CardMaker Help Contents
Card Shop Plus Help Contents

To learn how to use Help, press F1.

Card Shop Plus is a program you can use to make greeting cards, certificates, awards, stationery, letterhead and signs.

How To...

Add Art to a Card

Add Messages to a Card

Change Card Sides

Change Text Attributes

Change Text Wording

Choose a Blank Card

Choose a Card Size

Choose a Fold Type

Choose a Predesigned Card

Choose an Occasion

Color In Art Yourself

Create Certificates & Awards

Create Signs

Create Stationery & Letterhead

Cut, Copy & Paste Objects

Delete an Object

Drag and Drop an Object

Enter Your Own Text

Erase All Objects

Exit Card Shop

Fold a Card

Get Cardmaking Tips

Import Art

Justify Text

Move an Object

Open a Card

Open a Recent File

Order Special Paper

Personalize a Card with Names

Preview a Card

Print a Card

Print a Paper Order Form or Reg Card

Redo an Action

Reorder Objects

Save a Card

Select All Objects

Select Objects

Set up Your Printer

Size an Object

Solve Printer Problems

Start a New Card

Undo an Action

Using Menus

Using Fonts

Using the Card Palette

Using the Occasion Bar

Using Tools

Using Your Mouse

Commands

File Menu Commands

Edit Menu Commands

View Menu Commands

Text Menu Commands

Help Menu Commands


Order Special Paper

You can order special environmentally friendly paper and matching envelopes in assorted colors for your greeting cards, certificates, stationery and signs.

Paper is 8 1/2" x 11", 28 lb. textured bond and is designed to work well with laser and ink jet printers. You can order flat sheet or pre-scored paper for easy folding of cards. Matching A2 envelopes are available for the 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" card size.

You can order paper by the 100 sheet box or try the Sample Pack to get smaller quantities of all available colors.

>	Call our toll-free number: 1-800-796-9469 or

>	Print out a Paper Order Form and mail it to:

Peacetree Recycled Paper

523 N.E. Davis

Portland, OR 97232

To print a paper order form:

>	Choose Print from the File menu, then click the Paper Order Form button in the Print dialog box. Choose OK to print the order form.

See Also

Print a Card

Print a Paper Order Form or Reg Card


Certificates & Awards
Create Certificates & Awards

You can use the "Certificates and Awards" occasion to create your own special commemorations for family and friends.

To create certificates and awards:

>	Choose the "Certificates and Awards" occasion, and then choose the blank full page icon on the Card Palette.

Add borders and art and then enter your own text. If you want to add a signature line, use the Underbar key and then type text beneath the line.

Certificates and awards look best printed on high-quality, textured paper, like the kind you can order directly from High Desert Software.

See Also

Create Signs

Create Stationery & Letterhead

Order Special Paper


Stationery & Letterhead
Create Stationery & Letterhead

Now you can create all the letterhead, stationery and note cards you can use for yourself or to give as gifts.

To create stationery, letterhead and note cards:

>	Choose an occasion you want from the Occasion Bar for holiday items or choose the "Any Day" occasion for more general art. Choose the blank full page icon on the Card Palette. Add your name, and if you like, your address and phone number in a decorative font.

Create note cards by adding art to a blank card, leaving plenty of room for writing personal notes.

See Also

Create Certificates & Awards

Create Signs

Order Special Paper


Signs
Create Signs

Need to announce a special event? You can create signs for any occasion, such as a Valentine's Day Dance or Christmas Bazaar. You'll also find art and borders in the "Any Day" occasion that you can use in your signs.

To create signs:

>	Choose an occasion you want from the Occasion Bar for holiday items or choose the "Any Day" occasion for more general art. Choose the blank full page icon on the Card Palette.

Make the text large enough to read from a distance. You might also consider mounting your finished signs on cardboard backing.

