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---------- HOW TO USE LABELS UNLIMITED --------- Table of Contents A. LABELS UNLIMITED IN ACTION . . . . . . . 1 B. WORKING WITH LABELS UNLIMITED . . . . . . 1 Printing the Reference Guide . . . . . 1 Defining a Label Format . . . . . . . . 2 Adding and Editing Labels . . . . . . . 4 Printing Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Printing Problems . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Working with Label Files . . . . . . . 11 Clearing a Label Series . . . . . . . . 12 C. EXITING THE PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Copyright 1987 Channelmark Corporation A. LABELS UNLIMITED IN ACTION Labels Unlimited lets you create professional-looking labels quickly and conveniently. Name tags, inventory labels, file labels, binder covers, labels for audio and video cassettes-- anything requiring neat, graphic printing is easy to produce. You do the creative part; your computer and printer take care of the tedious mechanical tasks. For each series of labels, you set the label size and choose one of sixteen preset formats that divide the printing area into as many as three zones. The formats provide nearly any text orientation (the way the letters read) within each zone-- including vertical text (one letter above the next). For each text line, you specify one of five type sizes, from Small (about 12 characters per inch) to Giant (1/2" high). You can set a different size for each line, and center the text or align it left or right. To save keystrokes, a "ditto" function duplicates lines on successive labels. A review feature lets you see all the entries for any line in a label series and sort them alphabetically. A numbering feature provides sequentially numbered labels. You can save up to 400 labels in each series, and print labels up to four across. Whatever label you need, Labels Unlimited can make it. The output is always crisp, neat, easy to read--and easy to produce. B. WORKING WITH LABELS UNLIMITED Labels Unlimited is so easy to use, you'll get good work from it the first time you run it--especially if you've read the instructions and printed the reference guide. Be sure to read these instructions to the end before working with the program. As you work, you'll see that the active function keys are always displayed at the bottom of the screen; when the program requires a response from you, a prompt appears. If you have a question about the current program activity, press F1, and a help screen will appear. For full details, press F2, and these instructions will appear. PRINTING THE REFERENCE GUIDE The program diskette includes a handy reference guide that illustrates each of the 16 available label formats. The reference guide contains sample labels that show some of the inventive things you can do with each format. The sample labels are by no means restrictive, however. As you work with Labels Unlimited you'll find that each format can become the basis of whole families of labels. The sample labels include borders, so you can see the size that was specified for each design. Page 1 Be sure to print the reference guide and add it as an appendix to these instructions. The samples in the guide will greatly enhance your understanding of the program. The file is set up to print on standard 8 1/2" by 11" continuous-form paper. To print the reference guide, select option 6, Print Me First, from the Main Menu. When you press Enter, the Print Me First screen appears. See "Printing Labels," below, for instructions on responding to the prompts on this screen. Labels Unlimited always displays your most recent printer selections. Check that these selections are correct, or change them if necessary. With the printer on-line and loaded with paper, press F10 to start printing. DEFINING A LABEL FORMAT Labels are created and saved in series of up to 400 labels each. The first step in creating labels is to set up a format for the entire series. For each label in the series, the label format determines the overall size, number of text zones, and the orientation of text within each zone. Once set, the format cannot be changed. Format information is saved with the label- series file, so when you later edit the file, the same format is used. Because the format must be accurate, it's critical to test your format by printing test labels, as described below. Always test-print your format before you save it, and never enter data into an untested format. Choose option 1, Define Label Format, from the Main Menu. The Define Label Format screen will appear. To set the format for the current label series, respond carefully to the prompts on this screen. Remember, once you add labels to a series, the format definition cannot be altered for that series. Here's how to proceed: TEXT FORMAT. There are 16 different formats, each with its own combination of text zones, character and line orientations. Press PgDn or PgUp