[PhotoMeir]

So this past November my business partner and I took a venture to the IAAPA convention in Orlando, Florida as we like to do annually to check out all kinds of new photo novelty ideas and photo booth options and innovations. Upon visiting the Digital Centre booth we encountered the "MEGA Photo Booth" which, among other things, had the unique feature of producing a "mega photo strip". This photo strip was 6" wide x 18" long, and featured four images simply with white borders around them (no graphics at the footer or header). Essentially this is two 6x9 photo prints stitched together.

Now my main question which has wracked my brain since November when I saw it is HOW DID THEY DO THAT!?!?!?!

Taking into account a program like DSLR Remote, I know that the program has no problem laying out images in whatever print/image size it is detailed in the printer set up, but that leads us to the important question. HOW do we set that up in a printer? My friends and I are estimating that it is a custom driver/script written for the dye-sub printer (FYI, the photo booth has the Mitsubishi 9820...that's a european model for anyone curious) so that it can produce the first part of said print, skip the trimming portion, and then complete the remainder.

Thoughts????
Ideas????
Vague Explanations???
Grossly Over-Stated Guesses???

Let's look past the traditional "why would you want to do that?" or "the cost of those prints it too high!" and move on to the how!

Looking forward to some responses.

[Chris Breeze]

Here's a few ideas that come to mind:
1) Modify the printer to remove the cutting blade or have a custom printer driver which doesn't cut the sheets. Then use Hotfolder Prints to do the printing with two photos per sheet so that it prints on two sheets after each four shot shooting sequence. You would then have to cut the sheets manually.

2) Have a custom driver which only cuts every other sheet. You'd still need to use Hotfolder Prints to do the printing but you wouldn't need to cut the sheets manually.

3) Have a custom driver which defines a double length page. The custom layout in DSLR Remote Pro could handle the printing and you just need to take care not print in the gap in the ribbon between the pages.

4) "Baby MEGA" option: Use a 12x8 dyesub and cut into two 12x4 strips after printing.

5) "Tongue in cheek" option: print two 6x9's using Hotfolder Prints and then tape them together

[PhotoMeir]

Chris,

ALWAYS a pleasure to receive a response from you, and I appreciate your thoughts and expertise.

I have a few questions/responses.

"1) Modify the printer to remove the cutting blade or have a custom printer driver which doesn't cut the sheets. Then use Hotfolder Prints to do the printing with two photos per sheet so that it prints on two sheets after each four shot shooting sequence. You would then have to cut the sheets manually. I have considered this. The only thing that holds me back from it is the idea that I like to leave as little worry to my photo booth attendants as I possibly can. It could be a bit messy, but then again, what wouldn't be in comparison to a machined cut each time?

2) Have a custom driver which only cuts every other sheet. You'd still need to use Hotfolder Prints to do the printing but you wouldn't need to cut the sheets manually. This I believe is the gorilla in the room, HOW or WHOM do I get to write me a custom driver? This has been eating at me for some time now and I have had little success in finding out how this can be accomplished. If there are several printers out there for us as professional consumers to purchase which allow for an extra cut to make a 4x6 print into two 2x6 strips, then why can't the opposite be true? "How, How, HOW????," he screamed into the night.

3) Have a custom driver which defines a double length page. The custom layout in DSLR Remote Pro could handle the printing and you just need to take care not print in the gap in the ribbon between the pages.

4) "Baby MEGA" option: Use a 12x8 dyesub and cut into two 12x4 strips after printing. This is something that I am now more realistically considering as it still allows for two (2) photo strips to come out at any given time for each photo session and still allows for customization without the worry of that 'overlap' where the two prints would meet.

5) "Tongue in cheek" option: print two 6x9's using Hotfolder Prints and then tape them together" *snicker*

Again, Chris, your time and experience in this matter/idea/crazy person rambling, is thoroughly appreciated.

[Chris Breeze]

Chris,

ALWAYS a pleasure to receive a response from you, and I appreciate your thoughts and expertise.

I have a few questions/responses.

"1) Modify the printer to remove the cutting blade or have a custom printer driver which doesn't cut the sheets. Then use Hotfolder Prints to do the printing with two photos per sheet so that it prints on two sheets after each four shot shooting sequence. You would then have to cut the sheets manually. I have considered this. The only thing that holds me back from it is the idea that I like to leave as little worry to my photo booth attendants as I possibly can. It could be a bit messy, but then again, what wouldn't be in comparison to a machined cut each time?
My DNP DS40 doesn't support 6x2 printing (which is annoying because the new DNP RX1 does) and so what I do is use a rotary trimmer with a strip of aluminium glued at 2" to make it easy to cut a 6x4 accurately.

2) Have a custom driver which only cuts every other sheet. You'd still need to use Hotfolder Prints to do the printing but you wouldn't need to cut the sheets manually. This I believe is the gorilla in the room, HOW or WHOM do I get to write me a custom driver? This has been eating at me for some time now and I have had little success in finding out how this can be accomplished. If there are several printers out there for us as professional consumers to purchase which allow for an extra cut to make a 4x6 print into two 2x6 strips, then why can't the opposite be true? "How, How, HOW????," he screamed into the night.
I'm sorry I don't know. It's not something I've looked in to.


3) Have a custom driver which defines a double length page. The custom layout in DSLR Remote Pro could handle the printing and you just need to take care not print in the gap in the ribbon between the pages.

4) "Baby MEGA" option: Use a 12x8 dyesub and cut into two 12x4 strips after printing. This is something that I am now more realistically considering as it still allows for two (2) photo strips to come out at any given time for each photo session and still allows for customization without the worry of that 'overlap' where the two prints would meet.
The cost per print would obviously be higher and it would take longer to print but maybe that's acceptable for a premium novelty setup. You would also be able to offer big 12x8 reprints of individual photos


5) "Tongue in cheek" option: print two 6x9's using Hotfolder Prints and then tape them together" *snicker*

Again, Chris, your time and experience in this matter/idea/crazy person rambling, is thoroughly appreciated.

[rpvincent]

Updates anyone?

I think this is a great breath of fresh air for me to start doing in an area totally overrun with ordinary booths and 2x6 strips...