Help Index
JewlLinr Help Contents

JewlLinr is a 32-bit Microsoft Windows 95 application which prints and saves liners for CD jewel boxes.  You have total control over typefaces, fold and cut lines, text rotation, liner dimensions and text styles and can view an on-screen WYSIWYG version of the liner before printing.  The program can save multiple label formats, print multiple liners and import bitmap graphics.

Overview

Registration

Warranty

Menus

File

Format

Fonts

Text

Questions


Overview

JewlLinr is a 32-bit Microsoft Windows 95 application which prints liners for CD jewel boxes. The image that is displayed on the CRT screen approximates what will actually be printed.  The printed result is quite accurate and can be cut (into 2 segments), folded and then inserted into the back and front covers of an empty (preferably clear plastic) CD jewel box.

You have control over many options (e.g. margins, alignment, graphics, etc.) which determine the final result.  Since each text area must have a font, the default fonts were chosen since they come with Windows and I have no idea what other fonts you may have installed.  However, you can change them to whatever you want – they are all initially 10 pt. Arial.

The Text entry dialog box is a multi-line edit box which allows horizontal and vertical scrolling.  Use the Enter key to actually enter multiple lines.  Either click on the Apply button, or Ctrl+Tab to the Apply button and then press Enter, to display the text just entered.  Text can be cut, copied, pasted, undone, and cleared by accessing these features within the system menu associated with the text entry dialog box or via (the normal Windows) accelerator keys.  When entering text you can perform your own line-breaks and/or let the program automatically wrap text within a text area by performing word-breaks and spacing.  JewlLinr will not allow text to extend outside of a text area.  The Text entry dialog box for a specific text area can be invoked by either:

•	Selecting the appropriate item under the Text menu,

•	Clicking the Text button within Format Text Areas, or

•	Double clicking in the text area.

The dialog boxes associated with Format Text Areas, Format Liner, Text entry and Format Pictures are all modeless dialog boxes.  Rather than having an OK button, they each have an Apply button.  Selecting the Apply button will cause the liner in the main window to be updated with your entered changes but will not cause the dialog box to close.  Thus, you can experiment with changes until they are what you want.  When the Apply button is selected, the Cancel button will change to a Close button, and selecting this button will cause the dialog box to disappear.  Once you have selected Apply, your changes cannot be undone – i.e. cancelled.  Selecting the OK button will also cause the liner in the main window to be updated with your entered changes but the dialog box will close.


Registration

JewlLinr is distributed as shareware; it is not free software. This allows you to use the program and determine if you like it and whether it fits your needs. If you like JewlLinr and find it useful, you are requested to support it by registering (i.e. sending me money).

The current registration fee for JewlLinr is $15.00 for a single user license.  A single user license means that JewlLinr can be installed on multiple machines but only used on one machine at a time – similar to how one uses a book. If JewlLinr is to be installed and used on multiple machines simultaneously, then you should contact the author about a multi-user license.

All funds should be in US dollars  cash, check (drawn on US banks only), money order, or postal money order.  I don't wish to belittle foreign currency, but the local banks (in a small town) charge a very unattractive (to me) fee to exchange currency.  No credit cards  I haven't made it to the big time. Please make all checks payable to Ed Adasiewicz, and forward your payment along with your name, address (electronic and postal), and comments to:

Ed Adasiewicz

260 Richmond Lane

Village of Lakewood, IL  60014

You can also print the ASCII text file ORDER.TXT.

Registration Benefits

Registered users receive a User Name and Key which enables certain features of the program that are not accessible to unregistered users. These features include:

Multi-file printing – the Files button within Print

Saving liner formats to be used as templates for liner files – Save under Format

Adding new text areas within Format Text Areas

After you have received your User Name and Key, select the Registration option under the File menu and enter the information. It is important to enter the information exactly as received. The User Name and Key will be sent to registered users via electronic mail, if you have one; otherwise the information will be sent via the US Postal Service.

A registration does not expire and will work with all future versions of JewlLinr. The data is stored in the Windows Registry. If for some reason this information is lost from the registry, simply run the Registration dialog and re-enter the data.