See Also

Create Certificates & Awards

Create Stationery & Letterhead

Order Special Paper


Add Art to a Card

Card Shop comes hundreds of colorful, professionally-created card art, including designs for every occasion, decorative clip art and borders. You can add any piece of art to any side of a card. You can also import graphics from other applications in a .WMF(Windows Metafile) or.BMP (bitmap) format.

To add art to a card:

>	Click on the scroll arrows alongside the graphics area until you see the art you want. With the Selector tool, drag and drop the art onto the current card side in the work area. (To change a card's art, delete the art and then drag new art onto the card.)

When you choose an occasion from the Occasion Bar, the assortment of available art changes to match the new occasion. The first piece of art available for that occasion appears in the graphics area. As you create an image, you can use art from different occasions simply by choosing a different icon on the Occasion Bar. While you won't be able to change the colors or edit the designs of the art, you can reposition it and change its size to create a variety of customized effects.

If you have a color printer, your images print out in the colors your printer is capable of producing. If you have a monochrome printer, color art reproduces in rich gray tones. Every occasion includes some black and white art. Art deco designs and animals like penguins make particularly striking monochrome cards. The "Color-It" occasion prints art in outline form only, so you can color it in later with felt pens, crayons or colored pencils.

See Also

Change Card Sides

Choose an Occasion

Drag and Drop an Object


Add Messages to a Card

Each occasion offers hundreds of professionally written messages with funny, serious, and general tones. Messages are displayed in pairs, showing suggested Front and Inside messages for a card, but you can place one or more messages on any card side. If you want, you can even write your own messages.

To add a message:

>	Click on the scroll arrows alongside the message area until you see the message you want. With the Selector tool, drag and drop the message onto the current card side. The message has all the current text attributes. If the message looks too big for the card, you can resize the text to fit.

Front and Inside messages are matched sets intended to work together on the card. However, they're just suggestions, and you can add any message to any side of the card. You can also add more than one message to the side of a card.

You can completely change the way a message looks on a card by changing its text attributes. To change a card's message, delete the text and then drag a new message onto the card or enter your own.

See Also

Change Card Sides

Change Text Attributes

Change Text Wording

Drag and Drop an Object

Enter Your Own Text


Change Card Sides

You create a card one side at a time. By default, the front side of the card appears in the work area, but you can change the view at any time to add messages and art to a different card side.

To change card sides:

>	Click on one of the card side tools, or choose Front (Ctrl-F), Inside (Ctrl-I), or Back (Ctrl-B) from the View menu.


Change Text Attributes

Text character attributes let you completely change the way messages look on the card. You can change the font, font size, style, effects, and color of selected text.

You can set text attributes before entering your own text or change the look of an existing block of text. Text you enter or add after that has those same attributes, until you change them again.

To change text attributes:

>	Click on the Font tool or choose Character from the Text menu. The Font dialog box appears. Type or select choices for the attributes you want to change. The Sample box shows what text looks like using the current attribute settings. Click OK to apply the changes to the selected text or enter new text with the new attributes.

Note: You can change some of the text attributes individually by using the Tool Bar.

Use:	To:

Font	Select a font (lettering style) for text to be written in. Type the font name or scroll the list to highlight the font you want. Click on the font name or press Enter to select it.

Font Style	Select a style for the current font. Choose Regular to show the normal font, Italic to show slanted text, Bold to make the text heavier and darker, or Bold Italic to show both styles on the same text.

Size	Choose text size in points. (If the size you choose causes the text to run off the side of the card, resize it manually or choose a smaller size.)

Effects	Strike through text with a line by clicking Strikeout, or underline text by clicking Underline.

Color	Select text color from 16 colors. Type the first few letters of a color name or click on the color.


Change Text Wording

You can change the wording of a message on the current card side. Edits you make to precomposed messages on cards don't affect the original messages in the message area.

To edit a message:

>	Choose the Write tool and then click on the message you want to edit. A text insertion cursor appears. Use the Backspace key to delete characters to the left of the cursor or the Del key to delete characters to the right. Type in the new text.

