Polaroid ID CARD MAKER ENTRY User Manual

ID Card Maker Entry Online User Documentation

This file contains information about Polaroid ID Card Maker identification software version 6.0 or higher. Some information included here may not apply to your environment.

Please choose a title below to view the document, or click on the titles to the left of this page.

Operator’s Guide for ID Card Maker Version 6

Administrator’s Guide for ID Card Maker Version 6

Polaroid PCID Printer and Magnetic Stripe Plug-ins

Legal Notices

Conventions Used in the Online User Documentation

Comments? Suggestions?

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Legal Notices

The design and information contained in these materials is protected by US and international copyright law.

U.S. Patent No. 6,632,250.

Names and logos in sample projects are fictitious. Any similarity to actual names, trademarks, or trade names is coincidental.

Polaroid and Polaroid & Pixel are trademarks of Polaroid Corporation.

Adobe and Acrobat are registered trademarks and Type Manager is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.

All other product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Portions of the bar code technology of this product are copyrighted by StrandWare, Inc.

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Conventions Used in the Online User Documentation

Notes remind or inform you of something you should know before proceeding.

Names of menus, dialog box options, and buttons appear in bold type.

File names also appear in bold type, and the variable part of the file name is in bold italics (for example, project name.iwx indicates that you supply the project name while iwx remains constant).

Names of keyboard keys appear in large and small capital letters (for example,

ENTER).

Information you enter appears in regular italic type (for example, you may be instructed to type Admin to log in to an ID Card Maker application).

Parts of dialog box names that change depending on a name you supplied appear in brackets [ ].

Blue text indicates a jump (link) to the referenced topic for online reading.

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Comments? Suggestions?

Please send comments, suggestions, or corrections to:

ID Card Maker Information Development Polaroid Commercial ID Systems 4650 Executive Blvd. Ft. Wayne, IN 46808

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Operator’s Guide for

ID Card Maker Version 6

About the Operator’s Guide _________________________________________________ iv

Chapter 1: System Overview _________________________________________ 1

Introducing the ID Card Maker “Project” _____________________________________ 1 Getting Started_____________________________________________________ _________ 2

Start an ID Card Maker Application_______________________________________ 2 Using the Welcome Dialog Box___________________________________________ 3 Using ID Card Maker Applications ________________________________________ 3

Opening a Project __________________________________________________________ 5

Chapter 2: Using the ID Card Maker Process Application ______________ 7

Using an ID Card Maker Project ______________________________________________ 7

Entering Information in Text Fields_________________________________________ 8 Using Photo Fields _______________________________________________________ 9

Photo from File______________________________________________________ 10 TWAIN__________________________________________________________ ____ 10 TWAIN (Fast)________________________________________________________ 11 Video for Windows__________________________________________________ 12 Video for Windows (Fast) ____________________________________________ 13 Optional Cameras __________________________________________________ 13 Selecting a Different Photo Source __________________________________ 13 Cropping and Adjusting Photos______________________________________ 14

Rotating Photos _________________________________________________ 15 Selecting an Exposure ___________________________________________ 15

Starting Over____________________________________________________ 17 Previewing Cards_____________ __________________________________________ 17 Printing Cards __________________________________________________________ 18

Using the Project Database _________________________________________________ 20

Changing Information in a Database____________________________________ 20 Entering a New Database Record_______________________________________ 21 Deleting a Database Record____________________________________________ 22

ii ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Chapter 3: Searching the Database _________________________________ 23

Performing a Search _______________________________________________________ 23

Refining the Search____________________________ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ____ 24 Navigating Search Results_______________________________________________ 25

Index ______________________________________________________________ 27

ID Card Maker Entry Ver sion 6 Operator’s Guide iii

About the Operator’s Guide

This document, part of the online User Documentation, guides users of the Process application through the tasks they perform.

Other sources of information about ID Card Maker applications are:

• The CD insert tells how to install ID Card Maker software.

• The online help system tells you how to perform ID Card Maker

tasks. You can access the online help system from the Help menu in each ID Card Maker application or by pressing the F1 key.

• The Administrator’s Guide, also part of the online User

Documentation, explains why you might want to use the various features available in the ID Card Maker applications. It also suggests the order in which tasks should be performed.

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Chapter 1: System Overview

Polaroid ID Card Maker Entry Edition includes three applications:

ID Card Maker Designer lets a System Administrator create projects that meet your organization’s specific needs for card designs, data entry, and database access.

ID Card Maker Production lets you use the projects you create in the Designer application to gather information, access your database, and print identification cards.

ID Card Maker Administrator contains tools to configure your ID Card Maker software.

Introducing the ID Card Maker “Project”

An ID Card Maker project is similar to a folder or directory on a computer: it is the container that holds information about an identification implementation.