Warranty

The JewlLinr program is being made available on an "as is" basis, and carries no warranties, express or implied.  The author (Ed Adasiewicz) shall in no way be held liable for any damages resulting from the use of this program or the media on which it is distributed, including, without limitation, loss of business profits, interruption of business, loss of information, damage to equipment, any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, or any other incidental or consequential damages.


File

New

Starts a new (untitled) liner.  If the current liner has not been saved, JewlLinr lets you save that liner before displaying a new liner – note that this is the same as Save not Save As.  A standard Windows file selection box containing the names of liner formats is displayed.  One of these formats must be selected and it will serve as the basis for the new liner.  The new liner uses all settings (text areas, fonts, alignments, pictures, etc.) that were defined when the selected format was saved.  The default extension for a JewlLinr format file is *.JFT.

Upon exiting JewlLinr, the last directory searched for format files is recorded in the Windows Registry and used the next time format searching is required.

Open

Opens an existing liner.  If the current liner has not been saved, JewlLinr lets you save that liner before opening the requested liner – note that this is the same as Save not Save As.  This is a standard (common) Windows File Open dialog box.  The default extension for JewlLinr files is *.JWL but you can define more through the Register File Types menu option.

The read only checkbox allows you to look at a liner without being able to modify its contents on the disk – i.e. you can change it all you want, but you can’t Save it.

Upon exiting JewlLinr, the last directory searched for files is recorded in the Windows Registry and used the next time file searching is required.

Save

Saves changes to the current liner in the filename displayed in the caption, unless the file is read only.  If the liner is (untitled), JewlLinr prompts you for a filename – as in Save As.  When you choose Save, the liner remains open so you can continue working on it.

Save As

Saves the current liner after prompting you for a filename.  If the filename already exists, you will be asked if the existing file should be overwritten with the current liner.  If the liner is currently in a file of another name or in another directory, this original file remains unchanged.  This is a standard (common) Windows File Save As dialog box.

Print

Prints the currently displayed liner or selected liners on the currently selected printer using any settings entered with the Page Setup command.

The Print to File checkbox allows you to print to a file rather than a physical device.

Multiple copies can be printed.

To print multiple liner files, click on the Files button.  This will bring up a selection box from which you can select multiple liners to print.  Although this dialog box looks like the one for File New and the one for File Open, it allows for multiple selections – i.e. click, Shift+click, Ctrl+click, Shift+arrow, etc.  You can select quite a few files before you will get an error, but be aware that only 1 print file is generated and you may not have sufficient disk space or patience.  If the currently displayed liner has not been saved, you will be prompted before printing occurs – this is because printing multiple files uses the internal areas occupied by the current liner.  Once printing of the multiple liners is complete, your screen will be restored.

When printing multiple copies of multiple liners, all copies of the first liner are printed before the second liner starts.  It is assumed that all liners being printed have the same dimensions and these are determined by the first one printed.

Page Setup

Sets options for printing liner(s).  This is a standard (common) Windows Page Setup dialog box.

You can specify the margins, relative to the edges of the paper, that the liner will be indented prior to printing – these dimensions cannot be less than the actual printable area. Based upon margins and the dimensions of the liner being printed, both segments may fit on one page or they may be printed on separate pages.  Similarly, the orientation (landscape vs. portrait) of one or both segments may be changed based upon margins and liner dimensions.  The dimensions that are in the default.jft that comes with JewlLinr will result in both segments being printed on the same page.

Upon exiting JewlLinr, the last entered margins and number of copies are recorded in the Windows Registry and used the next time JewlLinr is executed.

Registration

Allows you to register your copy of JewlLinr and unlock the features mentioned under Registration Benefits.  Enter your User Name and User Key exactly as provided and click on the OK button.  If the two are indeed compatible, all features will become available and an informative message will be displayed; otherwise, an error message will be displayed and the features will remain unaccessible – nice try!!

Register File Types

Allows you to register up to 5 file types (extensions) that JewlLinr will use with Windows.  Enter an extension (e.g. .jwl) and a description (e.g. CD jewel box liner) for each file type that you wish to register.  The extension and description are both used in the File Open and multiple liner file selection dialog boxes.  There is no limit to the length of each field but you should limit the extension to 3 characters if you are not going to enter an extension when you enter a filename for saving a liner.

