How to Print a Large Image on Multiple Pages – Step by Step Guide

Most of us know how to do traditional prints on A4 paper. However, printing large photos taken on high-resolution cameras can be a little trickier.

When it comes to printing high quality images onto a single piece of paper you won’t get the precision and detail you were hoping for. The small details of the image are just too hard to see on a small piece of paper, so read our article for how to print a large image on multiple pages on both windows and mac. 

Printing a large image onto multiple pages is also known as ‘Tiled printing’. Tiled printing is used for making a range of large scale graphics such as: posters, projects, architectural designs, banners, and more.

This way of printing is feasible for both Mac and Windows users. Keep reading if you want to learn how to master tiled printing.

How to print a large image on multiple pages using a Mac?

If you are a Mac-OS user the method of printing a big image is quite simple. Mac users have the option to either use inbuilt apps such as ‘Apple Pages’ or 3rd party software like ‘Microsoft Excel’ or ‘Adobe Acrobat’.

❖ Step 1: Increasing the dimensions of the image as required

This can be done using a variety of apps. The app we suggest is ‘Posterazor’ but there are many other apps you can try out which have similar features. 

The ‘Posterazor’ app and how to use it

Posterazor is a free app which is compatible with both Mac-OS and Windows. It can be easily downloaded from their website. 

Follow these steps to help you resize your image using the app:

1. First, download the app on your Mac from the Posterazor website and complete the installation process. 
2. After installation, launch the app and inspect any errors.
3. Next, import the image file from your mac, and enter the dimension details required.
4. Once you are happy with the dimensions click on the ‘ok’ button.
5.  Finally, save the enlarged image in a pdf format to ensure high quality.

❖ Step 2: Printing on multiple pages

After enlarging the image, the next step is the printing process. For ease, we suggest using the ‘Pages’ app which should already be built into your MacBook. If it’s not already installed you can download it from the app store.

Printing using the ‘Pages’ app

Once you have downloaded/opened the ‘Pages’ app, open the pdf file that you have just saved.

Next, click on the menu icon and select the print tab option which will instantly open a popup window.

Insert the image dimensions and enter further details in ‘other options’ on the setup menu and keep the minimum border level.

 Finally, click on the Print icon and the image will print on multiple pages.

Another option is to use the Adobe Acrobat printing feature

• Open the pdf image from earlier with the Adobe Acrobat reader.
•  Select the ‘print’ option from the drop-down menu and then click on the printer model name.
• Select the poster option layout and adjust the image dimensions, orientation, and scale.
•  Finally, click on the print icon to start your multiple pages print. 

How to print a large image on multiple pages using Windows?

For Windows users, printing a large image on multiple pages is also relatively easy. 

Windows has a built-in app called ‘Microsoft Paint’. It is very popular for tiled printing as it is convenient and easy to use. Microsoft paint is sufficient for casual users looking to do tiled printing as a hobby or a one off thing. Another option, if you are looking for a more professional app is ‘Adobe Photoshop’, however, it is a paid app that not everyone has, so we will stick with Microsoft Paint in our example.

Using Microsoft Paint

Microsoft Paint is already built into all Windows PCs or laptops.

•  First of all, press the start menu in the bottom left hand corner of your screen. Once it opens it should give you the option to search for an app. Type ‘Paint’ and the app should show up in the ‘best match’ column’. Simply click on the app icon to open it up.
• In the app, click on the file option in the top left corner and click open.
•  Browse for the image in your folders that you want to print. Open the image up or simply paste it onto the blank sheet.
• Click on the file option again and move the cursor to the ‘Print’ option. Once here, click on ‘Page Setup’.
•  Under the scaling section, select the ‘Fit to’ option and enter the number of pages you want the image to be split into. Next click on the ‘ok’ button.
• If you would like to view how the pages will look after they are printed you can click on the ‘Print Preview’ button which can be found whilst hovering over the ‘print’ option on the file tab.
•  Finally, select the printer model and click the ‘Print’ button.

To Wrap It Up

All the steps above should hopefully show you how to print large images on multiple pages, whether you’re on windows or mac. However, if you face have any issues just let us know in the comments below. 

Note – After printing, there might be white borders around all of the pages. You should carefully cut all the unwanted borders away. Make sure you carefully join the pages so that the edges are barely visible and stick them together with adhesive or tape on the other side. Then voilà your large print is complete!