Black Box 4/BlackBox.cdr/w3_apps/rockford.arj/ROCKFORD.DOC

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ROCKFORD!

Version 1.2

INTRODUCTION

Need a business card?  Rockford!'s your program. Using Rockford! with
Microsoft Windows 3.0, you can design professional-looking business
cards in just a few minutes. It's far easier to design your cards in
Rockford! than by following the traditional path of going to your
printer and trying to pick out a business card design from a book.

If you hired a graphic designer to create a business card, you'd
spend much more than you did for this program, and the results might
not be as good.  Using Rockford!, you have complete control over the
entire design process. Since you see your card on the screen, as it
will appear when printed, you can make as many changes as you like,
as often as you like.

PROFESSIONAL USERS

If you're a graphic design professional, or the owner of a small
print shop, Rockford!'s your answer too. Instead of your customers
trying to figure out what they want their cards to look like by
looking in your book, they can see the design on paper--before you
send it to the printer. The result is far fewer costly returns. You
have a happy customer and cash in your pocket.

There's even more.  Using Rockford!, you can print sheets of your
customer's designs, then copy them onto card stock.  Just cut the
cards and you can offer 1-hour business card service. Rockford!
doesn't take the place of a true print shop, but being able to offer
your clients a quick set of 100 cards while they wait can mean the
difference between a sale and a walk-out.

See the Feature section information about Rockford! Professional,
which includes special features just for professional use.

ROCKFORD!'S FEATURES

You can create just about any style of card with Rockford! Here's a
list of some of the features of the program:

WYSIWYG Design Screen
Horizontal and Vertical Card Designs
Use any Font Available in Windows
Line, Box, and Circle Drawing
Four Border Types
Adjustable Margins & Border Offsets
Text Alignment Tools
Split Lines of Type
Automatic Bulleted Lists
Insert Clip Art on Card
Preview Clip Art Before Loading
Scale and Position Picturesù.01" Accuracy
Insert Character Formats inside Lines
Print Card Layouts, with 200%-sized camera-ready copy
Print Sheets of Ready-to-cut Cards (9 or 10 cards per sheet)
Save Completed Cards to Disk.
Easy-to-use Interface
Online Help

EXTRA FEATURES IN ROCKFORD! PROFESSIONAL

Customize Printout Headings with Your Business Name
.001" Positioning and Scaling Accuracy
Clip Art Library


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

Rockford! requires an 80286 or 80386 computer, with at least 2 MB of
RAM. You also need Microsoft Windows 3.0, or a later version, plus a
hard disk and mouse. For printing, any Hewlett-Packard LaserJet or
compatible printer with at least 2.5 MB of memory is your best
choice. For best results, a font-scaling program, such as Adobe Type
Manager, is strongly suggested. Rockford! does not support the
SuperPrint font manager.

Rockford! does support PostScript devices.  However, clip art images
will not print on these printers in most cases. If you use a
PostScript printer, you must have matching screen fonts for your
PostScript fonts. If you use Adobe Type Manager, your system must be
set up properly to download fonts as needed.

Rockford! was written in Microsoft Visual Basic. To use it, as with
any Visual Basic program, the file VBRUN100.DLL, included on your
distribution disk, is required.

LICENSE INFORMATION

RockFord! is a shareware program. You may use it for 30 days to
decide whether or not you like the program. After this short
demonstration period, continued use requires that you pay a
registration fee to the author of the program.

Individual Users

To register your copy of Rockford!, send a check for $15, payable to
George Campbell, at the address below:

George Campbell
1472 Sixth Street
Los Osos, CA  93402

All payments must be in U.S. dollars, drawn on a bank in the United
States of America, and made payable directly to George Campbell.
Checks not meeting these criteria will be returned, if sent from a
U.S. address. Checks drawn on banks in other countries will be
destroyed, and no registration will be entered.

Registered users will receive the latest version of Rockford!,
including any new features. Since this software will be upgraded
regularly, getting the latest version is a real plus. Registered
users are also entitled to receive telephone, mail, and E-Mail
support from the author.

Professional Users

If you intend to use Rockford! in a business setting, you must
purchase Rockford! Professional. This version of Rockford! includes
special features designed to assist print shops and graphic
designers.

Registration for Rockford! Professional costs just $30, payable as
described above. Checks from businesses for the regular shareware
version will be returned. See the description of extra features
above. Rockford! Professional is not a shareware program. Support and
other privileges are the same as described above.

INSTALLATION

If you have manually installed other Windows software, you can
probably skip this section, although it's a good idea to read it in
any case.

To install Rockford!, first create a directory especially for the
program. If you need help with the DOS MKDIR (MD) command, see your
DOS manual.

Now, copy all the files included with Rockford! into your new
directory. You can use the DOS command line, the Windows File
Manager, or another Windows shell program to do this. Finally, copy
the VBRUN100.DLL file into your Windows home directory.