Once a file type has been registered, you can then double-click on the file in Windows Explorer and thereby start JewlLinr with that file automatically opened.  The file also appears within Windows Explorer with a CD jewel box as its icon.  Note that JewlLinr cannot unregister a file type, but you can do this through the Windows Explorer.

Recent File List

A list of the most recently opened CaseLinr files.  This list can contain at most 4 entries. Selecting a file from this list is the same as selecting it through File Open.

Purge recent file list

Clears the Recent File List from the file menu.

Exit

Exits JewlLinr.  If the current liner has not been saved, JewlLinr lets you save that liner before exiting – note that this is the same as Save not Save As.


Format

Text Areas

Defines text areas within a liner and/or format in which textual data can be entered.  An unlimited number of text areas can be defined each with its own default font, alignment, margins, tab stops, rotation and text.  Text areas can overlap one another.

Area Name – A combo box which allows you to select any one of the currently defined text areas.

Alignment – Defines text alignment for the text area.

Left – All text will be aligned at the left margin.

Center – All text will be centered within the right and left margins.

Right – All text will be aligned at the right margin.

Margins – Defines the boundaries of the text area.

Top – A vertical measurement (relative to the liner segment) which delimits the top portion of the text area.  Negative values are allowed.

Bottom – A vertical measurement (relative to the liner segment) which delimits the bottom of the text area.  Negative values are allowed.

Left – A horizontal measurement (relative to the liner segment) which delimits the left edge of the text area.  Negative values are allowed.

Right – A horizontal measurement (relative to the liner segment) which delimits the right edge of the text area.  Negative values are allowed.

Rotation – Defines the angle to rotate the text within the text area.  A rotation of 0 is what you are reading now (assuming that you are not laying on your side or standing on your head), a rotation of 90 is tilting your head to the right, a rotation of 180 is equivalent to upside-down, and a rotation of 270 is tilting your head to the left.  All justifications, tabs, etc. work with rotation but remember that things can change – i.e. centering a 90 or 270 rotation is now using the vertical dimensions of the text area rather than the horizontal.  Rotation will NOT give you the ability the print a stacked title down the spine of the liner unless you are willing to make each letter a rotated text area by itself.

Keep Text – Causes any text entered in the text area to be saved with the format, and also with the liner.  This is useful for items such as copywrites and company names since you do not need to re-enter the text when the format is used to begin a new liner.  If there is some special text you would like placed in a certain position on the liner, just define a text area for it, enter the text, and enable this option.

Guides – Draws a rectangle of blue dotted lines to delimit the text area.  These lines are only displayed on the CRT and not printed.

Cover – Indicates on which segment of the liner that the text area is placed.

Back – The text area will be placed on the back cover.

Insert – The text area will be placed on the cover insert.

Spacing – Defines vertical spacing between lines of text.

Between – A measurement which defines the amount of vertical spacing between lines.  Zero will result in normal spacing – each line will be as tall as the tallest character in the line; whereas “-1 li” will cause overprinting and "1 li" will cause double spacing.

Within– A measurement which defines the amount of vertical spacing between subsequent portions (lines) of a wrapped text line – i.e. one that the program automatically wraps.  Zero will result in normal spacing – each line will be as tall as the tallest character in the line; whereas “-1 li” will cause overprinting and "1 li" will cause double spacing.

Wrap Indent – If a line of text requires more than one line, and the program automatically wraps the line, this horizontal measurement defines the distance that subsequent (wrapped) lines will be indented (right or left based upon Alignment) relative to the first line.

Tab Stops – A comma separated list of one or more measurement(s) which defines where tab stops will occur relative to the edge of the text area.  Note that the edge used to determine tab positions rotates with the text area.

Text – Brings up the text entry dialog box for the text area.

Font – Brings up the font definition box for the text area.  This defines the default font for all text entered into the text area.

Add – Adds a text area as part of the liner.  This feature is not available in the unregistered version.  A dialog box requesting the name for the next text area is presented.  After a unique name has been entered it is added to the Area Name combo box, all other fields remain from the previously displayed text area (rather than being cleared), and the Add button changes to Cancel Add.  You then change any/all fields as desired and select OK to save the definition.  Entries for the new text area are also added under the Text and Font menu headings.

Remove – Removes the text area named in the Area Name combo box, along with any text, from being displayed as part of the liner  The deletion is not permanent until Apply is requested.  This button is enabled only if at least one text area has been defined.  The Text and Font menus are also udpated accordingly.

