How to Divide a Big Picture & Print It on Several Pages

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Gridding an image and printing the pieces allows you to make large pictures.

If you don't have access to a large-format printer, the easiest way to print a big picture is to divide it up into multiple pieces and print each one on individual sheets of paper. Two popular image-editing programs, Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, can both make use of guidelines or grids to help divide a picture. Many other image-editing programs offer these basic tools as well.

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Using Photoshop

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Step 1

Open the image in Photoshop by clicking "File > Open" and choose your image from its folder.

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Step 2

Click "View > Rulers" if rulers are not already present at the left and top of your image. Holding down the mouse button, click and drag the top ruler down to create a blue horizontal guideline. Place the guideline at the measurement you would like for the height of each image.

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Step 3

Use the Zoom tool, located at the bottom of your Toolbox, to make sure your guideline is placed exactly at the measurement you need. Select the Move tool, located at the top of your Toolbox, to adjust the placement of the guideline once you have let go of your mouse button.

Step 4

Make repeated horizontal and vertical guidelines to create the individual pieces of the picture to print out. Make sure each segment fits inside an 8.5-by-11-inch piece of paper with a 1-inch border around each image. Therefore, no individual piece should measure more than 7.5-by-10 inches.

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Step 5

Click the Rectangular Marquee tool located toward the top of your Toolbox. Use the mouse to draw a box around the first segment of the picture. The tool follows the guideline and snaps into place within the segment.

Step 6

Select "Edit > Copy," or "CTRL+C" to copy this image segment.

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Step 7

Create a new image by clicking "File > New" or "CTRL+N." Photoshop automatically enters the image dimensions that match the segment you just copied. Click "OK."

Step 8

Paste the image segment into the new image by selecting "Edit > Paste" or "CTRL+V."

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Step 9

Click "File > Print" to bring up your specific printer's dialog box. Enter your selections for print quality and paper type. Press "Print." Repeat this process for each image segment.

Using GIMP

Step 1

Open the image in GIMP by clicking "File > Open" and choose your image from its folder.

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Step 2

Click "View > Show Grid." A check appears next to "Show Grid" and the grid comes into view in the image.

Step 3

Click "Image > Configure Grid" and the Configure Grid box appears. Select the Line Style from the drop-down menu. Enter the Spacing dimensions of each segment, making them no larger than a piece of paper. Leave the Offset at zero pixels. Click "OK."

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Step 4

Use the Rectangle Select tool in the top row of your Toolbox to select the first segment. Copy the segment by clicking "CTRL+C."

Step 5

Press "CTRL+N" to make a new image. Enter the image dimensions that match the size of the segment you copied. Click "OK."

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Step 6

Press "CTRL+V" to paste the segment into the new image.

Step 7

Click "File > Print" to bring up your specific printer's dialog box. Enter your selections for print quality and paper type. Press "Print." Repeat this process for each image segment.

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