Now, start up the Windows Program Manager, if it's not already on the
screen. If you use another program shell, such as the Norton Desktop
Manager,  you'll need to consult that program's instructions on
manually installing a new program.  Otherwise, with Program Manager,
follow the instructions below:

1. Click once on the program group where you want the Rockford!
   icon to appear.
2. Click the Program Manager's File menu command.
3. Click the New command.
4. Click OK in the next dialog box to
   create a new program item.
5. Type Rockford!, then press the Tab> key.
6. Type the Path to your Rockford! directory, then type ROCKFORD.EXE.

Your entry should look like this (with your own path information):
C:\ROCKFORD\ROCKFORD.EXE

7. Check your information, then click OK.
8. The Rockford! icon will appear in the program group box you selected.
   You may have to use the scroll bars to find it, but you can then drag
   the icon to a new location.
9. Remember: in order to save your new Program Manager screen, you must
check the Save Changes box when you exit Windows after loading Rockford!

This completes the installation of Rockford! on your computer and
into Windows.

STARTING ROCKFORD!

To run Rockford!, start Windows, then double click on the Rockford!
icon. That's all there is to it. However, if you use another program
shell in Windows, you may have to use a different technique to start
the program. Consult your shell program's manual for detailed
information.

THE ROCKFORD! INTERFACE

When you start Rockford!, you'll have a short delay while the program
creates its font list and prepares the rest of the program. A notice
will appear on your screen as the program loads. If you have a large
font library, this may take up to a minute.

Next, you'll see the Rockford! screen, which is maximized to take up
the entire Windows screen. Unlike many other Windows programs,
Rockford! uses command buttons and drop-down list boxes to perform
most functions. The commands you need to create card designs are
always right on the screen, grouped according to function. Tradition
Windows menus duplicate most button functions, and offer some
less-used commands.

FLASHING SCROLL LOCK LED

Due to a missing feature in Visual Basic, I was forced to flash your
Scroll Lock LED on and off rapidly.  Please ignore this. It will be
corrected when Microsoft issues a new version of Visual Basic.

EDITING AND DISPLAY BOXES

You'll see two large boxes on the screen.  At the top is the
text-editing box. Here, you'll enter and edit all the text to be
included on your card. Just below it is another box, where a WYSIWYG
display of your card appears. You can't edit directly in this WYSIWYG
box.

Editing Text in Rockford!

Rockford!'s editing box works just like your Windows word processing
program. You can simply type your text in the box. Normally, the
program is in insert mode, but pressing the  <Ins> key switches to
overtype mode and back again. To position the cursor in your text,
either use the cursor keys or click the mouse cursor where you want
to type. If you select text by dragging with the mouse, new text you
type replaces the selected text.

Hint: Since Rockford! updates its WYSIWYG display whenever the cursor
moves from one line of text to another, you'll find it much faster to
reposition the cursor with the mouse in most cases. Use the mouse
whenever you're moving the cursor more than one line.

You are limited to 20 lines of text in Rockford!

LEFT SIDE BUTTONS

On the far left of your screen is a vertical row of buttons, in three
groups. These buttons handle basic file and printing operations.

The Text Group

This group has just two buttons:

[Edit] -- This button returns the cursor to the text editing box.
Since Rockford! always returns control to this box, you'll rarely, if
ever have to click this button.

[Exit] -- Click this button to leave Rockford!  You'll be asked to
confirm this choice.

The Card Group

Several buttons make up this group, which deals with files and your
card design as a whole.

[Update] -- This button updates the WYSIWYG display. To prevent
excessive delays, some commands used in Rockford! do not
automatically update this display. Any time you want to see an
updated version of your card, just click this button. Note: you can
also update your display by moving the cursor to a new line of text
in the editing box.

[Clear] -- This button clears your current card from the screen and
from memory. You'll be asked to confirm this command.

[New] -- This button clears your current card and prepares Rockford!
for an entirely new card, with no filename attached.

[Load] -- The Load command lets you retrieve an existing card design
from your hard disk. You'll see a typical Windows file opening dialog
box, listing the files available.  Normally, your card designs will
have the file extension .CAR, unless you specify a different
extension.

[Save] -- Saves the current card with the current filename. No
prompting takes place, and the design on the screen at the time of
the save overwrites any previous data. If no filename has been
assigned to the current card, the Save As dialog box will appear.

[Save As] -- Allows you to assign a new name for a card design.  If
you're creating several variations of the same card, be sure to use
this command to prevent overwriting a previous design. If you enter a
filename without an extension, Rockford! will add the .CAR extension.
It's best to stick to the default extension to avoid making changes
in the dialog box when you load designs.

[Print] -- This button drops the file menu down, highlighting one of
the available printing options. Click the mouse on the one you want
to use.

