Resizing Images for Printing

Principle:  Do not changing any pixels in your image until you absolutely have to

Edit your image

The first step is to edit your image without resizing.  If there are parts of your image that you know will need cropped out you may wish to do so before editing.  Otherwise, leave cropping until later.

Crop your image

Depending on your needs you may crop your image before you edit, after you edit but before you resize your image for printing, or after you resize your image.
  1. Select the crop tool from the tool bar.
  2. In the tool menu bar (the bottom row of menu items) set the "Resolution" to blank.  This will make your crop non-destructive in that none of the pixels remaining after the crop will be modified.
  3. If you wish to crop free form with no restrictions make sure that both the "Width" and "Height" boxes are blank.  This can be done by changing the Aspect Ratio to "No Restriction" in Elements 4 & 5 or clicking on "Clear" in Elements 3.  When this is done the resolution (DPI) of the image will remain unchanged when you crop.
  4. If you wish to crop to a specific ratio you may select that ratio in "Aspect Ratio" with the drop-down menu or you may enter your print size in "Width" and "Height".  All of the preset ratios are in the landscape mode with the width larger than the height.  (Note:  Elements 3 does not have preset ratios)  By clicking between the width and height boxes you can change this to a portrait ratio.  Using this method the resolution (DPI) of the image will automaticly adjust to make your print size the same as your width and height settings.  Hopefully this will be between 180 and 720.

Resizing your image

Directly out of the camera your images are not likely to be sized correctly or proportioned correctly to print exactly the way you want it to.  Also, there is no need to resample the image unless the resolution gets below 180.
  1. To resize without resampling: 
    1. In the main menu go to "Image" then "Resize" then "Image Size".
    2. At the bottom of the "Image Size" dialog box uncheck "Resample Image"
    3. In the "Width" box enter the width of your printed image.  Note the "Height" will change to maintain proportion and the "Resolution" will adjust so that the Resolution value times the Width will equal the Width in pixels (top panel).
    4. If your "Height" is longer than your final image size then you are done.  If your "Height" is less than your desired image size then enter the correct "Height" and the "Width" will adjust to something larger that the final width.
    5. Click OK.
  2. If your resolution is now less than 180:
    • In the main menu go to "Image" then "Resize" then "Image Size".
    • At the bottom of the "Image Size" dialog box check "Resample Image"
    • In the drop-down menue of "Resample Image" select "Bicubic Smoother"
    • Change the Width or Height box to a value exactly double of its original value.
    • Click OK
    • Again, in the main menu go to "Image" then "Resize" then "Image Size".
    • Unclick "Resample Image"
    • Change the Width or Height box to its correct value (which will be exactly half of what it had been set to).
    • Click OK
    • Note:  You could, with very good images, get acceptable results by multiplying the original size by either 3 or 4.  But the larger you enlarge the image the lower the quality.  You can always do well with doubling.
  3. <>If you are printing borderless then:  You may print directly.  The printer will automaticly crop the side that is too long to fit by croping equaly on the top and bottom (or the left and right.)  If this is not satisfactory you should crop without resampling to the correct size.
  4. If you are printing with a border then:  Crop without resampling.