Have you ever found yourself in need to print a large image, but your printer can only use standard A4, US Letter, or A3 paper sizes? If you want to print a large poster or a large map, and you can't go to a specialized shop where they can print it for you at the required dimensions, you can use your home printer to print that image on multiple pages. Then, all you have to do is use Scotch tape to assemble the whole picture or stitch the paper sheets together using some other method. Did you know that you can use a basic tool like Microsoft Paint to print large images on multiple pages? Here's how it works:
Contents
- Step 1. Open Microsoft Paint
- Step 2. Open the image that you want to print
- Step 3. Set Paint to print your large image on multiple pages
- Step 4. How to print a big picture on multiple pages using Paint
- Here's what we printed on multiple pages
- Do you know easier ways to print an image on multiple pages?
NOTE: The steps shown in this tutorial work the same in Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. For simplicity, to show you how to print a poster on multiple pages, we used screenshots taken in Windows 10 only.
Step 1. Open Microsoft Paint
First of all, open Paint. There are many ways to do it, and you'll find them in this guide: 7 things you can do with Paint in Windows 10. If you're in a hurry, and you don't have time to read the guide, use the search feature, and type the word "paint."
Search and open Paint
The Paint window should now be opened on your desktop.
Paint in Windows 10
Step 2. Open the image that you want to print
Load the file with the image that you want to print. To do that, click or tap the File tab on the ribbon. Then, click or tap Open.
The Open option from the File menu in Paint
Browse your Windows computer or device and select the image that you want to print. When selected, click or tap Open.
Opening the image that you want to print on multiple pages
Now you should see your picture loaded in Paint.
The image is loaded in Paint
Step 3. Set Paint to print your large image on multiple pages
Now you've got your image opened in Paint. It's time to tell Paint that you want the image to be printed on multiple pages.
In order to do that, click or tap on the File tab on the ribbon and then Print. In the Print menu, click or tap Page Setup.
Opening the Page setup options from Paint
The Page Setup dialog window is opened.
The Page Setup window from Paint
This is the place where the magic happens. Along with other printing options like paper Size, Orientation, or Margins, you should also find a section called Scaling.
The Scaling section from Paint's Page Setup
To print your large image on multiple pages, all you'll have to do is tell Paint that you want to scale your image to "Fit to" as many pages you want. For instance, if you'd like your image to be printed on four pages in a rectangle, you should use the "Fit to" field to enter the values 2 by 2 pages. Depending on how large you want your image to be when printed and how long or wide it is, you can enter the values you need.
Choosing to fit the image on more than just one page
Once you've decided exactly how many pages you want the image to be printed on, click or tap OK to save your settings.
Saving the image print scaling settings
Your settings are saved.
Step 4. How to print a big picture on multiple pages using Paint
Paint knows that you want it to print the image on multiple pages. All that remains is to start the printing process. Click/tap the File tab on the ribbon and then Print. You can also press CTRL + P on your keyboard.
Print the image from Paint
If you have more than one printer installed, select the printer that you want to use. Then, click or tap the Print button.
Selecting the printer to use for printing the image on multiple pages
Your printer should immediately start printing the image on multiple pages.
Here's what we printed on multiple pages
To showcase the steps involved, we used this image and printed it on 15 pages:
The image we used in this guide. Source: pngegg.com
Here's the end result:
End result: This is how to print a poster on multiple pages
With a bit of patience, you could also stick the paper sheets on their backsides. 🙂
Do you know easier ways to print an image on multiple pages?
As you can see, printing large images on multiple pages is a simple thing to do in Windows, using the most basic of tools: Microsoft Paint. You don't have to do fancy stuff like learning how to work with Adobe Photoshop or other complex image editing apps. Before you close this guide, please share with us whether this tutorial worked well for you and whether you know other simple ways to print large images on multiple pages in Windows. Don't be shy and leave a comment below.