See Also

Add Messages to Cards

Enter Your Own Text


Choose a Blank Card

To create your own greeting card from scratch or a full-page design (for certificates, awards, stationery, letterhead and signs), you choose a blank card. There are a couple of ways to choose a blank card.

To choose a blank card:

>	Click on either the side-fold, top-fold, or full page blank card icon on the Card Palette, or choose New Card from the File menu, and then choose Side Fold, Top Fold, or Full Page.


Choose a Card Size

The paper size you select when setting up your printer determines the size of your finished cards. You can print cards on any size paper your printer supports.

Generally, cards will be one of two sizes printed on:  Letter size to create a 5 1/2" by 4 1/4" card or Legal size to create a 7" by 4 1/4" card. Card Shop centers the letter size card design on whatever size paper you use.

To specify card size:

>	Choose Print Setup from the File menu. The Print Setup dialog box appears. Choose your printer's name, the paper size you want and its source. Click OK when you're done.

See Also

Fold a Card

Print a Card


Choose a Fold Type

Cards have either a side or a top fold. Side-folded cards have a vertical, "portrait" orientation, while top-folded cards have a horizontal, "landscape" orientation. The fold you choose will affect the layout of your card.

To choose a fold type:

>	Choose a side-fold or top-fold blank card icon on the Card Palette, or choose New Card from the File menu, and then choose Side Fold or Top Fold. (To create a full-page design with no fold, choose the Full Page icon or option instead.)

Note: Once you've selected a blank card icon or predesigned card from the Card Palette, you won't be able to change its fold type.


Choose a Predesigned Card

Predesigned cards for the current occasion are on the Card Palette on the right side of the screen. It's as easy as picking a card off the rack.

You can choose a fully designed card that already has art and a general, serious or humorous message from the Card Palette. Predesigned cards have either a top or side fold, which cannot be changed.

To choose a predesigned card:

>	Click the card's icon in the Card Palette. (Letters next to the art on the icons indicate the card's tone: "G" for general; "S" for serious; "H" for humorous.) If necessary, scroll the palette to see all the choices by clicking the scroll arrows.

The front side of the card appears in the work area. You can print the card instantly or personalize it with receiver and sender names. You can also edit its message and change its art, and then save it as a different card.

Note: If you have difficulty printing a predesigned card, check to make sure the fonts it has are installed on your system.

See Also

Personalize a Card with Names

Print a Card


Choose an Occasion

Card Shop comes with dozens of occasions for creating greeting cards, invitations and announcements. Each occasion has its own set of messages and art.

To choose an occasion:

>	Click on an icon on the Occasion Bar (below the Tool Bar). To see all the occasion choices, click on the scroll arrows at either end of the Occasion Bar. The name of the current occasion appears above the graphics area. The art, messages and predesigned cards change to match the current occasion.

The Occasion Bar shows icons of the holiday occasions you can select, like Birthday, Valentine's, Christmas, Mother's Day and Halloween--to name just a few. There are also special event occasions like Anniversary, Get Well, Graduation, Wedding and Bon Voyage.

Besides major holidays and occasions, Card Shop gives you some extra occasions like "Any Day", which provides non-occasion art and messages and "Certificates and Awards". If you want to color cards yourself, the "Color-It" occasion that prints art in outline form that you can fill in with felt pens, crayons or colored pencils.

See Also

Add Art to a Card

Add Messages to a Card


Cut, Copy & Paste Objects

You can cut, copy, and paste messages and art to display them in a new place on the current card side, or on a different card side.

To cut an object:

>	Choose Cut from the Edit menu (Ctrl-X) to remove an item from the card. Later, you can paste it somewhere else. (Cutting an object removes it from the card side.)

To copy an object:

>	Choose Copy from the Edit menu (Ctrl-C) to make a copy of an item. Then you can paste the copy somewhere else. (Copying an object creates a duplicate object without removing the original from the card side.)

To paste an object:

>	Choose Paste from the Edit menu (Ctrl-V) to paste the most recently cut or copied item on a card side. The item appears on the card, selected. Drag it to the location you want. (To paste the object on a different card side, change the current card side before pasting it.)

