printing issue, please help

[bringoutthegimp!]

I've recently embarked on digitizing a number of b&w negatives, which I have scanned using VueScan. I'm now at the point of editing them slightly using Gimp (v 3.0), which has gone fairly well, after climbing the learning curve.

I now want to print them. To do so, I'm first selecting the Image-->Print Size, and selecting (for example) a width (7.0) and and height (4.692), which results in a PPI of 1303 in my case. From there, I'm simply selecting the "Print" option in Gimp and sending the job to the printer (Canon Pixma-100). In the Print dialog, the same sizes and ppi values are reflected (7 x 4.692, 1303). I'm using A3+ paper (I know, it's oversized, but it's what I have at the moment). I used to have the printer installed on a former computer, but that was years ago. This time around, rather than use the installation disks and their bloatware I merely downloaded the current printer driver from Canon's site.

When I print the photo at 300x300 dpi it prints very small on the paper (~3.5" x 2.25"). When I print at 600x600 dpi it seems to prints at the correct dimensions (~7" x 4.7"). When I print at 1200x1200 dpi it prints only a small portion of the image (very large), since the majority of the image would appear off of the page. In each case, it would seem that the image should actually print at 7.0" x 4.692" since that is what I selected...yet, these different sizes are the result. It appears that the DPI setting selected in the Gimp Print option is dictating the image size, rather than the Print Size that I have selected for the file.

I recognize that it might be the case that the printer driver is overriding the Print Size. When I select the printer via my Mac (System Settings-->Printers and Scanners-->Canon Pro 100 Series) there is no option anywhere to un/check a "Fit to Page" or "Scale to Fit" option, which I thought might be the issue.

Does anyone know how I can get images to print at the size I've selected, given my current setup?

Thanks in advance for any help or ideas, I appreciate it.

[gophersnake]

Sorry to say, I'm not familiar with your specific situation (printer, drivers, GIMP version, operating system). However, when I find myself getting what seems like paradoxical results, two things always seem to help:

1. I keep track, in detail, of all the information that I have about the situation -- pretty much as you've done. "GIMP says my Canvas Size is currently X pixels by Y pixels, at Z ppi. The numbers in the Print Resolution dialog do (or don't) agree with that: so many inches by so many inches, at so many pixels/inch. When I go to print, I get all (or part) of my image in an area so many inches wide by so many inches high. That is (or isn't) what I expected according to the other numbers."

2. I experiment, and again keep track of all the relevant information:
"When I change the Canvas Size to such-and-such while keeping the resolution the same, all (or part) of the image prints at such-and-such size."
"When I set the resolution to such-and-such, while keeping the Canvas Size the same, all (or part) of the image prints at such-and-such size."

From the results, I eventually figure out what changes in the settings might give me the result that I'm looking for. I make those changes and try printing again. If the result isn't what I expected, I experiment some more. The purpose of the detailed notes is so that if I find myself doing what seems to be the same thing twice with the same settings but getting different results, I can go back to my notes and see why it might not really have been the same thing twice.