until the format you want appears. For each format, a graphic key consisting of a large "E" and directional arrows appears. Text orientation varies by format: the arrows show the direction the lines of text will read; the large "E" shows the orientation (horizontal or vertical) of characters within the lines. Each format contains a large primary text zone, and some formats use secondary zones at left and/or right. Use the graphic keys, along with the printed reference guide (see above), as aids when you select a format. Each format is numbered for easy reference. LABEL SIZE. The Label Size prompts define the label dimensions and set the spacing between adjacent labels. Press the tab, Shift-tab, or up and down arrow keys to move between prompts; a box indicates the active prompt. Press the right and left Page 2 arrow keys to increase and decrease the displayed dimension by 1/16 inch at a time. Press the Control (Ctrl) key and the arrow together to change the value an inch at a time. NOTE: Standard labels measure to the nearest 1/16 inch and are usually separated from each other by 1/16 inch. Always measure the label you want to print, and then set the entries at the Label Size prompts to match. Don't trust the manufacturer's stated dimensions, since these often include the space between labels (many "one-inch" labels actually measure 15/16 inch). And be sure the total horizontal measure does not exceed the available print width: 8" for a standard-carriage printer, 13" for a wide-carriage model. Here are the Label Size prompts and the range of possible entries: TOP TO BOTTOM: Sets the height of each label in the current label series. Default = 15/16" Minimum = 3/8 " Maximum = 11" LEFT TO RIGHT: Sets the width of each label in the current label series. Default = 3 1/2" Minimum = 1 " Maximum = 13" VERTICAL DISTANCE BETWEEN LABELS: Specifies the space to allow between the bottom of one label and the top of the next label. The default value is correct for most tractor-feed labels. Default = 1/16" Minimum = 0" Maximum = 11" HORIZONTAL DISTANCE BETWEEN LABELS: For printing labels two or more abreast, this prompt specifies the space to allow between the right edge of one label and the left edge of the next. Leave it at the default setting for single labels. Default = 1/8 " Minimum = 0" Maximum = 5" DISTANCE TO LEFT MARGIN: After test printing your design (see below), use this prompt as needed to adjust the distance from the left edge of the label to the first character position. Default = 0" Minimum = 0" Maximum = 5" TESTING YOUR FORMAT. To test the format as set by the prompts on the Define Label Format screen, press F8, Print Samples. The Print Samples screen will appear. Make entries at the Page 3 prompts (see "Printing Labels," below, for detailed instructions), check that your printer is ready, and then press F10 to print. Labels Unlimited will print two rows of sample labels in the specified format, one to four labels wide (as specified at the Labels Across prompt). The printed samples include dummy text in several sizes, giving you a good idea of what the actual labels will look like. Elect to print borders, and solid lines matching the label dimensions will be printed, with dashed lines separating the text zones. If the borders line up exactly with the labels in your printer, size and spacing are correct. If the borders don't line up, press Esc to return to the Define Label Format screen. Change the settings at the Label Size prompts and print again. When you are happy with the look and fit of the specified label format, press F10 to record the format and return to the Main Menu. ADDING AND EDITING LABELS Once you have selected a label format (or loaded a label file from disk--see below), you can create and edit labels. Choose option 2, Add/Edit Labels, from the Main Menu, and the Add/Edit Labels screen will appear. The exact appearance of this screen depends on the current label format and the type sizes specified. When the format uses just one zone, the Add/Edit Labels screen displays a single Primary zone of up to 18 lines. When the format uses left and/or right text-entry areas, additional zones appear, with up to three lines each. A counter at the top of the screen shows the number of the current label in the series. Columns at either side show line numbers, text sizes, and text alignment. A highlight bar indicates the current line. The actual number of text lines available within a zone and the number of characters available within a line depend on the size of the label and the type size selected for each line. Sizes include Small (SML), Medium (MED), Large (LRG), Jumbo (JMB), and Giant (GNT). Smaller type yields more lines per zone and more characters per line. Samples of each type size are included in the reference guide (see above). Press Enter or the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight bar from line to line. The length of the bar always matches