Printing a Large Image from Combined PNG Files: Ensuring Correct Width Settings

[tmighty2]

I've stumbled upon an intriguing challenge with my printer's handling of document order. Initially, I was baffled by how my printer would process 30 print jobs, seemingly disregarding the intended sequence. For instance, it would print job 10 before job 3. After some research and community feedback, I thought I had discovered a clever workaround: combining several documents into one large file and sending this singular, sizable document to the printer, sidestepping the issue of individual file processing.

This approach, as I understood, would not be hindered by file size constraints, with assurances that sending approximately 40 MB to a printer wouldn't pose a problem. However, my attempts have hit a snag.

So far I have not been able to properly print such a long image. Depending on the software that I use, the printer either scales the large image to fit on a single DIN A4 page or, perplexingly, fails to print at all.

I was expecting that my printer (Brother MFC-L8690CDW) would use the default settings (DIN A4) and print the image, and when it recognizes that it does not fit onto a single DIN A4 page, it would just continue printing on the next page. But it does not do that.

Reflecting on previous successes, I suspect my method might have worked when merging PDFs rather than PNGs. Yet, my preference leans heavily towards PNGs for their flexibility—particularly for tasks like printing, drawing, or adding text directly onto the images, which is more cumbersome with PDFs.

Herein lies my conundrum and the reason for reaching out to this knowledgeable community: How can I effectively print a large image, composed of merged PNG files, without it being unjustly resized or altogether ignored by the printer? The catch is the printer must strictly adhere to the image's width, ensuring the printout mirrors the intended dimensions, especially given that "Fit to page" is disabled and the default paper setting is A4.

Has anyone tackled a similar issue or can offer insights into adjusting printer settings or employing VB6 strategies to manage such large-image printouts successfully? Your expertise and any shared wisdom on navigating this hurdle would be immensely appreciated.

This is what such an image file looks like: