Printing 4x6 photos

[orerockon]

I am trying to do something that seems relatively simple but after a couple hours trying different things I always get the same results. What I am trying to do is print photos from a wedding photographers CD to 4x6 photo paper to fit in a collage frame that only shows 5.5 x 3.5" of the photo without cropping the images at all (1/4" symmetrical borders). It needs to be very precise because of the constraints of the frame. I am trying to set this up so I can get the frames shipped to the recipients for free and send them photos that will fit and that they don't have to crop themselves. The CD has large images that I understand how to resize and I need to print both landscape and portrait orientation photos. For example I resized a 1650x1100 image to 6x4 print size at 300 dpi (locked aspect ratio). Printing on my Canon MX850 (a multifunction Pixma that uses the same software) results in a more or less full size photo with 3/16" left & 1/4" right borders and a 1/8" bottom and 3/16" border. Resizing to 5.5x3.5 results in a very small bottom border. Printing to a template results in a template 1/4" wider than the image. Trying to choose from the templates doesn't work, none of them are a 4x6 single sheet. Trying to move the image around the template can shift the photo but the aspect ration isn't correct. Changing the printer options to fit to page, normal size, borderless, or a combination of these, never results in what I need.

Anyway long story short no combination of PSP options, templates, or printer properties results in an exactly centered 5.5x3.5, uncropped image on a piece of 4x6 photo paper. Is there a simple way to do what I want? Seems to me to be something that a lot of people would want to do. Something that I can reproduce without resorting having to crop or resize the image more than once? I'd like to do it with a script if possible so I don't have to do it 50 times.

[hartpaul]

From reading and rereading the post I gather the photos are all in either a 6 x 4 inch landscape or a 4 x 6 inch portrait aspect ratio.
You want to make each photo a bit smaller so that the area of photo is 5.5 x 3.5 with a .25 inch white border which will be hidden by the frame.

Now 6 x 4 inch is a ratio of 1.5 : 1 (or 15 units by 10 units) while the 5.5 x 3.5 is 1.6:1 (or 16 units by 10 units).
If you resize the image you can have a 5.50 x 3.67 inch (lose part of the short side) or a 5.25 x 3.50 inch (have a .125 inch white border showing at the long side)

Or you could stretch the long side by about 6% . You can do this by resizing but untick the Lock Aspect Ratio in the Resize dialog box.

Or you could individually crop each image to the 5.5 x 3.5 size which would be a problem if you want to batch process.

OK now you have your image area which is 5.5 x 3.5 .
Make a canvas which is 6 x 4 inches . Then copy your image and paste it as a new layer onto that canvas and it will be centrally placed. Layers > Merge All.

(you could also add the required amount of border to get the same final result.)

Both methods are script recordable and can be used in a batch process. However because PSP does not have a resize longest side feature, you would have to have one for the landscapes and one for the portraits.
I think Levifiction has a method of being able to edit a script to simulate that feature.

[brucet]

There is a non PSP method! Try QImage. It's s dedicated printing program that allows for complete control over various printing options.

regards