the number of characters available on the current line. When you first select Add/Edit Labels, Labels Unlimited displays the number of Small lines that will fill the zones in the current format. "Fog" covers the lines that won't fit the specified label format. When you change type size, the fog moves in and out to reflect the number of lines that will fit. As you add labels to a label series, the line sizes for the label last displayed are carried over to each new label. When the label series is complete, press Escape to return to the Main Menu. Page 4 CONTROL KEYS. Use the following keys as you enter and edit text: Ctrl-A Adds (inserts) a line above the current line; succeeding lines move down. Ctrl-D Deletes the current line; succeeding lines move up. Ctrl-E Erases text from the current line, leaving it blank. Ctrl-R Restores the line last erased. Alt-E Erases (clears) the current entries from the screen. Alt-R Restores the entries erased from the screen. Ins Changes between insert and overwrite modes. Del Deletes the character at the cursor position. Home Moves the cursor to the top of the screen. End Moves the cursor to the bottom of the screen. Tab Moves the cursor to the next non-ditto line (see below). Shift-tab Moves the cursor to the previous non-ditto line. PgDn Displays the next label in the current series. PgUp Displays the previous label in the current series. Ctrl-Home Displays the first label in the series. Ctrl-End Displays the last label in the series. F3 SIZE: Changes the type size (and thus the number of available characters) for the current line. When you press F3, a window appears, listing the type sizes. Press the up and down arrow keys to highlight your choice; press Enter to select it. A three-character abbreviation to the left of each line indicates the currently selected type size. F4 ALIGN: Changes the alignment of the current line. When you press F4, a window appears, listing the alignment options. If the line prints horizontally, the options are left, center, and right (coded L, C, R on your screen). If Page 5 the line prints vertically, the options are top, center, and bottom (coded T, C, B). Press the up and down arrow keys to highlight your choice; press Enter to select it. F5 DITTO: Turns the Ditto function on and off for the current line. Use the Ditto function to avoid repeating keystrokes when labels in a series contain duplicate text. Ditto lines are duplicated on the next label in the series when you press F10, Add Another (see below). An asterisk indicates each ditto line. When Ditto lines are used, the tab key moves the highlight bar between non-Ditto lines only, allowing quick text entry. The Enter and up and down arrow keys move to all lines, including Ditto lines. The Ditto function can be turned on and off within a label series, so you can use it as needed. And do use it whenever possible; it saves an amazing amount of time. For example, you might set up a label that looks like this (asterisks represent Ditto lines): * HELLO! * My name is NAME * Sales Department With this format, you can quickly create individual labels for the sales department. Then, to create labels for another department, you'd change the Sales Department line, still keeping it as a Ditto line. The name of the new department, Accounting, for example, would appear in each subsequent label, until, of course, you edited the line again--or changed it to a non-Ditto line. F6 COUNT: Identifies the current line as containing an auto- incrementing "count" field. That is, each time you print multiple copies of the label, a designated number on the current line is increased by one on each successive copy. Use the Count function to produce sequentially numbered labels of otherwise identical design. Any or all lines can contain a single auto-incrementing field. Numbers ranging from 0000 - 9999 can be incremented, and you can begin with any number in the range. Like an automobile odometer, the highest number in the series is always 9 in each character position. When a 9 appears in each available position, the count field starts over. Thus, 0 counts to 9, then returns to 0; 00 goes to 99 and then back to 00, etc. When you create a Count field, be sure to provide enough digits at the beginning to reach the anticipated total. You can increment any one to four digit segment of any number in the range. Thus the last three numbers of a label that reads, "Part Number 388-0600-500" could be incremented--or the first three, or the middle four, or any one to four digit segment anywhere within the number. Page 6 To identify a number or numeric segment for incrementing, type the number or segment on the selected line. Next, place the cursor on the left-most numeric character, and then press F6 (Count). That character, plus the next three numeric characters to the right (if any) will begin to blink; the blinking characters are now identified as the first number in the one to four digit