PUBLICATION CENTER

Go to File -> Print. Make sure the correct printer is selected, and choose the Setup button in the bottom left corner of the window.

In the next screen, choose the Preferences button to enter the Canon driver settings.

Choose the Size Options button to create a custom page size.

Create a name for the custom media size and enter in the width and height. I like to make my media size 1/4-inch larger that my image so that nothing gets cropped once it is brought into the Free Layout Tool. For this example, my image is 8.5x11, so the media size I created is 8.75x11.25. Choose OK to return to the Canon driver.

Choose the media size you just created from the Page Size dropdown (it should be on the bottom of the list).

Go to the Layout tab and select the Page Layout Option and choose Free Layout Tool from the dropdown. Choose OK to exit the Canon driver, then choose Print and you will be back at the Illustrator print window. Once you hit Print again, the Free Layout Tool will open with your image.

This is your Free Layout Tool, and all other adjustments to your image will be done here until you send the job to print.

Choose File -> Detailed Settings. Choose the media type you will be using.

Choose the Color Settings button and then the Matching tab. Use ICC Correction Mode for the Matching Mode and choose your Output Profile in the Printer Profile settings dropdown. Make sure the Use the Same Profile for All Objects box is checked. Choose your preferred Matching Method – either Perceptual or Relative Colorimetric.

Go to the Page Setup tab and choose the correct roll paper width. In this case I used a 24-inch roll. You also have options for cutting, borderless printing, and paper orientation.

Under the Object Settings tab, you can choose the spacing between images when using the Auto Arrange feature, and you also have four different framing options.

Rotation tool located on the main toolbar will rotate the selected image.

Choose the Copy tool, or Ctrl+C to copy the selected image

And then the Paste tool, or Ctrl+V to add the copied image to the Free Layout Tool (hit the Paste button, or Ctrl+V, multiple times to add multiple copies to your layout).

Choose the Auto Arrange button to allow the Free Layout Tool to arrange your images to conserve media and make cutting easier. You are now ready to send the job to the printer by choosing File -> Print.

Note: If you want to load different images into the free layout tool, simply follow steps 1-4 with a different image. The new image will be loaded into the Free Layout Tool as long as you keep it open throughout the process.