See Also

Change Card Sides


Delete an Object

You can delete one or more selected objects from the current card side.

To delete an object:

>	Click on the Delete tool, choose Delete from the Edit menu, or just press the Del key.

See Also

Erase All Objects


Drag and Drop an Object

You can drag and drop art and messages onto your cards.

To drag and drop an object:

>	Point to the object. Press and hold down the mouse button while you move the pointer to drag the object. Release the button to drop the object in a new location.


Enter Your Own Text

You can compose your own messages by typing text on the current card side. Being able to enter your own text gives you the freedom to compose your messages from scratch or add a personal touch to precomposed messages. For example, the back side of a card is a good place to give yourself credit for your card by entering your own message.

To enter your own text:

>	Choose the Write tool and then click on the card where you want the text. A text insertion cursor appears. Type in your own words and press Enter at the end of each line. (If you make a mistake, use the Backspace key to delete characters to the left of the cursor.)

The text is added to the card using the current text attributes, including size. If you want a different font or size, you can change the text attributes before or after creating the text.

See Also

Add Messages to Cards

Change Text Attributes

Change Text Wording

Using Fonts


Erase All Objects

You can remove all the art and messages on the current card side.

To clear the card side:

>	Choose Select All from the Edit menu and then delete the items.

See Also

Delete an Object


Exit CardMaker
Exit Card Shop

When you're finished using Card Shop, exit the program before shutting off your computer. You'll be asked to save your work, if you haven't already.

To exit Card Shop:

>	Choose Exit from the File menu.


Fold a Card

Fold lines aren't printed on the card, but you can see them when you preview a card. The first and second fold lines are labeled.

It's a good idea to wait a couple of minutes for the ink to set before folding the card, especially if you're using a dot-matrix or ink jet printer.

To fold a card:

>	Fold the paper in half along the first fold. Then fold it in half again, taking care to make the crease straight. Depending on the fold you chose when you made the card, you'll have a side- or top-folded card when you're done.

See Also

Choose a Fold Type

Preview a Card

Print a Card


Get Tips on Designing Good Images

You can get tips on good layouts, art placement, colors, how to write your own messages and bright ideas for using Card Shop.

To get tips:

> Choose the Tips tool or Tips from the Help menu.


Import Art

You can import graphics from other applications in a .WMF(Windows Metafile) or.BMP (bitmap) format.

To import art:

>	Choose Import Art from the File menu. The Import dialog box appears. Choose the type of file to import (.WMF or .BMP) and then select the name of the file to import. Click OK to import the file. The art is added to the card, and you can then move and resize it.

Use:	To:

File Name	Type the name of the file to import or select its name in the list.

List Files of Type	Choose a file type: .WMF or .BMP.

Directories	Import graphics from a different directory: choose the name of the directory.

Drives	Import cards from other drives: choose the name of the drive you want to access.

See Also

Add Art to Messages

Move an Object

Size an Object


Justify Text

You can align the text in a message in three ways: left, center and right, depending on your design needs.

To justify text:

>	Choose a Justify tool on the Tool Bar or use the Text menu to line up the selected text. Choose Left Justify to line up text on the left, Center Justify to center each line, or Right Justify to line text up on the right.

See Also

Add Messages to Cards

Change Text Attributes

Enter Your Own Text


Move an Object

You can move art and messages around on the current card side.

Note: If you move an object off the card side, it won't print, even though you can still see it in the work area.

To move an object:

>	Move the pointer over the object, and then drag it to a different location.

See Also

Using Your Mouse


Open a Card

You can retrieve a previously saved image to edit or print at any time by opening it.

To open a card:

>	Click on the Open tool, or choose Open from the File menu (Ctrl-O). The Open dialog appears. Select the name of a card to open, and then click OK. If the current card has unsaved changes, you have a chance to save it before replacing it with the opened card.

Use:	To:

File Name	Type the name of the file to open or select its name in the list by double-clicking it.

List Files of Type	Choose the file type to open: CMK.

