Action or Plug-in to add white border to match paper-size

[bill_fouche]

<p>MPix requires that the images they receive be in JPG format and cropped to fit one of their supported paper sizes. If one sends them an image that does not fit, their printer will automatically chop off the edges of the "too long" dimension. Their website is very clear about this. To avoid this, MPix recommends that you add sufficient white space (border) so that the revised image matches their paper precisely. Then they will cut the white strips off for you. But to get them to do this, one must write this instruction into the white border: "Cut off white borders" (or similar). It would take me many hours of fiddling to figure out how to do this properly and repeat the process on 30 images. There must be an easier way. Are there actions or plug-ins that will do what I need? (I use Lightroom 2.0 and Photoshop CS4 primarily.)<br>

If not, can someone recommend one of MPix's competitors who is willing to change the setting on their printer so that it will not force an unwanted crop?</p>

 

[frans_waterlander]

<p>Simply increase the canvas size in white and write in the needed text. It's that simple.</p>

[bill_fouche]

<p>I should have been clearer. Final adjustments of multi-layer TIF images are in Lightroom. As far as I can tell, it is LR's "printing" module - not its "export" module - that can add "canvas" borders to images. The "export" module does not seem to permit this. But it's the export module that creates final JPG images for upload to web. This is quite frustrating.</p>

<p>I suppose what I should do is create full-size JPGs from LR in SRGB color-space with no sharpening and no compression. Then open each of the 30 files in Photoshop figure out the closest "standard paper size" that fits, and then manually add the necessary white canvas. Then close. Then upload to MPIX.</p>

<p>Simple? Surely. But tedious as hell and time-consuming. Such things things are perfect for the automation that plug-ins and actions provide. Hence, my question.</p>

 

[peter_mounier]

<p>Why don't you make an action for the first one, then run the action on the remaining 29?</p>

<p>Peter</p>

[godfrey]

<p>Bill, </p>

<p>In LR2's Print module, select an image, and to to the <b>Print Job</b> panel. From the popup menu, choose "<b>Print to JPEG</b>". Set your desired file resolution and sharpening, then click the "<b>Custom File Dimensions</b>" checkbox. Input the output file size (in inches or mm). The on-screen preview will display how the extra space required by the custom file dimensions are added to the JPEG output image file. </p>

 

[bill_fouche]

<p>Godfrey, that is exactly what I need. Thanks much.</p>