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Custom sizes when printing to PDF?

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process

Active Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2013
Messages
231
Lightroom Experience
Intermediate
Lightroom Version
6.x
Lightroom Version Number
6.14
Operating System
  1. macOS 10.13 High Sierra
I'd like to "print" multiple images to a PDF file with the same quality and dimensions they're at originally.
They're all the same resolution and dimensions (1024x768, 72 DPI) and PNG files so I'd like to keep that for the final PDF as well, but as far as I can see there are only a few standard sizes to choose from (this is in the "Book" module which I understand from other forum threads is the way to go for generating PDFs):
Screen Shot 2022-02-23 at 12.09.58.png
Screen Shot 2022-02-23 at 12.10.08.png


Is there a way to add new sizes?
Since MacOS has the ability to "Print to PDF" within the print dialog I assume I could also use the "Print" module for this, but I'm not sure if there are any advantages in regards to the above. Alternatively I could do it all in the Mac "Preview" app, but that's a lot more cumbersome for multiple images, so Lightroom looks like the way to go.
 
Luckily Preview can handle PNG files without first converting.
I've been using Preview for this sort of thing before, but it's a multi-step thing and a bit cumbersome, first adding all the images to the sidebar (ensuring they're in the correct order), then "Printing" to PDF.
Preview's File-Export PDF only makes a PDF of the image currently selected, so that's no good. Instead I select all images (CMD-A), go to File-Print, then press on the PDF-Save PDF button to finally create the PDF. The challenge is selecting a paper size which is appropriate. Obviously the print dialog only caters for cm or inch sizes and not pixels, so I don't know if I'm getting an ideal result.
 
I prefer to use the Print module!
You can use all page sizes of an installed printer. Borderless, margins, Page color, ID Plate, Photo Info, etc.
If you set the "Printer" to one of the methods to 'Print to PDF'
Johan has mentioned the Mac methods. In my Windows setup I can print to 'Microsoft PDF' or 'Primo PDF'
2022-02-27 08_35_11-Print Setup.jpg
2022-02-27 08_38_18-Desktop.jpg
 
I prefer to use the Print module!
You can use all page sizes of an installed printer. Borderless, margins, Page color, ID Plate, Photo Info, etc.
If you set the "Printer" to one of the methods to 'Print to PDF'
Johan has mentioned the Mac methods. In my Windows setup I can print to 'Microsoft PDF' or 'Primo PDF'
View attachment 18204 View attachment 18205

It works the same way here (relying on a "PDF printing" feature within the operating system (or some OS-add on) PDF feature).
I just tried it but the end result was terrible (degraded image resolution). Then I did another test, this time by disabling the "Print resolution" where I previously had entered 72 DPI and the result was a whole lot better. How come? After all the screenshots in question were all 72 DPI to begin with.
Screen Shot 2022-02-27 at 10.57.41.png


Unless there's a hidden option for changing the print dimensions I assume the best I can do is to settle for a size slightly larger than 100% of the image dimensions.
 
DPI, or more correctly PPI is irrelevant. It is the PIXEL Dimensions of the image that will determine its "quality".
When you 'Print' from Lightroom your image is resampled to Fit/Fill the size of the page/paper output.
Setting the ppi value is not needed.
Your images are 1024x768px.
If you print to 10x8inch paper/PDF your 'print' will be ~100ppi (NOT 72ppi)
If you print to 20x16inch paper/PDF your 'print' will be ~50ppi.

If you 'force' the ppi value in the Print module, you are telling Lightroom-Classic to 'down-sample' the image. eg. To 10x8inch paper- the resulting print image will be 720x576 pixels (10in x 72ppi =720px) . ie. Lower "quality".
 
Excellent explanation! I'll be sure to always have the PPI value setting turned off when printing PDF files from LR.

