Hotfolder Prints monitors a folder for new JPEG image files and automatically formats them into a page and prints them. The images can be formatted using the automatic layout or custom layout options. The automatic layout option is suitable for simple layouts where the images are arranged in a grid. The custom layout option offers precise control over the size, position and rotation of each image and is suitable for more complicated layouts.
To setup Hotfolder Prints click on the "File" menu and select "Preferences..." and the dialog below will be displayed:
Select the folder to monitor by pressing the "..." browse button to the right of the text area headed "Folder to monitor for new images". The folder path can also include date based tokens e.g. C:\Photobooth\%Y-%m-%D. The folder path is checked every 60 seconds and updated if it has changed.
Then specify the number of images to be used in each layout. When Hotfolder Prints is running it will monitor the folder for new JPEG files. Once it has detected the required number of images it will automatically format and print them.
The "Match filename (regular expression):" option normally isn't needed and can be left unchecked. You only need to use this option if you want Hotfolder Prints to only process some of the images added to the folder being monitored e.g. to process even numbered files and ignore odd numbered files the regular expression should be set to .*[02468]\.JPG
Please note: an explanation of how to use regular expressions is beyond the scope of this help file. There are many websites with more information about using regular expressions.
The delay before processing images can be set to any value from 0 to 120 seconds. Normally a value of 1 second should be fine, but it may be necessary to use a larger delay if images take a long time to copy to the hot folder. A longer delay may also be required to allow users time to enter their email address when using Hotfolder Prints with the touchscreen keyboard option in our photo booth software.
Use the output dropdown list to specify how the formatted layouts should be output. The "Print only" option will print the layout using the currently selected printer. The "JPEG copy only" option will save a JPEG copy of the layout in a subfolder of the folder being monitored named "Prints". The "Print and save JPEG copy" option will print the layout and save a copy in the "Prints" subfolder. When the output is set to "Print only" or "Print and save JPEG copy" the page size is is defined by the current printer settings. When the output is set to "JPEG copy only" a custom page size can be defined by selecting the custom size checkbox and entering the page width and height in pixels.
An option prefix can be added to the filenames of JPEG copies of the layout to help identify them. The JPEG copies should be saved in a different folder from the hot folder being monitored and this should be specified using the "Sub folder" field. The default settings are for filenames to be prefixed by HFP_ and to the JPEG copies to be saved in a subfolder named "prints".
An optional command can be run after saving the JPEG copy of the output by selecting the checkbox and entering the command in the text edit area. This command could be used to automatically upload the JPEG to a site such as Flickr or Facebook or to email a copy of the photo to the users. Please see the section on uploading to photo sharing and social networking sites for more details.
The JPEG copy of the output can also be copied to another folder e.g. for automatic uploading to Facebook. To use this select the "Copy JPEG output to folder:" option and enter the destination folder in the text area. Use the dropdown list to control when the JPEG images should be copied. The options are "Always copy", "Only copy if <chkbox1> is set" and "Only copy if <chkbox2> is set". <chkbox1> and <chkbox2> refer to information read from the XML status file written by our photo booth software. Please see the section on uploading to photo sharing and social networking sites for more details.
Please note: The command run on the JPEG output and the JPEG copy options are not available when the output setting is "Print only"
The printer can be setup by selecting "Printer Setup..." from the "File" menu in the main window.
Tip: To save having to setup the printer preferences every time Hotfolder Prints is run you can go to the Windows Control Panel, select "Printers and Faxes" then right click on the printer to change its preferences.
Next define the print layout using the automatic layout option or the custom layout option.
The images can be sharpened by selecting the "Sharpen images" checkbox and specifying a sharpening amount in the range 0 to 100. The amount of sharpening required depends on personal taste, the camera and the printer. A value of around 75 is a good starting point.
Select "Print photos in B and W" to have the photos printed in black and white (grayscale) as opposed to color.
Up to two captions can be added to the layout. These could be used to personalize the prints by adding the name of the event or to include information such as the date and time to make it easier to identify the layout for reprints. Please see the section on adding captions for more details.
Saving settings for future reference
Settings can be saved to file for future reference by pressing the "Save..." button and reloaded by pressing the "Load..." button. Please note that layout depends on the size of the page which is affected by the printer settings. The values saved for one setup may not produce the same results if a different printer is used or the page or resolution settings have changed.
Hotfolder Prints can also read print layouts saved using our other photobooth products: DSLR Remote Pro for Windows, PSRemote, Webcam Photobooth and NKRemote.
In Operation
When Hotfolder Prints is running the main window look something like the screenshot below:
The name of the folder being monitored is displayed in the window title bar (C:\Photobooth\2012-01-17 in the example above). The main part of the window shows an activity log and the current status is summarized in the status bar at the bottom of the window.
The number of copies to print of each layout can be specified using the "Settings" menu or by typing Ctrl+1, Ctrl+2, Ctrl+3, Ctrl+4 or Ctrl+5.
The settings menu also has an option to print images in color or black and white.
When Hotfolder Prints adds a new file it also takes a copy of the settings (number of copies and whether to print in color or B&W) and will use these settings when the images are printed.
The queue can be emptied by selecting "Reset" from the "File" menu or by typing Ctrl+R. This will remove all pending images from the queue including any images being prepared for printing.