Printing a long and large image on multiple pages can be easily achieved by using third-party graphic software, such as Adobe Photoshop. However, for casual users like us, we cannot call it easy. Fortunately, in Windows 10 or 11, Paint can do the job amazingly.
Let’s say you have a huge and long image or picture with a large resolution, such as a map, a poster, a banner, or any large publication. If you print it on just a sheet of A4 paper, you will definitely lose most of the details.
To print a large image without losing much of the details, we can split the image and print it on multiple A4 pages. Microsoft Paint will do the job just fine.
Print large image on multiple pages using Paint
Here’s a detailed instruction on how to use Paint to print large image onto multiple sheets of papers in Windows 10/11.
- Go to Start menu. Type Paint and open it.
Windows 11
Windows 10
- In Paint, click File, then Open.
- Browse to the image you want to print and open it, or simply paste the image to Paint.
- Click File again. Hover to Print, then select Page Setup.
- Under Scaling, select Fit to. You can set how many pages you want the image to be split and printed on. For example, a 2×2 pages will have a total of 4 pages, while a 4×4 pages will have a total of 16 pages, for a single image.
- Click OK.
- Optionally, you can go to File > Print > Print Preview to have a look at how the pages will look like when they are printed.
- When you’re ready to print. Go to File > Print.
- Select your printer. Enter how many copies you want it to be printed (if you need more than one copy). Then, click Print.
- Be ready to have sufficient sheets of A4 paper for your printer to print your image.
All that’s left to do after printing them is to trim the white borders and connect them by tape or however way you like. Alternatively, during step 4 in Page setup, you can also adjust the page margin to suit your needs. A lower margin will reduce the size of the white border for each page.
For scaling, it’s not always necessary to set for a square setup. You can also set it to be like 2×4 or 5×2, depending on how wide and tall your original image is. You can always experiment with the setup and go to Print Preview to see the result, until you are satisfied with your setup.
It’s also worth mentioning that we use Paint in this guide, not Paint 3D. If you search for Paint in Windows 10/11 start menu, you will probably see Paint 3D first, as it’s meant to be the new Paint since the Windows 10 creators update. However, Paint didn’t get replaced. You can still open it in Windows 11/10.
Additional tips for printing large images in Windows
- Adjust the image size before printing: If the image size is too big to fit on your paper, you can adjust it in Paint before printing. Go to Image > Resize and adjust the width and height according to your needs. Make sure to select “Maintain aspect ratio” to avoid distorting the image.
- Align the pages after printing: Once you have printed the pages, you may notice that the edges don’t align perfectly. To fix this, you can use a ruler and a craft knife to trim the white borders and create straight edges. Then, use tape or glue to join the pages together. You can also use a straight edge to align the pages before sticking them together.
- Save the image as a PDF: If you want to share the image with others or keep a digital copy, you can save it as a PDF. Go to File > Print and select “Microsoft Print to PDF” as your printer. Then, follow the same steps as above to adjust the scaling and page setup. Finally, click Print and choose a location to save the PDF.
- Use other software for printing large images: While Paint is a great option for casual users, it may not have all the features you need. If you are a professional or need more control over the printing process, you can use other software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign. These programs have more advanced features for splitting, scaling, and aligning large images.
- Avoid losing image quality: When printing large images, it’s important to use high-quality paper and ink to avoid losing detail and color accuracy. You can also adjust the printer settings to enhance the image quality, such as using a higher resolution or selecting the “Best” quality option. Finally, make sure to preview the image before printing to avoid any mistakes or errors.