Directories	Open cards in a different directory: choose the name of the directory.

Drives	Open cards on other drives: choose the name of the drive you want to access.

See Also

Open a Recent File


Open a Recent File

For convenience, you can retrieve a recently saved image by selecting its name from the recent files list on the File menu. These can be files you have saved in this or in recent sessions, including the last saved version of the current card.

See Also

Open a Card


Personalize a Card with Names

You can personalize greeting cards and other images by adding the receiver's and sender's names to messages. The names will be printed wherever you see the place holders <Receiver> and <Sender> in precomposed messages. (You can also enter these name place holders in your own messages.)

To personalize a card with names:

>	Type the name of the person you're sending the card to and your name in the Receiver and Sender name fields.


Preview a Card

You can preview all sides of your card at once to see how they will be printed at any time. In Preview mode, card sides are separated by fold lines. The first and second fold lines are labeled.

To preview the card:

>	Choose Print Preview from the File menu. The Preview dialog box appears. Since all the card sides are printed on one side of the paper, you will see upside-down images. When you fold the card, everything will be upright. When you're done previewing, choose Close to return to the work area or Print to print your card.

See Also

Fold a Card


Print a Card

The final quality of your cards depends largely on your printer and the paper you use. Card Shop takes advantage of the highest resolution your printer offers. If you have a color printer, your cards come out in the colors it can reproduce. If you have a monochrome printer, cards come out in gray scale.

To print quickly with the current options:

>	Click on the Print tool.

To change options before printing:

>	Choose Print from the File menu (Ctrl-P). The Print dialog box appears. Select an item to print, enter the number of copies desired, and click OK to print.

Choose	To Print:

Card	The current card or other design.

Test Page	A rectangle that shows where the image will be placed on the page. Adjust the page margins if necessary to accommodate your printer by clicking Margins.

Paper Order Form	A Paper Order Form for ordering special high-quality papers directly from High Desert Software.

Registration Card	Card Shop's Registration Card for mailing in to receive information on product updates and accessory products.

See Also

Order Special Paper


Print Copies of a Card
Print a Paper Order Form or Reg Card

You can print a Paper Order Form for ordering special paper from High Desert Software's paper outlet whenever you need it. You can also print Card Shop's Registration Card to mail in for regular updates on new versions and product accessories.

To print a paper order form or registration card:

>	Choose Print from the File menu (Ctrl-P). The Print dialog box appears.Choose Paper Order Form or Registration Card. When you're ready to print, click OK.

See Also

Order Special Paper


Redo an Action

If you change your mind about undoing an action and want to restore it, immediately choose Redo (Ctrl-R) before doing anything else.

See Also

Undo an Action


Reorder Objects

You can reorder the layering of selected objects on the current card side. For example, you can place a small graphic in front of a border design or overlap text and art.

To reorder objects:

>	Choose Bring to front or Send to back from the View menu to reorder objects.


Save a Card

You always have a chance to save your work before starting or opening a card or exiting the program. Your images are saved in a .CMK format.

Note: It's a good idea to save your work often to protect it from loss during a system or power failure.

To save a card:

>	Click on the Save tool, or choose Save from the File menu (Ctrl-S). If the file has been saved previously, it is saved with the same name. If you're saving a new card, the Save As dialog appears. Type in a name for your new card in the Save As dialog, and then click OK.

To save a card with a different name:

>	Choose Save As from the File menu. Type in a new name for the card, and then click OK. The card is saved under a new name and the original card is unaffected.

Use:	To:

File Name	Type the name of the file to save or select the name of an existing file to replace.

List Files of Type	Choose a file type to save (.CMK).

Directories	Save cards in a different directory: choose the name of the directory.

Drives	Save cards on other drives: choose the name of the drive you want to access.


Select All Objects

Sometimes you may want to select all the objects on the current card side to perform an action on all of them, such as resizing or moving.

To select all objects:

>	To select all the objects on the side of a card, choose Select All (Ctrl-A) from the Edit menu.

See Also

Select Objects


Select Objects

You can select one or more objects at a time with your mouse. In order to edit objects, they must be selected.

To select an object:

>	Point to the object and click on it (press and release the left mouse button). Selection handles surround the object.

To select multiple objects:

>	Hold down the Shift key as you select each item or drag an outline around several objects.

See Also

Select All Objects


Set up Your Printer

You can set up your printer in advance so that when it comes time to print a card, you can print quickly. You can print to the default printer you specified when you installed Windows or select another installed printer.

To set up your printer:

>	Choose Print Setup from the File menu. The Print Setup dialog box appears. Choose your printer's name and the Paper Size and its Source (the tray it's in). Click OK when you're done, and then choose Print from the File menu to print your card.

Note: Card Shop automatically prints side-folded cards and full page print-outs in a vertical, Portrait orientation and top-folded cards in a horizontal, Landscape orientation.

See Also

Choose a Card Size

Print a Card


Size an Object

You can scale a selected object to be bigger or smaller. The object retains its shape unless you want to warp it at the same time.

To resize an object and retain its shape:

>	Drag a corner point towards or away from the item to shrink or enlarge it.

To resize an object and warp its shape:

>	Hold down the Ctrl key and drag a selection handle towards or away from the item to change its shape and shrink or enlarge it.

Note: You won't be able to warp text when you resize it.


Solve Printer Problems

Card Shop works with printers supported by Microsoft Windows 3.1 or higher. Printers with higher resolutions are recommended, such as 24-pin dot matrix, ink jet or laser printers.

Color Printing Problems

Hardware

Odd Printouts

System Setup


Start a New Card

You can start a new greeting card or other image at any time. There are a couple of ways to begin a new image.

To start a new image:

>	Choose a blank card icon on the Card Palette, or choose New Card from the File menu, and then choose Side Fold, Top Fold or Full Page. If your current card is unsaved, you'll have a chance to save it before starting a new one. The work area is cleared and made ready for a new card. By default, the front of the card is displayed in the work area.


Start CardMaker
Start Card Shop

When you start Card Shop, all the special occasions are arranged on the Occasion Bar, just like cards on a store rack.

To start the program:

>	Double-click on the Card Shop icon in the Program Manager. The Card Shop screen appears.


Undo an Action

If you change your mind about an edit, choose Undo from the Edit menu (Ctrl-Z) before doing anything else to undo the last action.

See Also

Redo an Action


Use Menus
Using Menus

Menus offer an alternative way to do most of the same things you can do with tools. If an option is followed by an ellipse (three dots ...), a dialog box will appear.

To choose from a menu:

>	Click on a Main Menu option, and then choose an item on its pull-down menu.

See Also

Edit Menu Commands

File Menu Commands

Help Menu Commands

Text Menu Commands

View Menu Commands


Use Fonts
Using Fonts

Fonts are lettering styles for text.  Fonts work with the art to create a tone or feeling to the image.

In addition to the standard TrueType fonts that Windows supports, Card Shop comes some decorative fonts for card lettering. To see what each font looks like, highlight it in the Font dialog box; it is displayed in the Sample box.


Use the Card Palette
Using the Card Palette

The Card Palette shows icons of ready-made, predesigned cards you can choose for the current occasion, as well as blank icons for creating cards from scratch.

The blank full-page icon lets you create full-page certificates, awards, signs, letterhead and stationery in a portrait (vertical) orientation.

To choose a card from the Card Palette:

>	Click on an icon. (You may have to click on the palette's scroll arrows to view all the selections.)  If you choose a predesigned image, its front side appears in the work area.

See Also

Choose a Blank Card

Choose a Predesigned Card


Use the Occasion Bar
Using the Occasion Bar

The Occasion Bar is located below the Tool Bar. It shows icons of the holiday occasions you can select, like Birthday, Valentine's, Christmas, Mother's Day and Halloween--to name just a few. There are also special event occasions like Anniversary, Get Well, Graduation, Wedding and Bon Voyage.

