If you are one of the many people who has bought the Peacock Summer Party CD, then thank you because you have helped to raise funds for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a rare neurological condition that my mother-in-law suffers from.
I have had two cases where Adobe Reader 8.1 was installed and working correctly with other CDs, but not with Artylicious CDs. In both cases, uninstalling Adobe Reader and re-installing it again solved the problem. I tore out a couple of handfuls of hair along the way trying to figure out what the problem was, and still don't know why the uninstall/reinstall fixed it, but it did.
Go figure!?!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
oops - A6 inserts on Season's Greetings
Er, it seems we labelled one of the inserts wrongly on the Season's Greetings CD. The insert on Disk 2 that says A6 is actually the square insert. To do an A6 insert, use the DL one and cut it down to fit.
I'm sorry about that - a little oversight on our part!
Glenda
I'm sorry about that - a little oversight on our part!
Glenda
Monday, October 8, 2007
Why do I need Adobe Reader to use the CDs?
I was asked the question recently - why do you need Adobe Reader when the CD seems to run just using Internet Explorer. I thought this was a very valid question, so I'm posting the answer here for everyone's benefit...
The CDs actually work in two parts - when you are browsing through the designs you are looking at them in your default internet browser which for most people is Internet Explorer. When you actually select a layout to print, you are opening up a PDF file. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print a PDF file, but this type of file has become so popular and widely used, that Adobe provide something called a "plug in" for most common internet browsers, to keep the whole thing seamless. So although it looks like the whole thing is done in Internet Explorer, when you are looking at one of the layouts, you are actually using Adobe Reader, but in its "plugged in" version, inside the browser.
So you do need Adobe Reader, but you shouldn't need to ever open it first to use the CD. It should all happen automatically inside your browser. The toolbar that you see just above the layout is not an Explorer toolbar, it's an Adobe one. That's why you can make the snapshot tool visible - you're tapping into Adobe's tools at that point. Also when you print, it's Adobe that is handling the print menu, not Internet Explorer. That was the whole reason for doing it this way, Internet Explorer is rubbish at printing and can't be relied on to keep everything on the page! PDF files were invented for printable documents.
So, for those of you who like to know how these things work, I hope that's helped explain it a bit better.
The CDs actually work in two parts - when you are browsing through the designs you are looking at them in your default internet browser which for most people is Internet Explorer. When you actually select a layout to print, you are opening up a PDF file. You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print a PDF file, but this type of file has become so popular and widely used, that Adobe provide something called a "plug in" for most common internet browsers, to keep the whole thing seamless. So although it looks like the whole thing is done in Internet Explorer, when you are looking at one of the layouts, you are actually using Adobe Reader, but in its "plugged in" version, inside the browser.
So you do need Adobe Reader, but you shouldn't need to ever open it first to use the CD. It should all happen automatically inside your browser. The toolbar that you see just above the layout is not an Explorer toolbar, it's an Adobe one. That's why you can make the snapshot tool visible - you're tapping into Adobe's tools at that point. Also when you print, it's Adobe that is handling the print menu, not Internet Explorer. That was the whole reason for doing it this way, Internet Explorer is rubbish at printing and can't be relied on to keep everything on the page! PDF files were invented for printable documents.
So, for those of you who like to know how these things work, I hope that's helped explain it a bit better.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Where's the snapshot tool gone?
For some reason best known to themselves, Adobe have not made the snapshot tool visible in the default toolbar. To make it visible, you need to right click (control click on a Mac) in the empty part of the Adobe Toolbar
to bring up a menu.
From the menu, left click on "More Tools" at the bottom and that will bring up a long list. Go right down to the bottom of the list and you will find the Snapshot tool. Click in the box next to the image to tick it and click on OK.
The snapshot tool should now appear in your toolbar.
So, what can you do with the Snapshot tool? Well this enables you to "grab" any part of the PDF file that you can see. Click the snapshot tool, then drag your mouse around something you want to copy, and when you let go, there's a flash (like a camera - get it?) and the area you selected is copied to the computer clipboard. Press the snapshot tool again to turn it off.
You can then go into another program that understands graphic images (Word, Publisher, PaintShop Pro, Photoshop, etc) and press paste (Control + V or right click and paste) to put your copied item into that program.
There are limits to it - you'll find that it will go pixelated if you try to enlarge the item, it's really much better for when you want to shrink something down or just select one tag from a page.
Anyway hope that helps all of you who feel lost without your Snapshot tool!
Glenda
to bring up a menu.From the menu, left click on "More Tools" at the bottom and that will bring up a long list. Go right down to the bottom of the list and you will find the Snapshot tool. Click in the box next to the image to tick it and click on OK.
The snapshot tool should now appear in your toolbar.
So, what can you do with the Snapshot tool? Well this enables you to "grab" any part of the PDF file that you can see. Click the snapshot tool, then drag your mouse around something you want to copy, and when you let go, there's a flash (like a camera - get it?) and the area you selected is copied to the computer clipboard. Press the snapshot tool again to turn it off.
You can then go into another program that understands graphic images (Word, Publisher, PaintShop Pro, Photoshop, etc) and press paste (Control + V or right click and paste) to put your copied item into that program.