[AddPic] --This button opens a dialog box for loading graphical
images.  You'll see a list of files in the BMP (Bitmap) format,
including clip art files shipped with your copy of Rockford!.
Rockford! can use images in BMP, ICO, or WMF formats. To change the
file listing, simply change the search mask from *.BMP to another
search mask in the dialog box.

To preview clip art images, click on a clip art file in the filename
box. If you click just once, you'll see a preview of the image in the
size it will appear on your card. If it's too small or too large, you
can scale it later from within Rockford!. If you click on an invalid
file, Rockford! will simply ignore your selection. By clicking on
additional clip art filenames, you can preview all the graphics you
have available.

To load an image onto your card, double click on the file name you
want to load, or click OK to load the current image. If you click
Cancel, no image will load.


The Layout Group

[Horiz] -- This button selects the Horizontal card layout. This is
the default, and appears when you start Rockford! You won't need to
press this button unless you've changed to the vertical format. If a
card already exists on the screen, you'll be asked whether you want
to clear the design.

[Vert] -- This button switches to a Vertical layout. Notice that
you'll see less of the text editing box in this format. Use the
scroll bars to view more of your text. This command clears the card,
after allowing you to confirm or deny.

[Margins] -- This button lets you set customized margins for your
card. These margins affect only the top and sides, and do not alter
the position of any borders. The default is .1 inch. If an offset has
been added with the next button, that offset is added to the margin
automatically.

[Offset] -- This button controls the spacing between the card edge
and the borders drawn with the Border Type list box. The default is
0, and this command has no effect if the card design has no border.


RIGHT SIDE COMMANDS

On the right side of the editing and WYSIWYG screens are three other
groups of commands. These deal with text formatting and graphics.
Some of these are buttons, while others present options in list boxes
for easy selection.  Starting from the top:


Text Attributes (Insert Within Line)

These buttons allow you to insert boldfacing, italics, etc. within a
line of type on your card. When you click one of these buttons a
code, such as <Bold>, is inserted in your text, telling Rockford! to
change the attributes for all characters following the code. To
remove such a code, simply use normal editing tools to delete it in
the text editing box.

NOTE: You cannot place two formatting codes next to each other. At
least one character or space must separate formatting codes.  For
example, to add boldfacing AND italics, insert a bold code before a
space, then an italic code just before the word to be italicized.

[Normal] -- This inserted <Norm> code shuts off all other codes. For
example, to boldface a single word, insert a <Bold> code immediately
before the word, then a <Norm> code immediately following the word.

[Bold] -- Inserts <Bold> in your text.  Any font may be boldfaced.

[Ital] -- Inserts <Ital>.

[Underline] -- Inserts <Under>.

[Subscript] -- Inserts <Subs>.

[Superscript] -- Inserts <Supr>

NOTE: [Superscript] and [Subscript] allow you to position text above
or below the current line. Text size is reduced to 66% of the
original text. This may affect line spacing on your card.

NOTE: You cannot use any of the above buttons on lines which have the
Split at Tilde attribute, (See below). If you try, you'll see a
message box telling you this.

[Bullet] -- This button inserts a standard bullet character at the
current cursor position in the text editing box. Use it to create
bulleted lists on your card. You can insert bullets anywhere in your
text.


Text Attributes (Whole Line)

Unlike the previous set of commands, these commands affect an entire
line, and offer a great deal of control over your formatting.

[Line] -- Displays the current line number, as determined by the
position of your cursor in the text editing box.

[Dupe Previous] -- This button allows you to repeat the formatting of
the line above the current line. This is useful whenever you want
duplicate formats on several lines.  Just format the first line to
contain that format, then move to the next line and click this
button. All line attributes will be duplicated.

[Font] -- This drop-down list box displays the current font, and
allows you to change a line to another font. Click on the arrow to
drop down the font selection list.  Scroll through the list, then
click on your font selection.  You'll see a sample of your selected
font in a box just below this list box.

[Size] -- Displays the current size for the font used on the current
line. Click the arrow to drop down a list of available font sizes for
the line. Sizes range from 4 to 36 points, in one-point intervals for
the smaller fonts.  If you want a font size (whole numbers only) not
shown on the chart, just enter the number in the size display area
and press <Enter>.

HINT: Changing the font size of a blank line affects line spacing.
Use this trick to adjust line spacing in 1-point intervals.

[Border] -- Another list box, this one offers five options for card
borders, ranging from none, to single, double, bold, and thin/thick
double lines. The current selection shows in the display area. To
change, click the down arrow.

[Align] -- This control affects the alignment of the selected line.
The current setting shows in the display area. To change, click the
arrow, then select your option. You can choose, left or right
aligned, centered, or split lines.

NOTE: For split lines, you need to insert a tilde (~) in the text box
where you want the line to split. Rockford! will automatically
separate the two halves of the line. You cannot insert internal
formatting codes in split lines.