Besides major holidays and occasions, Card Shop gives you some extra occasions like "Any Day" (which provides non-occasion art and messages for your card, stationery and sign creations) and "Certificates and Awards". If you want to color cards yourself, use the "Color-It" occasion to print art in outline form.

To use the Occasion Bar:

>	Click on an icon. To see all the choices, click on the scroll arrows at either end of the Occasion Bar. The name of the current occasion appears above the graphics area. The art, messages and predesigned cards change to match the current occasion.

See Also

Add Art to a Card

Add Messages to a Card


Use Tools
Using Tools

Tools are on the Tool Bar beneath the menu bar.

Tools are a quick way to do things without menus. For example, you can open, save and print cards by clicking tools instead of choosing menus. The Write and Selector tools let you enter text and select objects--two actions not duplicated by menus.

To choose a tool:

>	Click on its icon.


Use Your Mouse
Using Your Mouse

A mouse makes using Card Shop a breeze. You can do everything but type text with the mouse.

To:	Do this:

Select an object	Point to the object and click on it (press and release the left mouse button). Selection handles surround the object.

Select multiple objects	Hold down the Shift key as you select each item or drag an outline around several objects. To select all the objects on the side of a card, choose Select All (Ctrl-A) from the Edit menu.

Drag and drop an object	Point to the object. Hold down the mouse button while you move the pointer to drag the object. Release the button to drop the object in a new location.


System Setup

When you installed Windows, you installed one or more printers. Card Shop will print to the default printer you specified, unless you choose another printer in the Print dialog box.

If you run into trouble while printing, make sure that a printer driver has been set up in the Windows Control Panel. (See your Windows manual for instructions.)  Then check to make sure the printer you've selected in Card Shop Print Setup dialog box is the name of the printer you want to use.

See Also

Color Printing Problems

Hardware

Odd Printouts


Hardware

If everything at the system level looks good, check the physical setup of your printer. Is the power switch on?  Are there loose printer cables?  Is the paper positioned correctly and not jammed?

It's also possible that your printer settings may not be correct. See your printer manual for information on changing dip switch or control panel settings.

Sometimes all a printer needs is a jump start. Turn off the entire system. Turn the printer on again before restarting the computer.

See Also

Color Printing Problems

Odd Printouts

System Setup


Odd Printouts

If your printer's working, but something's not right with the printouts, there are some common causes to look into. See your printer manual for more information about the solutions suggested here.

If the printout starts in the middle of the page instead of at the top, check the paper position and do a test print. Make sure the current paper feed settings match your printer's (continuous feed or single sheet). Also, if your printer has a linefeed option it should be turned off.

Partial printouts may mean that your printer doesn't have enough memory to print at its highest resolution. Lower the resolution setting or add memory to your printer.

See Also

Color Printing Problems

Hardware

System Setup


Color Printing Problems

If you have a color printer, the colors might not look right. Color printing problems are usually due to either the printer or its driver settings. Refer to your printer manual and/or the printer driver's manual for information on the suggested solutions.

Note: Remember that the colors you see on the screen will look somewhat different than printed colors. Depending on the kind of color printer you have, colors are reproduced in varying degrees of accuracy.

> Fading colors: This may mean that some colors of ink are running out in the print cartridge. Replace the cartridge and make sure it's properly aligned.

> Black ink mixing with color: Sometimes your printer driver's color settings can cause fuzzy edges between adjacent black and colored areas. Change the settings to minimize black ink mixing with color ink.

> Bleeding colors and spreading ink: If you find that color inks "bleed" into one another or that ink is spreading on your paper, change your printer's intensity settings. Change to a lighter intensity to reduce the amount of ink applied to the page.

> Print speed too slow: You can speed up color printing by increasing the amount of memory available on your system. Purchase more RAM or reduce the number of applications you have open. For printing quick drafts, use a lower print quality mode or print in gray scale.