count field. To complete the line, add any other characters you need (they will not affect the count field you have just identified). These examples show what you can do: To increment the number 000, place the cursor under the left-hand 0, and then press F6; 000 will blink and will count (001, 002, etc.) to 999 before returning to 000. To increment the middle four digits of the number 100- 0000-100, place the cursor under the third 0 from the left, and then press F6; the middle four 0's will blink and count to 9999 before returning to 0000. To increment just the first two digits of the number 5000, type the digits 5 and 0, place the cursor under the 5, and then press F6; 50 will blink. Finally, place the cursor to the right of 50, and type the remaining two 0's. The first two digits of 5000 will continue to blink, but the last two digits will not. The first two digits will count from 50 through 99, then go to 00, and then count to 49 before returning to 50. When you design labels with Count fields, take advantage of the great flexibility this feature provides. You might let a serial number appear more than once, perhaps in different sizes and orientations, or create a count field that provides a tally ("Item 085 of 100" for example). The printed reference guide has good examples of both ideas. Most labels that contain count fields should be saved as files containing just one label: to get numbered labels, you simply print multiple copies. F7 MORE: Displays a window containing a menu of four additional commands. Press the up and down arrow keys to highlight your choice; press Enter to select it. PRINT LABEL: Prints the current label. Use this option when you want a sample copy--or multiple copies--of the current label. When you select this option, the Print Labels screen appears. See "Printing Labels," below, for printing instructions. An additional prompt, Print to End of Series? (Y/N), appears on this version of the Print Labels screen. To print labels from the current label to the end of the label series, type Y (yes); to print just the current label, leave the prompt set at N (no), the default setting. Page 7 Printing to the end of the series lets you add labels to a series, then print only the ones you've added--handy when you've already printed the first labels in the series, or when your printer jams halfway through a series of labels. REMOVE LABEL: Removes the currently displayed label from the series. Use this option to eliminate labels you no longer need. When you select this option, a message appears asking you to confirm the command (unless the label is blank). Press Y (yes) to remove the label; press N (no) to cancel the command and return to the Add/Edit Labels screen. DISPLAY FORMAT: Opens a window that displays the current label format. Use this option when you want a quick reminder of what your label will look like. Press F10 to return to the Add/Edit Labels screen; or, to adjust the left-hand margin and the vertical and horizontal distance between labels, press F3 (Change Label Separation). This function allows you to adjust the print position of your labels, but not their size, which was permanently recorded when you set the label format. When you press F3, a small command area is added to the window, and a highlight bar appears at the Vertical Distance Between Labels prompt. Use the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight bar between prompts. Use the left and right arrow keys to adjust the highlighted setting by sixteenths of an inch; to adjust by inches, hold the Ctrl key down as you press the arrow keys. Press F10 (Continue) to save your changes and return to the Add/Edit Labels screen. Press Esc (Restore) to return to the Add/Edit Labels screen, restoring the label-space settings as they appeared when you pressed F3. SHOW/SORT BY LINE: Displays a screen that lists the contents of the current line for all labels in the series. Use this option to check previous entries, or to locate and move to another label in the series. Use Home, End, PgUp, PgDn, and the up and down arrow keys to move about in the list. When there are more entries than will fit on the screen, small arrows point the way to additional entries. To sort the items in the list alphabetically, press F5, Sort Up; to sort in reverse alphabetical order, press F6, Sort Down. To restore the original sort order--the one in effect when you selected Show/Sort by Line--press F7, Undo. The order in effect when you exit this screen becomes part of the file the next time you save it. The sort function lets you use key line entries to search for and display any label in a series. A highlight bar appears over the line entry belonging to the label you were on when you pressed F7. To move to another label, sort the Page 8 list, and then highlight the matching line entry belonging to the other label. Press F10, and the Add/Edit Labels screen will reappear, this time displaying the label whose