Normally, lines are split with the left half being aligned with the
left margin and the right half aligned with the right margin. By
inserting spaces before or after the text, you can create custom
alignments, such as blocks of text centered on both sides. Experiment
to create a card that looks right to you.

[Style] -- Four check boxes control text attributes for the entire
line. The Normal box, when checked, overrides all the others.  You
may, however, check as many of the others as you wish, creating even
Underlined Bold Italic text.

NOTE: You can turn off any of these attributes within a line, by
using one of the inserted buttons described above.


The Graphics Objects Group

This group controls line drawing, plus positioning and scaling of
both line drawing objects and inserted clip art images.

[Object] -- This drop-down list box allows you to select an
individual object for editing. As a default, the word PIC shows in
the display area, identifying a clip art image as the current object.
If you do line drawings, each line, box, or circle gets an object
number, which appears on the WYSIWYG screen with the object. To
manipulate an object, click the down arrow, then select the object of
your choice. You may create up to 12 line-drawing objects.

[Width] -- This box controls the width of line drawing elements.
Widths range from 1 to  24 pixels on the screen, which translates
roughly to point measurements on the printer. If you change the
current setting, it will affect the current object, if present, or
the next object you draw.

[Draw] -- This check box enables line drawing.  Click it before
attempting to create a line. Rockford! will automatically select the
next available object number.

[Line], [Box], [Circle] -- These options, only one of which can be
highlighted, determine the type of object you want to draw.

Draw [Black] or [White] Options -- These options control the color of
the object you are going to draw, or change the color of an existing
object. Black is the default color.


DRAWING AN OBJECT

To draw an object in the WYSIWYG screen, first select the type of
object ([Line], [Box],[Circle]), then set the width for the lines
used to draw the object. Next click on the [Draw] checkbox. Move the
mouse pointer inside the WYSIWYG display and depress the left mouse
button at the starting point of a line, the upper left corner of a
box, or the center of a circle.  While holding the button down, drag
the mouse pointer to a new location.  A rubber-band image of your
object will appear as you draw. Draw slowly for best results.  When
the object is approximately the right size, release the left mouse
button to place your object on the screen. A number will appear next
to the object to identify it. Don't worry if size or positioning
aren't exactly correct.  You can move or size any object later.

NOTE: Rockford! does not check to make sure your object is within the
boundaries of the card. That's your responsibility. Objects extending
past the card's edges WILL print outside the card's boundaries.

[Move], [Size] Options -- These two options determine whether the
scroll bars (see below) move or size the current object.

[Scroll Bars] -- Both horizontal and vertical scroll bars are
available to control positioning of graphical elements.  Depending on
which of the option buttons above has the highlight, you can
manipulate objects in .01 inch increments.


MOVING AN OBJECT OR CLIP ART IMAGE

Start by selecting the object in the [Object] list box.  Next, click
on the [Move] option button.

To move the object in .01" increments, click on the [Up], [Down],
[Left], or [Right] arrows on the appropriate scroll bar.

To move the object in .1" increments, click the scroll bar regions
between the arrows and the position button on the scroll bar.

To move the object in larger increments, click and drag the position
button on either scroll bar.

Dragging a Clip Art Image

You can also move a clip art image by dragging it around the screen
with the mouse. To do this, click the left mouse button somewhere
near the center of the image. Then, with the mouse button held down,
drag the image to a new location.  This technique is most useful for
large movements, and is less precise than moving an image with the
scroll bars. What works best is to position the image roughly with
the mouse, then use the scroll bars for precise positioning.


SCALING A LINE DRAWING OBJECT

First, select the object you want to resize, then click the [Size]
option button. Then, use the  scroll bars, as described above to
alter the size of the object. The increments are the same as when you
move an object. SCALING A CLIP ART IMAGE

First, select the PIC object in the [Object] list box.

Click the [Size] option button.

Use the scroll bars with the same increments as described above to
change the size of your image. The horizontal bar increases or
decreases the horizontal dimension.  The vertical bar alters the
vertical dimensions. The upper left corner of the image remains
fixed.  Once the image is the size you want, you can re-position it
with the [Move] option.

NOTE: For true proportional scaling of images, use the Graphics
Scaling command on the main menu to display the scaling submenu.
You'll find a complete description of this submenu in the section of
this manual on Menu Commands.

[Erase Selected] -- This button erases the current image, as
identified in the [Object] list box. This erasure is temporary.

[Restore] -- This button restores objects deleted with the [Erase
Selected] button. Objects remain in memory unless removed by the
[Clear] button, the [Draw] command is given, or until a new file is
loaded.

[Erase All] -- This button removes all graphical elements from the
screen. As with the erase selected button, the image remains in
memory, and can be restored with the Restore button.


