Print templates

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Microsoft Expression Media lets you create print templates to suit various needs. These print templates are text files that reside in the user-defined Plug-ins in the Print Templates folder. Print templates let you define the specific size and position of the print area on a page. They consist of a line of text that contains five values, each separated by a single space.

Below is an example of how a line of text might read in the file, followed by explanations of each value:

Example value   -1 -1 342 339 px

  • Value 1   (-1) left margin

  • Value 2   (-1) top margin

  • Value 3   (342) width

  • Value 4   (339) height

  • Value 5   (px) unit of measure. These are the acceptable units of measure: in (inch), px (pixel), cm (centimeter), and mm (millimeter).

Use a period or a comma as decimal separators.

If the margin is set at -1, Expression Media centers the print area with these margins.

Example template for a CD case

The following is an example of how to calculate values in order to create a template for a CD case with a standard print area of 120x120 mm:

  1. To center the image horizontally, put it (210-120) ÷ 2 = 45 mm on the right margin.

  2. To center the image vertically, put it (297-120) ÷ 2 = 88.5 mm on the left margin. For simplicity, try using 80 mm.

  3. Therefore, the coordinates that you need for the CD case template are as follows: 45 80 120 120 mm or -1 -1 120 120 mm.

To create a print template

  1. Create a text file that has the correct order and number of values, as shown in the previous examples. Place the file in the Print Templates folder, located inside the Expression Media Plug-Ins folder.

  2. Select the image that you want to print in Media view.

  3. Click the Print icon on the toolbar.

  4. Select the new template in the Print dialog box.

  5. Select the options that you want, and then click Print.