Liner

Defines options global to the liner and/or format.

Cut Lines – The line style used for the border (where you cut the liner).  The style (crop marks) draws a small corner; and the style (none) draws a line which is very hard to cut along.

Fold Lines – The line style used for the interior lines (where you fold the liner).  The style (crop marks) draws a small T; and the style (none) draws a line which is very hard to fold along.

Back Cover – Defines the dimensions of the back cover of a liner. This is the portion of a CD jewel box under the black plastic insert.

Height – A measurement which defines the height of the back cover.

Width – Defines the widths of various portions of the back cover.

Left Spine – A measurement which defines the width of the left spine.  This is the region to the left of the back which is folded and usually contains a title.

Back – A measurement which defines the width of the back.  This is the region you see when you look at the back of a CD jewel box and usually contains song titles or program notes.

Right Spine – A measurement which defines the width of the right spine.  This is the region to the right of the back which is folded and usually contains a title.

Cover Insert – Defines the dimensions of the cover insert of a liner. This is the portion of a CD jewel box that swings open like a door and has small plastic tabs.

Height – A measurement which defines the height of the cover insert.

Width – Defines the widths of various portions of the cover insert.

Front – A measurement which defines the width of the front.  This is the region you see when you look at the front of a CD jewel box and usually contains a title along with other notes.

Inside Flap – A measurement which defines the width of the inside flap.  This is the region you see when you open the CD jewel box and usually contains song titles and notes.

Default Units – Allows you to set the units to be used for measurement(s) which do not explicitly specify units.

Pictures

Defines pictures (graphics) to be displayed as part of a liner.  Note that when pictures are added to either a liner or a format, only the pathname to the graphics file is saved within the format or liner file and not the graphics file itself.  If you move and/or delete graphics files, you will encounter error messages.

Picture – A combo box which allows you to select any one of the currently active pictures.

Cover – Indicates on which segment of the liner that the picture is placed.

Back – The picture will be placed on the back cover.

Insert – The picture will be placed on the cover insert.

Left – A horizontal measurement (relative to the liner segment) where the left edge of the picture will be placed.  Negative values are allowed, but you may have difficulty seeing the graphic.

Top – A vertical measurement (relative to the liner segment) where the top edge of the picture will be placed.  Negative values are allowed, but you may have difficulty seeing the graphic.

Width – A horizontal measurement which defines the width of the picture.  This can be used to stretch or compress a graphic horizontally.  A negative number will flip the picture and place it's right edge at the Left measurement.

Height – A vertical measurement which defines the height of the picture.  This can be used to stretch or compress a graphic vertically.  A negative number will flip the picture and place it's bottom edge at the Top measurement.

Add – Adds a picture to be displayed as part of the liner.  A standard Windows file selection box containing the names of graphics files which are currently supported is displayed.  One of these files can then be selected.  After a picture has been selected the filename is added to the Picture combo box, the Left and Top are both set to 0, and the width and height are set to the actual width and height of the graphic.  The width and height are converted to the current default units.  The same picture can be added more than once.

Remove – Removes the graphics file named in the Picture combo box from being displayed as part of the liner  The deletion is not permanent until Apply is requested.  This button is enabled only if pictures have been added.  This does not delete the file from your disk.

Upon exiting JewlLinr, the last directory searched for pictures is recorded in the Windows Registry and used the next time picture searching is required.

Guides – Toggles the drawing of rectangles of blue dotted lines around each text area.  This overrides the individual guides in each text area.  These lines are only displayed on the CRT and not printed.  Upon exiting JewlLinr, the last entered value is recorded in the Windows Registry and used the next time JewlLinr is executed.

Ruler – Toggles the drawing of horizontal and vertical rulers around the two liner segments. The graduations of the ruler are determined by the default units in Format Liner – cm yields centimeters and anything else yields inches.  Rulers are only displayed on the CRT and not printed.  Upon exiting JewlLinr, the last entered value is recorded in the Windows Registry and used the next time JewlLinr is executed.