There are limits to it - you'll find that it will go pixelated if you try to enlarge the item, it's really much better for when you want to shrink something down or just select one tag from a page.
Anyway hope that helps all of you who feel lost without your Snapshot tool!
Glenda
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Which Printer to buy?
We've had a few people lately who are looking for a new printer, and asking me which one I would recommend. I have access to a huge colour laser at the office, and two old inkjet printers at home which are no longer manufactured. So, I'm not exactly up to date and therefore completely unqualified to give advice!
So, my recommendation would be to take a look at the Which website which I think is one of the better sites for impartial advice. They test printers and explain features, so you can decide what is important to you and compare different models within your budget.
This link should take you straight to the printer section of the Which website, but if that changes and the link doesn't work, go to http://www.which.co.uk/ and search for printers.
Glenda
So, my recommendation would be to take a look at the Which website which I think is one of the better sites for impartial advice. They test printers and explain features, so you can decide what is important to you and compare different models within your budget.
This link should take you straight to the printer section of the Which website, but if that changes and the link doesn't work, go to http://www.which.co.uk/ and search for printers.
Glenda
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Gaps in the printing
We have had a number of cases reported of problems printing the A4 sheets from Damask Delights and Butterfly Bliss. What is happening is that three quarters of the page prints, then there is a white gap about an inch wide, followed by a little more of the pattern.
We have now identified that the problem is due to a mismatch between the version of Windows and the version of Adobe Reader.
We say on the CD insert that you need to have Adobe Reader 8 to use the CD properly and in order to run Adobe Reader 8, you need to have Windows XP with Service Pack 2.
The printing problem has happened on PCs with Adobe version 7 and it has also happened on PCs with version 8, but where they don't have Service Pack 2 installed.
How to fix it?
If you are using Adobe Reader version 7 , then try installing version 8. You can install it from the disk if you don't have an internet connection, but on a Windows XP computer, you MUST have Service Pack 2 for Adobe 8 to run properly.
There is another very simple way to fix the problem - Adobe have now released a new version of Acrobat Reader - version 8.1. (We supplied version 8 on our CDs as that was what was current at the time they were produced.) If you have an internet connection, you can go to the Adobe website and download version 8.1 which will work on PCs whether you have Service Pack 2 or not.
You can take a look at this article for more information on what all this technical stuff means!
We have now identified that the problem is due to a mismatch between the version of Windows and the version of Adobe Reader.
We say on the CD insert that you need to have Adobe Reader 8 to use the CD properly and in order to run Adobe Reader 8, you need to have Windows XP with Service Pack 2.
The printing problem has happened on PCs with Adobe version 7 and it has also happened on PCs with version 8, but where they don't have Service Pack 2 installed.
How to fix it?
If you are using Adobe Reader version 7 , then try installing version 8. You can install it from the disk if you don't have an internet connection, but on a Windows XP computer, you MUST have Service Pack 2 for Adobe 8 to run properly.
There is another very simple way to fix the problem - Adobe have now released a new version of Acrobat Reader - version 8.1. (We supplied version 8 on our CDs as that was what was current at the time they were produced.) If you have an internet connection, you can go to the Adobe website and download version 8.1 which will work on PCs whether you have Service Pack 2 or not.
You can take a look at this article for more information on what all this technical stuff means!
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
How to install Adobe Reader 8 from the Artylicious CDs
To install Adobe Reader 8
Adobe 8 is provided on Damask Delights and Butterfly Bliss.
Adobe 7 is provided on Fantasy Floral and Filigree Fusion.
To install:
Close down all programs.
Put the CD in the drive and when the program opens up, close it down by clicking the red X in the top right corner of the screen
Click on the Start menu, from the options that come up, you should see an item that says My Computer
Double click on My Computer
You should now have a window which shows you your hard drive and the CD drive with our CD in.
RIGHT click on the CD icon, then left click on Explore
You should now have a list of folders and files on the CD. Find the folder called Adobe Reader and open it by double clicking the folder.
Within that folder are three files, the one with the red Adobe icon is the one you need.
Double click the Adobe file and this will start the install process.
Follow the instructions and at the end, you need to accept the terms and conditions otherwise the program won't work.
(You also get a screen at the end asking if you want something called Beyond Adobe Reader. I would say no to this as I believe all it does is take you to their website to tell you about other products.)
Adobe 8 is provided on Damask Delights and Butterfly Bliss.
Adobe 7 is provided on Fantasy Floral and Filigree Fusion.
To install:
Close down all programs.
Put the CD in the drive and when the program opens up, close it down by clicking the red X in the top right corner of the screen
Click on the Start menu, from the options that come up, you should see an item that says My Computer
Double click on My Computer
You should now have a window which shows you your hard drive and the CD drive with our CD in.
RIGHT click on the CD icon, then left click on Explore
You should now have a list of folders and files on the CD. Find the folder called Adobe Reader and open it by double clicking the folder.
Within that folder are three files, the one with the red Adobe icon is the one you need.
Double click the Adobe file and this will start the install process.
Follow the instructions and at the end, you need to accept the terms and conditions otherwise the program won't work.
(You also get a screen at the end asking if you want something called Beyond Adobe Reader. I would say no to this as I believe all it does is take you to their website to tell you about other products.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)