Prior to reading your reply I tried out different paper sizes (in the MacOS print dialog). While viewing the different results I believe I came to the same conclusion as yours: all the PDFs looked the same!
The initial image size and the space it would occupy on a page (i.e. more or less empty space around the image) would differ, but zooming in I would get to the same size on the screen before seeing the same degrading.
It appears the MacOS print setting dialog suggests a paper size of 10x15cm (4x6 inches) and additional choices are greyed out. But I can enable it by clicking on "Scale to fit paper size" and choose other sizes:
Screen Shot 2022-02-28 at 12.48.34.png

To conclude, it appears I've found a solution for making a PDF out of multiple PNG screenshot images, and I hope I've gotten the procedure right. Here's a step-by-step guide below. Feel free to comment if it can be done easier or if I've done something incorrectly:

1) (in the Library module) select all the images you want to add to the PDF
2) (in the Printmodule) I've used the following print settings (found on the right side of teh screen), especially ensuring that I'm not setting any PPI value:

Screen Shot 2022-02-28 at 12.43.03.png


3) next I press the "Printer" button as circled in the screenshot above (NOT the "Print" button)
4) In the Print dialog I've created a preset, but there's really not much to change -just ensure "Scale to fit paper size" is disabled, (and in my case since my main printer is a black/white laser which, because of its printer driver, makes the images black/which which of course is not desirable, so I've added another printer driver and select that colour printer for this instead).
Screen Shot 2022-02-28 at 12.48.34.png

5) Now I'm ready to "Print", but instead of pressing the usual "Print" button I press the "PDF" button on the left and select "Save as PDF":
Screen Shot 2022-02-28 at 13.23.31.png


A lot of steps to remember if you don't do this regularly. Perhaps there's a smart way to save the procedure instead of remembering it all?
 
Perhaps there's a smart way to save the procedure instead of remembering it all?
Absolutely!
Simply 'save' your print setup as a User Template which records all your settings. Click the [+]
2022-03-01 06_24_13-Clipboard.jpg

Next time you want a PDF, you 1) Select Photos, 2) Select the User Template, 3) Print the PDF- done :)

If you also want to preserve the PHOTOS with the Print settings- so as to create the exact same PDF again in future- you would click on the tab to [Create a Saved Print} which preserves 'everything' in a Print Collection. You simply [Double Click] the PRINT Collection to re-open the Print dialog with the 'preserved' photos.
1646080129960.png
2022-03-01 06_32_40-Roberts Catalog-v11 - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic - Print.jpg
 
Very nice!
But I still have to press the "Printer" button (not "Print") and go through the rest of the procedure I listed, finally by pressing "Save PDF", right?
Is there a way I could just select the images in question then press just a single button, a single menu item or similar?
 
But I still have to press the "Printer" button (not "Print") and go through the rest of the procedure I listed,
Selecting the saved Print Template should restore all the "procedure" you listed- You do not have to do it again. The saved Template already contains all the printer setup you did previously.
The only thing I do not know is- if your Print Template preserves the option for PDF.
I might be wrong with a Mac system!- Perhaps you need to click on the [Printer] dialog (after selecting the saved Template) to choose PDF-
1646083772919.png

Maybe a Mac person can tell us if a Print User Template preserves the 'PDF' option? Or try yourself- saving and using a Template!

I have many saved Print Templates (some were just experiments I should delete).
In Windows, the saved User Print Template also preserves the (physical/virtual) printer that has been set, which in my case is a 'Virtual print to PDF'. I do not have the PDF button in a Windows Printer dialog.
So MY procedure (in Windows) is 1) Select Photos, 2) Select the Print User Template, 3) [Print]
2022-03-01 07_27_07-Roberts Catalog-v11 - Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic - Print.jpg
1646084236217.png
 
No, as far as I can see it only saves the print setup, not the actual print procedure.
But I believe I've found a solution! Actually I should have thought of this before as I use it all the time for making PDFs of web pages, forum discussions, email etc. which I want to keep for later...
In MacOS you can (in System preferences-Keyboard-Shortcuts-App shortcuts which is all accessible from the "Apple menu" (Apple logo on the top left side of the screen, available at any time in any app) assign your own custom shortcuts.
So I've assigned CMD-P to the "Save as PDF" which means that for printing (from any app on the Mac) I first press CMD-P, and if I want to make a PDF I just press CMD-P again and presto, the file-selector opens to allow me to save the PDF file!
Screen Shot 2022-03-01 at 14.16.32.png
 
.... or better yet: just press (on a Mac) CMD-P three times after each other (something I accidently discovered) once you've selected the photos! The complete procedure being as follows:

1) go to the Library module and select the photos you want to include in the PDF file
2) press CMD-P (go to the Print module)
3) press CMD-P (open the Print dialog)
4) press CMD-P (select the print dialog's "Save as PDF" feature)
5) press RETURN to save the PDF (you can also change the file name at this stage if you don't like what Lightroom wants to call it)

PS. steps 4 and 5 work as long as the "Save as PDF" shortcut (described in my posting before this one) is set up in MacOS.
 
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