MENU COMMANDS

Some, but not all button and list functions are duplicated in
traditional Windows menus. Other functions, less-often used, are
offered only in menus.   For duplicated instructions, see the
information in the section above for the equivalent button command.
Here's a rundown:

FILE MENU

New Card Design -- Clears the current card and set up for a new
design.

Open Card File -- Open an existing .CAR card design file.

Save Current Card -- Saves the current card with the current
filename.

Save Current Card As... -- Allows you to save the current design
under a different filename.

Insert Graphic File -- Lets you select a clip art image for insertion
in your design.

Print Card Layout -- This command, whether selected here, or after
pressing the Print button, prints your design in it's actual size,
and as a double-sized image, with crop marks. The double sized image
allows the printer to increase the resolution of your design to 600
dots per inch, which is perfectly adequate for business card
printing, especially when using the thermographic printing process.

In Rockford! Professional, you may specify the heading text which
prints at the top of the layout sheet. This lets you customize your
layouts with an advertising message. This heading prints in the
default font.  You can change this with the first command in the Font
menu.

Print Sheet of Cards -- This command prints an entire sheet of
actual-sized cards. In the horizontal format, you can print 10 cards
per sheet. In vertical format, you're limited to 9 cards per sheet.
In both cases, tiny dots on the page indicate the cutlines for the
sheet. Any good, sharp paper cutter will produce professional-looking
cards.

This feature allows you to print your own cards quite quickly, by
feeding card stock paper through your laser printer.  As an
alternative, you can print onto regular paper, then copy your sheet
on a copier loaded with card stock.

Copy shops, printers, and graphic designers can use this feature to
produce an instant set of cards to give customers for use while they
wait for the cards to arrive from the printer.

Exit -- Quits Rockford!, with a confirmation box.


EDIT MENU

To use this menu, you must first highlight text in the text-editing
box by dragging the mouse over the text you want to use.  Then, give
one of the commands, or its keyboard shortcut.

Copy -- Sends a copy of selected text to the Windows Clipboard.  Use
<Ctrl>+<Ins> as a shortcut.

Cut -- Removes selected text from the editing box, then stores it in
the clipboard.  <Shift>+<Del> is the keyboard shortcut.

Paste --  Copies text from the Windows Clipboard to the current
cursor location in the editing box..  Shortcut: <Shift>+<Ins>.


LAYOUT MENU

This menu duplicates the buttons in the Layout group.

Horizontal -- Changes design to the horizontal format.

Vertical -- Changes design to a vertical format.

Margins -- Sets margins for card text.

Offset -- Changes the offset for card borders from the edges of the
card design.


FONTS MENU

Make Current Font Default -- this command sets all the lines of  a
card design to the font currently shown in the font selection list
box.  Lines already having another font name will not change.  This
command also sets the font for printing the descriptive lines on
printed layout sheets.

Insert Character Styles in Line -- This command opens another menu,
which allows you to insert character formatting commands inside text
lines in the editing box.  These functions are the same as those in
the top group of buttons at the right of the screen.


PICTURE SCALING MENU

The functions in this menu are not duplicated with on-screen buttons.
Here you can re-scale a clip art image you've added to your design.
All scaling percentages affect the image as it currently appears --
not the original image.  Just click on the percentage of change you
want.

Custom -- This button brings up an input box which lets you enter a
customized scaling percentage for your clip art image. Type in a
value between 1 and 500 to scale your image, then click OK.
Remember, these figures are percentages and, in most cases values
ranging from 25% to 250% are most likely to give the effect you want.


HELP MENU

Help with Rockford!  <F1> -- This command opens a new window, which
presents help information for Rockford!  On the left of this screen
is an index of topics covered in the main help screen.  To get help
on a topic, just click on the topic's name.  You can scroll through
the list with the scroll bar to find other topics. Once the program
finds the topic, the index name will appear highlighted at the top of
the screen to the right, with the help information below. If your
information cannot be read all on one screen, use the vertical scroll
bar next to the help screen to move through the information.


TUTORIAL SECTION

In this section of the manual, you'll go through the process of
creating a business card, using all the features of the program. Just
follow the steps below.

After starting Rockford!, select a format, either horizontal or
vertical for your card. You can either click on the appropriate
button, or use the Layout Menu.

If the current font displayed under the Font box is not the one you
want to use for most of the text in the card, choose another font,
then give the "Make Current Font Default" command in the Fonts menu.

Now, enter text for your card in the text editing box. Press <Enter>
after each line. At this stage you can ignore the WYSIWYG display,
which will be updated each time you press <Enter>.

Click on the first line of text in the editing box, then, using the
command buttons and lists on the right of the screen, select a font,
size, alignment, and any character formatting you want on that line.

Repeat this sequence for each line.  Remember: You can use the [Dupe
Previous] button to duplicate the formatting of the line preceding
the current line.

Once all your lines are formatted, insert blank lines to space your
lines the way you want them. As lines move down, you'll have to
reformat them to suit your design. Choosing a default font, as
described above, can save considerable time.

