Automatic Layout Option
The automatic layout option allows images to be automatically arranged on a page in a grid. An optional background and overlay can be added to the layout. For most purposes, creating a Custom Layout is the best option.
To use the automatic layout option, select Preferences from the File menu, and the dialog below will be displayed:
Make sure the Custom layout option is unchecked, then select the number of images to be used and how they are arranged. This could be:
- A single image on one sheet of paper (1 image, 1 row, 1 column).
- A passport-style strip of images (e.g., 4 images, 4 rows, 1 column) as shown above.
- A 2×2 grid of 4 images.
- Any other arrangement of up to 10 images arranged in a grid.
Print Layout
The print can have an optional background, a header and/or footer image, and an overlay image. When Hotfolder Prints prepares the image for printing, it looks for the following files in the image folder:
| background.jpg | Optional image which is centered on the page before adding the photos. |
| image_overlay.png | Optional image which overlays each photo and uses transparency information stored in the alpha channel. |
| overlay.png | Optional image which overlays the page and uses transparency information stored in the alpha channel. |
The images are then arranged in a grid which fills the printable area of the page. If the Rotate image to maximize size checkbox is selected, the images are rotated through 90 degrees if this would give a larger image. For example, if the printable area for the image within the grid is 80mm high and 50mm wide and the image was shot in landscape orientation, it would be rotated by 90 degrees to better fill the printable area.
If the number of images matches the number of rows, the images can be repeated in each column by selecting Repeat images to fill empty columns. This is useful when printing strips of images on paper from a dye sublimation printer (e.g., two copies of 4×1 strips on a sheet of 8×6 paper).
If the Crop image if required to fit the printable area checkbox is selected, the image will be cropped to fill the printable area within the grid. For example, if the printable area within the grid is square, equal portions of the left and right of the image will be cropped to make it square.