Print small scrapbook photos at exact size on Mac.

Direct answer. Measure the opening of each slot, then make one Photo Frame per slot at that measured size. In the hierarchy Page → Photo Frame → Image Content, the Page holds the Frames and Image Content is the photo inside each Frame. Add any white border inside the Frame, choose the printer and the paper actually loaded, and confirm the Frame plus any finishing fits the printer-reported printable area. Set copies or Auto Arrange where needed, print at 100%, and measure a test sheet with a ruler before the full run.

Measure the slot, not the Page

Scrapbook and journal slots have fixed openings, so start there. Measure the window or pocket, subtract any clearance the slot needs, and write down the result. In PrintExactly, that measured size belongs on the Frame, the physical area a photo occupies. The Page is only the sheet that holds the Frames. Entering the slot size on the Page would give you a sheet that is the right shape but puts photos at the wrong size.

Example: mixed slots on one sheet

A typical journal page might use two shapes: a square pocket at 1.5 × 1.5 in (38.1 × 38.1 mm) and a portrait pocket at 2 × 3 in (50.8 × 76.2 mm). Create one Frame for each size and set its dimensions while that Frame is selected. The two sizes are a worked example, not a fixed kit. Your own pockets may differ, so use your measurements.

Mixed sizes are not guaranteed to pack neatly. Whether several 38.1 mm squares and 50.8 × 76.2 mm portraits fit a sheet depends on how you place them and how much spacing you leave. Arrange them on the Page, check the gaps by eye, then confirm against the printable area in the next steps before printing.

Check pixels, DPI, and Content fit

Select each Frame and check the photo's resolution at that Frame's physical size. Small prints hide some softness, but a photo can look soft if its pixel count is too low for the selected physical size. Pick the Content fit that suits each slot. Fit keeps every pixel inside the Frame. Crop to Fill fills the Frame edge to edge with a focal point and crops the rest. Fit Width and Fit Height match one dimension of the photo to the Frame.

Content fit controls how the photo is cropped or scaled inside its Frame. It does not change the Frame's physical size, so a fill choice will never make the slot larger.

Add a white border inside the Frame

Many slots need a white edge. Add the border to the selected Frame. The border sits inside the Frame, so the Frame stays at the measured slot size and the visible photo area becomes smaller. Border settings apply to the selected Frame or group, not to the whole workspace, so check each Frame that needs one before printing.

Choose the printer and paper, then verify the footprint

Select the printer you will use and the paper that is actually loaded. Look at the printable area the printer reports for that paper, because the printer's own margins decide how much of the sheet is usable. Paper dimensions alone cannot prove that a layout fits. Keep the full Frame plus any external finishing, such as bleed or crop marks, inside that printable area. For how bleed and crop marks affect the footprint, see the guide to bleed and crop marks for photo printing.

Copies, Fill Page, and Auto Arrange

When you need more of the same small photo, set Copies on the selected Frame. The count includes the original and ranges from 1 to 101. Fill Page adds as many fitting copies as the packing allows, up to 101 including the original. Auto Arrange helps place items according to the printable area and the spacing you set. Check its warnings: an oversized Frame may still clip, and many photos may require more Pages. It does not guarantee optimal packing or automatic resizing, so review the result before you print, because the arrangement is only as good as the sizes you entered.

Save the Page and Frame layout as a preset

When the sheet is ready, choose Save as Preset... in the right-side Output summary, or use File > Save as Preset.... Name it for the slot set, for example Journal slots - mixed. A preset saves the Page setup and the ordered Frame geometry and finishing. It does not save photos, Content crop, fit, zoom, rotation, or flips, and applying it does not create copies or switch the selected printer. For the full save and reuse workflow, see the guide to saving and reusing photo layout presets.

Print at 100% and test with a ruler

Set the print scale to 100% and turn off any scale-to-fit option the printer driver offers, since its label varies by driver. Check the driver's borderless setting, because enlargement and edge handling depend on the driver rather than a universal percentage. Print one test sheet, then measure a Frame with a ruler against the measured slot. Run the full job only when the test matches. For exact-size print settings in more detail, read the exact-size printing guide.

Need a quick check of a size before you lay out the sheet? Use the photo print size calculator, then confirm the final numbers in the app.

The 8-step scrapbook workflow

1. Measure the slot before you open the app. Measure the opening of each journal pocket, sticker window, or album slot in millimetres or inches. Subtract any clearance the slot needs. Use that measured opening as the Frame size, because the Frame is the physical area a photo will occupy. The Page is only the sheet of paper that holds the Frames.
2. Create one Frame per slot size. Import your photos, then give each slot its own Frame with the measured size. For a mixed set, use a 1.5 × 1.5 in (38.1 × 38.1 mm) Frame for a square pocket and a 2 × 3 in (50.8 × 76.2 mm) Frame for a portrait pocket. Set each Frame's size in the Inspector while that Frame is selected. Positions on the Page are your choice; a plan that looks like it fits on screen is not a guarantee that every printed piece will pack the same way.
3. Check pixels and DPI for each Frame. Select a Frame and compare the photo's resolution at the Frame's physical size. Small Frames are forgiving, but a photo can look soft if its pixel count is too low for the selected physical size. Choose the Content fit that matches the slot: Fit keeps every pixel inside the Frame, while Crop to Fill fills the Frame edge to edge and crops the rest. Content fit changes how the photo sits inside the Frame; it never changes the Frame's size.
4. Add a white border inside the Frame. If the slot needs a white edge, add the border to the selected Frame. The border sits inside the Frame, so the Frame keeps the measured slot size and the visible photo area becomes smaller. Border settings apply to the selected Frame or group, not to every item on the workspace, so check each Frame that needs one.
5. Choose the printer and loaded paper. Select the printer you will use and the paper that is actually loaded. Check the printer-reported printable area for that paper. Paper dimensions alone cannot prove the layout fits, because the printer's own margins decide how much of the sheet is usable. Keep the full Frame plus any external finishing, such as bleed or crop marks, inside that printable area.
6. Set copies and arrange with finishing in mind. Set Copies on a selected Frame, from 1 to 101 including the original, when you need more of the same small photo. Use Fill Page to add as many fitting copies as the packing allows. Auto Arrange helps place Frames according to the printable area and spacing you set. Check its warnings: an oversized Frame may still clip, and many photos may require more Pages. It does not guarantee optimal packing or automatic resizing. Review the result by eye, because the arrangement is only as good as the measurements you entered.
7. Save the Page and Frame layout as a preset. When the sheet is ready, use Save as Preset... in the right-side Output summary or File > Save as Preset.... A preset stores the Page setup and the ordered Frame geometry and finishing. It does not store photos, Content crop, fit, zoom, rotation, or flips, and it does not create copies or switch the selected printer. Name it for the slot set, such as Journal slots - mixed.
8. Print at 100% and test with a ruler. Set the print scale to 100% and turn off any scale-to-fit option the printer driver offers, since its label varies by driver. Check the driver's borderless setting before you print, because enlargement behaviour depends on the driver rather than a fixed percentage. Print one test sheet, measure a Frame with a ruler against the measured slot, and only run the full job after the test matches.

Frequently asked questions