If you need split lines, with text on both sides of the card, move
the cursor to the line to be changed, then insert a tilde character
(~) where you want the line to split, and type the right side of the
line.  Of course, you can do this when you first enter the text for
the line as well.  To split the line, select "Split Line at Tilde" in
the [Alignment] list box.

HINT: Rockford! updates the WYSIWYG display whenever you change to
another line, change a formatting option, or when you click the
[Update] button.  To avoid delays, always use the mouse to move from
one line to another.  Just click with the cursor where you want to
work. Using the cursor keys means that the WYSIWYG display updates
after each <Cursor Up> or <Cursor Down> keypress.

You can adjust the position of characters on your card by inserting
spaces at the beginning or end of text.  Experiment to get just the
effect you want. Click the [Update] button to view your changes.

Once all your text is in place, you may want to add lines, circles,
or boxes, using the tools in the Graphics Tools group of commands.
See the instructions above for details. Remember: you can alter or
delete any graphical element at any time.

LINE, BOX and CIRCLE HINTS:  Don't forget that you can draw in white,
as well as in black. You can erase part of a line or other object by
drawing over it in white. This allows a great deal of flexibility.

You may want to add a clip art image to your card. To do this, click
the [AddPic] button, or use the "Insert Graphic File" command in the
File menu.  Select your graphic from the file list in the dialog box,
then click OK to place it in the upper left-hand corner of the card.
Remember, clicking once on a filename in this dialog box lets you
preview your clip art images. Once you find the image you want, click
OK or double-click on the filename.

You can use any of the tools described earlier to position and size
your image. Remember, if you change either the height or width of an
image, you'll affect its proportions. To size an image without
altering its proportions, use the commands in the Graphic Scaling
menu.

If you'd like a border around your card, select one in the [Borders]
list box at the right of the screen. Your chosen border will appear
in the WYSIWYG box. NOTE: occasionally, thick border lines will
appear broken.  Don't worry...this will correct itself in a future
update, and printing will always be correct.

If you want your border to be farther from the edges of the card, use
the [Offset] button or the Offset command in the Layout menu. Enter a
new measurement, but keep in mind that .1 inch moves the border quite
a bit.  Experiment.  Remember that you can always change these
measurements later.

Similarly, you can use the [Margins] button or command to move the
text in from the border or card edges.  Again, make changes in small
increments.  A change of .01 inch will make a noticeable difference.

Check your card design frequently, making changes wherever necessary.
Once you're completely satisfied,  Use the [Save] button or command
to save your card. Then print a card layout sheet and inspect the
results.

NOTE: Due to differences in resolution between screen images and
printed output, you may notice minor differences in your card.  Check
your printout, then make changes in your design to produce the
results you want.


EDITING YOUR DESIGNS

Once you've designed a few cards, you can use them as templates for
future card designs. Rockford! Professional comes with a number of
stock card designs you can use as templates. It's easy to make
changes.

Editing Text

To replace existing text with new text, the easiest way is to
highlight existing text by dragging over it with the mouse, one line
at a time. Once the text is highlighted, just type your new text,
which will automatically replace the highlighted text.

Controlling Line Spacing

You can make fine changes in the spacing between lines of text. To do
this, make sure there's at least one blank line between the lines you
want to change. Then, position the cursor on a blank line and change
the font size for that line.  You'll see the changes on your screen.
You can make changes in 1-point (1/72") intervals. If you need a font
size smaller or large than those offered in the font size list,
simply type it in the display area of the list. Rockford! does not
accept fractional font sizes.


Placing Text Beside Clip Art Images

You'll often want to position text next to or around clip art images.
To do this, use the [Alignment] options. For example, to position
text to the right of an image, choose the Right Aligned alignment
option, then add spaces after the text to move it left to the
position you want. Similarly, use the Left Aligned option to position
text to the left of an image. This time, however, place your spaces
to the left of the text.

To wrap text on both sides of an image, insert a tilde (~) where you
want the text to break, then choose the Split at Tilde alignment
option.  Once again, pad the text with spaces to achieve the position
you need.


Working with Split Lines

Rockford!'s ability to split lines is very powerful, letting you
position blocks of text on both sides of the card.  Normally, the
right half of the line is left-aligned, while the right half  is
right-aligned. Often, however, you'll want to center blocks of text
or manipulate the alignment in other ways. As described above, use
spaces to pad the text until it's aligned just the way you want.
Click the [Update] button to view your changes.  It only takes a few
seconds to completely re-align your card.


Printing Samples

When working with complex card designs, it's always a good idea to
print occasional samples of your design for checking.  As mentioned
above, your printed image may vary slightly from the image in the
WYSIWYG screen. After printing a sample, you can make changes to
correct slight misalignments.