line entry you highlighted. To see how useful the Sort feature is, load the sample video-cassette label file, VIDEO.LBL (see "Working with Label Files," for file-loading instructions). Go to the Add/Edit Label screen and highlight the name of the first actor on the first label. Then press F7 and select Show/ Sort by Line. A list of all the leading actors will appear, with the first actor highlighted. Press F5 (Sort Up), and the list will appear in alphabetical order, making it easy to look up a particular actor. Repeat the process for the "star" rating line. This time Press F6 (Sort Down), and you'll see how many good movies appear on the list. There's a surprise at the top of the list. Press Home to highlight that top item, and then press F10, to see which film earned such high acclaim. Make a habit of checking key lines in a label series for accuracy and completeness. To do this quickly, use Show/Sort by Line to alphabetize the line entries, and then check the list. F10 ADD ANOTHER: Adds a new label to the end of the label series. All specifications from the label last displayed, including ditto lines, are automatically duplicated on this new label. It's a good idea to add a blank label to the end of each label series. Then, when you print, the labels will advance one row at the end of the series, allowing you to remove the newly printed labels without changing the print head alignment. Although it "wastes" a row of labels, you then can print the next label series without readjusting the labels in your printer. Generally, this is a fair trade. PRINTING LABELS To print the label series currently in memory, choose option 3, Print Labels, from the Main Menu. The Print Labels screen will appear. Respond to the print specification prompts, pressing the tab and Shift-tab keys to move between prompts. When all prompts are filled in, check that your printer is on-line, with labels or paper in position, and then press F10 to begin printing. When printing is complete, the Main Menu will reappear. Here's how to respond to the prompts: COPIES PER LABEL: Enter the number of copies (1-9999) of each label you want to print. Count fields (see above) will be incremented on each label. PRINT LABEL BORDER: Type Y (yes) to print a border around each label. The border is sized to the specified label dimensions Page 9 and corresponds to the edges of the label. Dashed lines separate text zones. Use this option to adjust tractor-feed labels in your printer when testing a label format: when the border prints exactly on the edges of the labels, the labels are correctly aligned. Also use this option to print sample labels on plain printer paper; it helps save on label stock. LABELS ACROSS: Specify the number of labels to be printed in each row. Use this prompt when you are printing tractor-feed labels and there are two, three, or four labels side-by-side in each row. PRINTER SELECTION: From the displayed list, enter the number that matches your printer. PRINT TO: Type the name of the port your printer is connected to. Valid entries include LPT1, LPT2, LPT3, COM1, COM2, and PRN. Try LPT1 first if you are uncertain. SINGLE / DOUBLE PASS: Type S for single pass, D for double pass. The latter yields darker labels, but takes more time, as the print head must move over each line twice. BIDIRECTIONAL: Type Y for yes, N for no. To print faster, select bidirectional (left to right, plus right to left) printing. Turn this option off if the character output takes on a jagged appearance, or if your printer does not support bidirectional printing. If your printer doesn't support bidirectional printing in graphics mode, your response to this prompt is ignored. Don't forget, you need not produce the entire label series each time you print. From the Add/Edit screen, press F7 (More), and then use the Print Label prompt to print the current label. (The Show/Sort by Line prompt makes it easy to locate labels for printing, especially in a long list.) Or use the Print to End of Series prompt to print from the current label to the end of the series--when you need to print the most recent additions to a list, for example. PRINTING PROBLEMS. If you have a printing problem when working with Labels Unlimited, check the items in the list that follows. Always begin with your equipment, then analyze your printout. Here are some possible problems and their solutions: PRINTER REFUSES TO PRINT CORRECTLY. If your printer prints "garbage," or refuses to print at all, check the following items. Then turn your printer and computer off for a minute, turn them back on, and try again: 1 Make sure your printer cable is tightly plugged into both the computer and the printer and that the printer is on-line and is not out of paper or ribbon. 2 Make sure you've specified the right printer selection Page 10 and that your printer has any required options. 3 Make sure that all printer switches are properly set to print graphics (see your printer manual for details). 