the "Position" at the top of the "Print" dialog box by clicking on the "Center Image" button to place your printed output in the middle of the sheet of paper. Set specific positioning coordinates if you do not want your artwork centered.

3. Set "Scaled Print Size" to "100%" unless you need to reduce or enlarge your artwork to fit on the paper. Click on the "Scale to Fit Media" checkbox if you want your artwork to scale up or down to fit the size of the paper. Click on the "Show Bounding Box" checkbox to see a nonprinting outline around the live dimensions of your file. Click on the "Print Selected Area" checkbox if you've made a selection in your document using the "Marquee" or other selection tools and want to restrict the portion of your document that prints to the selected area.

4. Click on the "Page Setup..." button at the right of the "Print" dialog box window. Make sure the settings are correct for the printer and paper size you're using.

5. Click the "More Options" button at the bottom of the "Print" dialog box. Many of these settings apply only if you have a PostScript printer: leave these settings at their defaults if you're not sure what kind of printer you have.

6. Set the pop-up under the thumbnail display of your file to "Output." Click on the "Calibration Bars," "Registration Marks," "Corner Crop Marks," "Center Crop Marks," "Description" and "Labels" checkboxes if you want these special printing marks to appear around the live area of your Photoshop file.

7. Set the pop-up under the thumbnail display to "Color Management." If you know which settings to use for these advanced options, set "Print" and "Options" accordingly. Move the mouse cursor over the controls in this part of the dialog box to see a description of their functions. Leave the "Print" color-management setting at "Document" if you don't know what these settings mean.

8. Click on the "Print..." button when you are satisfied with the settings. Check over the settings in the dialog box that appears; the options will vary depending on your operating system, printer and print driver.

9. Press "Print" and wait for your printout to emerge from the printer. Depending on the speed and power of your printer and the resolution, complexity and size of your artwork, you may need to be patient while your document prints.

Tips & Warnings

• Adobe Photoshop embeds print settings into files, so it will ask if you want to save changes when you close your document, even if you didn't change anything except for the print settings.

• Scaling your artwork up when you print can make printed graphics look fuzzy or pixelated.

References

• Adobe Systems: Adobe Photoshop CS2 User Guide