ROCKFORD! TIPS AND HINTS

As with all software, there are a number of tricks and techniques you
can use to save time and effort.  Here are some ideas for using
Rockford!: Printing

Printing layout sheets and sheets of cards takes time. Rockford! and
Windows have to compose graphical pages before a page emerges. You'll
need a little patience.

If you're printing sheets of cards for instant use, you'll get the
best results by printing a sheet on good quality white paper, then
using a copier to produce the final sheets on card stock. You can
print on any stock that will feed through the copier.

For maximum quality when printing Rockford! card designs, be sure
your laser printer has a good toner cartridge.  If you can set print
density, choose a medium or dense setting to achieve dark blacks for
reproduction.  If you're sending your card to a printer as
camera-ready copy, select a high-quality paper for printing. Special
papers designed just for camera-ready copy are available at office
supply stores.

Rockford! can handle color clip art images, but the final output will
depend on how your printer interprets the colors in your clip art.
You'll get the best results by far if you choose black and white line
drawings, rather than color or gray-scale images.

Creating Multi-Color Cards

You can use Rockford! to produce multi-colored cards. Simply design a
complete card, with graphics and all text elements.  Then, delete
information which will not print in a color and print a layout sheet
showing just the material for one color. Print a sheet for each color
to be used on your card.  Rockford! prints accurate registration
marks on its layout sheets for easy alignment by your print shop.

Working With Clip Art Images

Rockford! accepts three types of graphic images, Windows BMP (bitmap)
files, Windows ICO (icon) files, and WMF (Windows MetaFiles).
Graphics programs, such as Windows Paint, supplied with Windows 3.0,
can create these tiles.  The default file type for Rockford! is
Windows BMP. You can convert other file types to BMP files, using any
of a number of format conversion programs, such as HIJAAK,
Publisher's PaintBrush, and others.

The size of your image is important.  Art for business cards is quite
small, almost never exceeding 1" in any dimension.  Since Rockford!
deals with 300 Dot Per Inch (DPI) printers exclusively, it's clear
that a 300 X 300 pixel image will print as a 1" square.

While Rockford! can handle much larger images, it's usually better to
scale large images in a program specifically designed to do that.
Windows Paint can handle preliminary scaling quite well. If you have
a scanner, you can create your own clip art in minutes.  Simply scan
the image, then use your scanner software, or a program like Zsoft's
Publisher's Paintbrush,  to produce a BMP file approximately 300
pixels in each dimension. Naturally, tall narrow images will use
other dimensions, but you get the idea. While black and white line
images reproduce best in Rockford!, it's worth experimenting with
grayscale or color images.  Just save them as BMP files, then pop
them onto your card.

You can also create clip art images with any paint program which can
produce one of the file types that Rockford! supports. Creating
custom logos isn't difficult at all. Also, a number of clip art
libraries are available, both commercially and as shareware.  Most
often, however, these images will need conversion to a supported
format.

Finally, if you're not happy with the way an image prints in
Rockford!, remember these tips:

Very thin lines often don't print well, and don't reproduce well in
some printing processes, such as thermography.

Large black areas may present problems for your laser printer, and
sometimes don't reproduce as completely black.

Reducing a large image to business card logo size often results in
loss of detail.

Increasing the size of tiny images, such as Windows .ICO icon files
usually results in jagged lines on your printout.

Keep your images simple for maximum impact.

Complex line drawings usually don't work as well as iconic art which
attracts, but doesn't confuse, the eye.

For best results, set the density adjustment on your printer to a
medium or dense setting. The darker your blacks, the better your card
will look.


Lines, Boxes, and Circles

You cannot draw a graphical element which extends into a clip art
image. The line will end at the edge of the image. You can, however,
overwrite text with a line graphic. Let the WYSIWYG display be your
guide. Be careful not to let lines, boxes, or circles extend past the
card's borders. Always check the WYSIWYG display for conflicts.

Use the [Update] button to see the results of your changes. As you
draw and move lines, text may not appear if it has been overwritten.
Update to see the actual image.

Use the [Draw White] option to create special effects. Combining
thick lines with intersecting white lines can create interesting
effects. You can create quite complex drawings using the line drawing
tools alone, including simple logos.

You can also draw boxes or circles around existing text on your
design. It's best to first create the text, then follow up with
lines, boxes, and circles.  Use the positioning scroll bars for
precise sizing and placement.




TIPS FOR INSTANT BUSINESS CARDS

Since Rockford! can produce sheets of business cards, ready for
cutting, you can use it to create small batches of cards for any
purpose. Many professional users offer their clients a set of 50-100
cards to get them by until their printed or thermographed cards are
ready. Individual users can use this feature to produce their entire
set of cards, avoiding the print shop altogether.

Here are a few tips to get the best results:

Use the darkest setting available for your printer.

Select a good quality card stock paper, but make sure your printer
can handle this material. Not all laser printers can cope with heavy
paper. For Hewlett-Packard LaserJets,  a 50 - 60 lb. paper works just
fine.