4 If you are using a serial printer, make sure the COM port has been properly configured with the DOS MODE command. See your DOS manual. 5 If you have an Okidata printer, first turn it off, then on. Then specify the IBM option on the Print Label screen and print again. 6 If the problem persists, return to the Print Labels screen. Select S at the Single/Double Pass prompt and N at the Bidirectional prompt. Turn your printer off, then on. Try printing again. VERTICAL ALIGNMENT: If vertical alignment seems to change as you're printing, the problem lies in the label format, not your printer--it's either an inaccurate top-to-bottom dimension or an inaccurate vertical spacing specification. All is not lost. Press Esc to stop printing. Return to the Add/Edit screen, press F7 (More), and choose Display Format. Press F3 (Change Label Separation), and then change the vertical spacing. Press F10 (Continue) to save the new entry and return to the Add/Edit screen. Now press F7 (More) again. This time, select Print Label, and then choose Print to End of Series. When the Print Label screen appears, adjust the labels in your printer, and then press F10 to continue printing where you left off. WORKING WITH LABEL FILES Each label series you create is contained in a DOS file you can save, retrieve, and erase. To work with a label file, select the Get/Save/Remove function (Main Menu option 4), and then follow the instructions below. GETTING A LABEL FILE. Before you can print or edit a previously saved label series, you must first load it into memory. Select option 1, Get Label File, from the Get/Save/Remove Menu, and a list of files in the current directory will appear. The current drive and directory names appear at the Name of File prompt, followed by the cursor. To get a file, type its name, press Enter, and Labels Unlimited will open the file and return to the Main Menu. To change to a different drive or directory, backspace over the current drive and directory entry, type a new entry, press Enter, and a new listing will appear. IMPORTANT: When you get a label file, the disk it is stored on must remain in the drive while you add to, edit, or print the file. Do not remove the disk until you have saved or cleared the file (see below), or you have exited the program. Page 11 SAVING A LABEL FILE. To save the label series currently in memory, select option 2, Save Label File, from the Get/Save/Remove Menu, and a list of files in the current directory will appear. The current drive and directory (and filename, if the file was retrieved or saved before) appear at the Name of File prompt. To save the file, type its name (if needed), and then press Enter. Labels Unlimited will save the file and return to the Main Menu (if the file was previously saved, you'll be asked to confirm the command). To save the file in a different drive or directory, backspace over the current entry, type a new one, and then press Enter. By the way, it's helpful to use a standard extension--LBL, for example--to identify your label files. REMOVING A LABEL FILE. To remove a label file from disk, select option 3, Remove Label File, from the Get/Save/Remove Menu. A list of files in the current directory will appear. The current drive and directory names appear at the Name of File prompt, followed by the cursor. To remove a file, type its name, and then press Enter. For safety, Labels Unlimited will ask you to confirm the command. Press F10 to remove the file; press Esc to cancel the operation and return to the Main Menu. To change to a different drive or directory, backspace over the current drive and directory entry, type a new entry, and then press Enter. A new listing will appear. Follow the instructions above to remove a file from the new listing. CLEARING A LABEL SERIES When you clear a label series you remove all data from the current label series, leaving only the format in memory. This allows you to define a new format. It's also a convenient way to use an old format as the basis for a new series of labels (type specifications for the new series are set by the label last displayed in the old series). When you create the new series, you can give it a new name when you save it, or you can keep the old name and overwrite the original file. To clear the label series currently in memory, select option 5, Clear, from the Main Menu. Labels Unlimited will ask you to confirm the command. Press F10 to continue; press Esc to return to the Main Menu without clearing. C. EXITING THE PROGRAM To exit the program and return to DOS, select E from the Main Menu. The message, "Exit to DOS (Y/N)?" will appear. Type Y (yes) or N (no). When you type Y, you exit Labels Unlimited and the DOS prompt appears; N returns you to Labels Unlimited. If you try to exit without saving the current labels, Labels Unlimited warns you so that you can return to the Main Menu and save your work. --- End of Instructions --- Page 12