Printing greetings cards within Adobe Illustrator and MacBook Air

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Hi guys,

I'm new to all of this so wanted to ask for advice; and what better place?!

I am trying to print greetings cards on ready made 5 x 7 pre-scored card from Adobe Illustrator.

I have set my work space to 10 x 7, so naturally, I'd hope that this would print perfectly from within Illustrator on my Epson XP 345.

Having tried to print the document, it prints across half of the page and does not fit the paper as I think I've set it to?

Thanks in advance,

Dave
 
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I tie myself in knots trying to print cards the right way, especially double sided and always do a trial run on plain paper to avoid wasting specialist card etc.

Suspect it's to do with print orientation. What shows on the print previews screen? Are you printing portrait or landscape; do you get to choose? I don't use Illustrator but the process must be similar to creating and printing a card in Photos. Screenshots here, from Photos and using a Canon printer, show correct alignment when choosing landscape mode - and incorrect when portrait is selected. Orientation choice is shaded on the photo.

Landscape mode = correct orientation

Screen Shot 2018-03-09 at 17.22.42.jpg

Portrait mode - incorrect orientation leads to print halfway over page.

Screen Shot 2018-03-09 at 17.23.32.jpg
 
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Screen Shot 2018-03-09 at 17.35.41.png

So the above is what I'm setting everything as.

I would have thought it would print like the print preview however it actually comes out across half the page and nowhere near the size?
 
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A few suggestions: try changing the scale to 100% instead of Scale to Fit; also try changing the orientation just to see if it makes a difference; feed the paper in widest side first or if already doing that, try shorter side.

Trying same as you, choosing 5 x 7, and I get much the same result. Stumped...

Screen Shot 2018-03-09 at 19.38.21.jpg

Screen Shot 2018-03-09 at 19.38.31.jpg
 
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Tried to adjust to 100% and also have the issues with half printing on the page.

Unable to print landscape as the size of the card is too wide for the printer.

Absolutely stumped :(
 
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What size printer do you have? An A4 printer will take the long side because A4 is 8.27 inches x 11.7 inches.
 

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The Epson XP 345 is a small compact printer and is really not suited for printing large greeting cards or anything that requires a large format or outsized paper.
 
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Surely the printer is not incapable of printing a 5x7 document regardless of what it is?
 

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Surely the printer is not incapable of printing a 5x7 document regardless of what it is?

It will print whatever will fit in the tray and your software supports. The problem is that if you need to place something in the tray, say in wide landscape mode, and that's how the software "sees" it to print, you will be unable to do so. (As you found out.)

I have an Epson printer NX 420 that refuses to print on 3 hole stock, yet my HP LaserJet prints on it just fine. The problem again is with the tray.
 
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Tried to adjust to 100% and also have the issues with half printing on the page.

Unable to print landscape as the size of the card is too wide for the printer.

Absolutely stumped :(

Landscape means the computer changes the orientation of the picture. The paper still feeds in the same way - no need to change the way it feeds into the printer.

Try clicking on landscape and see what happens.

Lisa
 

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@Lisa:

I believe he's using special greeting card stock and has no choice. With normal standard paper or stock you would be correct.
 
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You’re right I’m trying to work on pre-sized/cut 5x7 card.

Is there literally nothing I can do?
 
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So the cardstock is 10x7 and the design is 5x7. Is is possible to duplicate the design so two cards will be printed on the cardstock?

Lisa
 
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Lisa, the card is 5 x 7.

bigdavecox90
- what size paper do you normally use in this printer?
 
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I am trying to print greetings cards on ready made 5 x 7 pre-scored card from Adobe Illustrator.


I'm coming in a bit late here, but why not try using Contacts.app or Pages.app to print the cards.

Usually the Avery Numbers are used but I'm not sure what the 5 x 7 pre-scored stock is equivalent to.

I'd try printing on normal (cheaper ;)) paper and the hold it up to a window superimposed over the pre-scored stock.

Both Apple apps have templates for various business or greeting cards, and just might work better for your project. ;)




- Patrick
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Regardless of which app he uses to print greeting cards, as long as he's using the 5" x 7" stock and his current printer, he will be unable to do so. The Avery greeting card sheets come in various sizes and would probably work with the correct size vertical sheet and card cutouts. I'm sure Adobe Illustrator would be able to do single landscape printing on that type of sheet. We use the Avery vertical sheets for our labels with a Word template that they include.
 
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chscag

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Did you read his original post about how he's placing the card stock in the printer?
 
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Did you read his original post about how he's placing the card stock in the printer?


I did but to be honest it didn't make sense to me.

All I know is according to Epson, that printer is listed as supporting that size card stock so I'd assume the OP is not doing something correctly. Yeah right eh???…!!




- Patrick
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