Save

Saves the current format after prompting you for a filename.  If the filename already exists, you will be asked if the existing file should be overwritten with the current format.  A format is very similar to a JewlLinr file except that no text (except for text areas flagged with Keep Text) are stored in it.  You use a format file as a template for building JewlLinr files.  There is no limit to the number of format files.  When JewlLinr is first loaded it looks for DEFAULT.JFT; if it cannot find it, it will ask for its location.  Upon exiting JewlLinr, the last format used is recorded in the Windows Registry and is then used as the starting format the next time Jewllinr is run. The default extension for JewlLinr formats is *.JFT.


Fonts

Each text area defined for the liner/format will have an item under this menu heading.  Selecting a menu item will bring up the font definition box for that text area.  This defines the default font for all text entered into that text area.  This is identical to selecting the Font button within the Format Text Areas dialog box.


Text

Each text area defined for the liner/format will have an item under this menu heading.  Selecting a menu item will bring up the text entry dialog box for that text area.  This is identical to selecting the Text button within the Format Text Areas dialog box or double clicking in the text area.  Text can be cut, copied, pasted, undone, and cleared by accessing these features within the system menu associated with the dialog box or via (the normal Windows) accelerator keys.

Since tab stops are supported, you must either click on a button or enter the key combination Ctrl+Tab to switch focus to a button.

There is no limit to the number of lines or the number of characters in each line.  Use the Enter key to actually enter multiple lines.  To override or augment the default font, highlight the text (with the mouse or cursor keys) and select the Font button.  There is no limit to the number of fonts.  The fonts will not be noticeable until the Apply button has been selected – the fonts apply to the liner not the dialog box.  To apply the last font defined, through any Font button, to the highlighted text, use the Apply Font button.  This button is not enabled if a font has never been defined, via a Font button, for the current format.


Questions

Where can I find the latest version of JewlLinr?

http://user.mc.net/~eda  	my web site

http://www.winsite.com	in Win95/miscutil

http://www.simtel.net/simtel.net	in Win95/print

Why does the displayed liner sometimes show text running over the edge and/or text not lining up correctly, but the printed liner looks just fine?

All of the data entered for a font is used to create a logical font for the selected printer.  There are only a certain number of such fonts that each printer will support (usually less than the number of fonts definable via the dialog box) and the logical font created is the one closest to a font actually supported by the printer.  Next, a screen font is created that is the closest to the actual printer font and also supported by the display device.  You just have to remember that changing certain fields will not necessarily change the font and that all printer fonts cannot be displayed on the screen since the resolutions are different – which is why some fonts will display text in an area that does not appear on the printed liner.  And on top of that, there may even be a bug in the code!

How do I format multiple fonts on the same line?

Go to the dialog box where you entered the text.  Select the text you want to format in a different font and click on the Font... button.  You are presented with a dialog box in which you can define a font to be used for the selected text.  If all of the selected text is currently formatted in the same font, then that font will be shown in the dialog box.  If the selected text is formatted with a variety of fonts, then a blank font will be displayed.  After you have defined the font you want, click on OK in the font dialog box and then click on Apply in the text entry dialog box.  The liner will now display the new font.

Does the color option, in the font dialog box, work?

I have been told that it does, but I don't have a color printer to verify this.

How can I reach you electronically?

Check the About option under Help


Measurement

Measurements are used to indicate distances for margins, line spacing, picture positioning and liner dimensions.  A measurement consists of a numerical value followed by any one of five different units: inches (in or "), centimeters (cm), points (pt), picas (pi), and lines (li).  The numerical value can be either integral or decimal, and positive or negative.  Decimal measurements are truncated to 4 decimal places.

The following equivalencies apply:

1 in 	=	72 pt	=	6 pi	=	2.54 cm

1 li	=	1/6 in	=	12 pt

1 pi	=	12 pt	=	1/6 in

1 li	=	1/6 in	=	12 pt

If you omit the units when you type a measurement, JewlLinr will use the Default Units specified in the Format Liner dialog box for all measurements except spacing, for which it will use lines.


Default Font

The font which is used to format all text, within a text area, that has not been specially formatted via the Font or Apply Font buttons in the text entry dialog box -- e.g. if no other fonts have been applied to data which was entered in the ‘Text - Left Spine’ entry dialog box, then all text will be formatted with the "left spine..." font.  All default fonts can be accessed under the Fonts menu and through the Format Text Areas dialog box.  There are as many default fonts as there are text areas.