Select the feed option for your printer which sends the paper on the
straightest path possible through the printer. Usually this means
using the read output tray.

Printing takes time. You'll get things done most quickly if you print
a sheet of cards on regular paper, then copy that sheet on card stock
with a high-quality copier.

Don't settle just for white card stock. If you're an individual user,
your local copy center can supply this material in several patterns
and colors. Using a colored or patterned paper will make your card
stand out.



DESIGNING EFFECTIVE BUSINESS CARDS

Rockford! doesn't design your business card.....You Do! With
Rockford!, your options are almost unlimited, and you can quite
easily produce either an excellent card which will produce a powerful
impact on those who receive it.  On the other hand, you can just as
quickly produce an ugly, ineffective card.

The best way to get ideas for business card designs is to study cards
others use. Go through your own collection of business cards or visit
a copy center or print shop and look at their samples. Which cards
jump out at you?  Which cards present an effective appearance?  Which
ones do you think are loud, garish, or inappropriate? By looking at
many card designs, you'll soon develop an eye for good design.

Still, there are a few basic principles to think about:

Make the card fit your profession. Doctors, lawyers, and other
professionals usually use conservative card designs with few
embellishments. On the other hand, if you're a gardener or a
musician, you may choose a bright, lively card design which grabs the
recipient's attention immediately and makes him or her remember your
name.

Don't overdo the use of fonts. While it's amazingly easy to include
multiple fonts using Windows, Rockford! and Adobe Type Manager, try
to resist the temptation.  Typically, your best bet is to choose one
attractive font for your name, company name, or other main lines,
then use a simpler font, such as Helvetica for details, such as
address and telephone number information.

Similarly, watch your use of graphics.  A garish or highly ornamental
graphic is usually not the most effective tool in card design.
Instead, select a company logo, or a simple line drawing which will
catch the reader's eye without shocking him or her. Most companies
have discovered that a highly-memorable icon logo is far more
effective in reminding people about the company than an ornate image.

The same thing applies to line, boxes, and circles. Keep your design
simple for best results. Don't let a too-bold line object overpower
your card. After all, you want your customers or clients to remember
your name or company name....not a line.

Finally, if your card needs to display several items in a list, try
using Rockford!'s bullet feature.  It's automatic and effective.


WHY REGISTER  YOUR COPY OF ROCKFORD!?

It's tempting to simply use Rockford! as you find it -- a complete
shareware program that may not cost you a cent. If you choose this
option, nobody will come to your home or place of business and arrest
you.

Still, there are a lot of good reasons to pay the modest fee I ask
for registration.

Benefits for All Users

You'll receive the latest version (I upgrade frequently)
You'll get telephone, mail and E-Mail support
You'll help support low-cost shareware software
You won't see annoying shareware notices


Benefits for Individual Users ($15.00 registration)

Additional clip art files come with your registered version.
No Shareware Notice on Printed Output


Benefits for Professional Users ($30.00 registration)

Additional Clip Art Libraries
Printed, Loose-leaf  Manual
Notification of Upgrades
Professional Features (See above)
Customized Title Lines for Layout Sheets
No legal problems. (This version required for professional use)

OTHER WINDOWS PRODUCTS FROM OsoSoft

Fonter 4.0

This program lets you print and view all your Windows 3.0 fonts, even
if you use ATM or Facelift. You can cut and paste special characters
into other programs, print a font list with samples of all your
Windows fonts, print character-set charts showing all available
characters for any font, or a complete font book, showing every font
and character available. In addition, you can zoom in on individual
characters for a close look.

REQUIREMENTS: 286/386 PC, Windows 3.0 or a later version, mouse,
hard disk, DOS 3.1 or a later version.
PRICE: $15.00
AVAILABILITY: NOW!


AdMaker

AdMaker works just like Rockford!, but is designed to create small to
medium-sized display advertising. You get camera-ready copy, with all
the trimmings. It includes reverses, line drawing and box tools, and
you can add up to 12 clip art or scanned images. Outputs to any
HP-compatible laser printer.

REQUIREMENTS: Same as Rockford!
PRICE: $30.00
AVAILABILITY: 1st Quarter, 1992


WinClip

WinClip is the perfect tool to accompany Rockford! or AdMaker. It
lets you manage your Windows .BMP, .ICO, and .WMF clip art. You can
preview your images, cut and paste to other applications, or print a
complete catalog of your clip art images.  WinClip includes a library
of useful business images and offers direct links to your paint
software.

REQUIREMENTS: Same as Rockford!
PRICE: $20.00
AVAILABILITY: 1st Quarter, 1992


Rockford! and this documentation are protected under U.S. and
international copyright laws. Any unauthorized use or distribution of
this program is prohibited.

Copyright, 1991, by George Campbell