See Also

Hardware

Odd Printouts

System Setup


File Menu Commands

Use the File menu to create a new card, manage your card files, import .WMF or .BMP graphics files, print your cards, and exit Card Shop.

Use:	To:

New Card	Clear the work area for a new image

Open...	Retrieve a previously saved image.

Save	Save an existing image with the same name.

Save As...	Save a new or existing image with a new name.

Print...	Print a finished image, a test page, the Paper Order Form or the Registration Card.

Print Preview...	Preview all four sides of the card as they will be printed on a single side of the paper, and view fold lines.

Print Setup...	Specify and set up your printer before printing.

Import Art...	Import graphics from other applications in a .WMF or .BMP format.

Recent Files	Open recently saved cards, including the last saved version of the current image, if you have recently saved it.

Exit	Exit Card Shop and return to the Program Manager.


Edit Menu Commands

Use the Edit menu to manipulate art and messages, delete items, select everything on a card side, and undo or redo actions.

Use:	To:

Undo	Undo the last typing, formatting change, or editing action you just did.

Redo	Redo an action you just cancelled with Undo (undo an undo).

Cut 	Remove an object from the card to paste it in a new location or move it to a different side of the card.

Copy	Duplicate an object to paste a copy of it on the same or a different card side.

Paste	Place the most recently cut or copied object on the current card side.

Delete 	Permanently remove an object from the card side.

Select All	Select all the items on the current card side at once.


View Menu Commands

Use the View menu to change the current card side and reorder the layering of objects on the current side.

Use:	To:

Front	Change the view in the card area to the front side of the card.

Inside	Change the view in the card area to the inside sides of the card.

Back	Change the view in the card area to the back side of the card.

Bring to front	Bring an object forward to layer it on top of another object.

Send to back	Send an object back behind another object.


Text Menu Commands

Use the Text menu to change text appearance by changing its attributes and justification (alignment).

Use:	To:

Character...	Change one or more text attributes, including font, font style, text size, effects, and color.

Left justify	Line up text on the left.

Center justify	Center lines of text.

Right justify	Line up text on the right.


Help Menu Commands

Use the Help menu to get information on using Card Shop and Windows Help, as well as tips on creating good images.

Use:	To:

Contents	Choose from a list of help topics on using the program or a list of  menu commands.

Tips	Get tips on creating good cards, including layout and art design suggestions, use of color, and writing your own messages, as well as ideas for using the Card Shop and a brief history of greeting cards.

Using Help	Learn the basics of using Windows Help.

About Card Shop	Get information on Card Shop, including its version number.


Color In Art Yourself

To print outlined art that you can color in yourself with crayons, colored pencils or felt pens, choose the "Color-It" occasion from the Occasion Bar. The "Color-It" occasion provides outlines of many designs.

See Also

Using the Occasion Bar


Fonts

Styles of type you can use for lettering cards. Card Shop uses your Windows system's installed TrueType fonts and provides additional ones.

Each font gives text a different look. Some fonts have little feet called "serif" and others are straight lines called "sans serif."

Serif fonts look like text you find in books and are said to be more readable than sans serif fonts, especially if there's a lot of text to read. Sans serif fonts have a "cleaner" look and are more formal-looking. They are generally used for shorter documents like reports. These help scripts are displayed in a sans serif font.


Points

A standard typesetting measurement. One point is 1/72-inch.


Tool Bar

A graphical bar with buttons you can choose to perform various commands, such as opening, saving or printing a card, entering text, changing text attributes and getting help.


Directory

Subdivisions of a disk that work like a filing system to help organize files. For example, you can create a directory called BIRTHDAY to store all the Birthday cards you make.


Drive

An internal part of a computer that turns a disk to retrieve and store information. PCs usually have one hard disk drive labeled C and two drives labeled A and B that read removable floppy disks.


WMF and BMP Files

Standard graphics file formats you can import from other popular draw and paint graphics applications to decorate your images.

.WMF files are produced by many drawing (and some painting) packages and are usually vector (object-based) files.  .BMP files are produced by many paint applications and are raster (pixel-based) files.