A project contains a Production Form, a card design, and a database.

By using field connections, information entered in a Production Form can be saved in a database, printed on a card, or both. The Production Form can also be used to query an existing database so that you can add or change information in the database or print cards using information in the database.

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System Overview

Getting Started

The rest of this chapter explains the steps you take to begin using your ID Card Maker identification software.

Start an ID Card Maker Application

To begin using ID Card Maker software, on the taskbar, click Start, and then click Programs, Polaroid, ID Card Maker, and then ID Card

Maker Entry Process.

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System Overview

Using the Welcome Dialog Box

The Welcome dialog box appears.

From this dialog box you can open an existing project. If the project you want to open is not listed, click More projects to display the Open Project dialog box, which lists all ID Card Maker projects available to you.

Using ID Card Maker Applications

ID Card Maker applications let you perform most actions several ways: by selecting menu commands with the mouse, or with the keyboard, or by clicking a toolbar button, or by clicking the right mouse button and selecting from the pop-up menu. Key commands or shortcuts for actions common to many applications—such as print and save—follow Microsoft Office conventions; you do not have to relearn your favorite shortcuts.

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System Overview

Most ID Card Maker applications have several toolbars, and you can display or hide toolbars to match the way you prefer to work. When you rest the mouse pointer on a toolbar button, the name and function of the button appears.

A status bar at the bottom of the window provides additional information about the application

. As with toolbars, you can choose to

view or hide the status bar.

Menu Bar

Toolbar Statu s B a r

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System Overview

Opening a Project

To open a project, from the menu bar select File and then Open Project (either with the mouse or with the keyboard).

*** IDCM Entry screenshot goes here

The Open Project dialog box opens. Select a project from the list of projects that are available to you and then click the Open button.

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 Operator’s Guide 5

System Overview

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Chapter 2: Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

This chapter uses the sample projects that came with your ID Card Maker software to explain your tasks. The projects you will use will be created to meet your specific needs, but they will probably follow the same general principles.

This chapter gives you background information about using the ID Card Maker Process application. While you are using the software you can get step-by-step instructions on the task you are doing by pressing the F1 key or by selecting Help Topics from the Help menu.

Using an ID Card Maker Project

When your project opens, the pointer will be in the field that the designer of the project designated as the starting field. (This is usually the field in the upper left corner of the window.) The New button on the toolbar will be “pushed in” and there will be a check mark next to the New command on the Record menu.

You can start entering information immediately. Most fields will have a prompt that indicates the kind of information you are to enter in the field. You can move between fields by tabbing or by clicking with the mouse.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

The following sections discuss how to enter information into each type of field you may find in your project.

If you need to start over with the record, from the menu bar select Record and then Refresh. All fields will return to the way they were when you selected the record from the database.

Entering Information in Text Fields

Text fields

Most fields will be text fields. There will be a maximum number of characters you can enter in a text field. If a text field stops accepting characters, it may be that you have reached the maximum field length.

If you enter more characters than the text field entry box can display, the text might scroll. You can see all the text using the H

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OME, END, left

Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

arrow, and right arrow keys. You can also ask the project designer to make the text field wide enough to display all the text.

Using Photo Fields

Photo field

Whenyou enter a photo field, a photo capture begins.

The dialog box for the default photo source opens. If an “Unable to capture photo . . .” message appears, you must select a source for the photo. From the menu bar, select Capture and then Select Capture Source. See the online help topic “Select a photo source” for step-bystep instructions.

If you need to select a source, check with your System Administrator. They may have forgotten to assign a source.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

The following paragraphs show the dialog boxes that open for the photo sources that are available on all ID Card Maker computers.

Photo from File

If the photo source selected is Photo from File, the Open dialog box opens. You use standard Windows navigation techniques to find the drive, folder, and file that contains the photograph that should be used. Your supervisor or ID Card Maker System Administrator will supply you with the file location and file naming scheme to use. When you select a file, a “thumbnail” of the file displays so you can verify that you have the correct file.

When you have found the file you want, click Open.

TWAIN

If the photo source selected is TWAIN, the TWAIN Interface dialog box opens. (The TWAIN standard specifies how an application, such as ID Card Maker Process, can activate a scanner, digital camera, or other image-capturing device.)

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

When you click the Select Source button, the Select Source dialog box opens. It lists all the TWAIN devices installed on your computer.

Select the device you want to use and click the Select button. The Select Source dialog box closes. In the TWAIN Interface dialog box, click the Acquire Photo button. The software application that is associated with the device you selected opens.

Because there are many different TWAIN devices made by many different manufacturers, this document cannot supply explicit instructions for using your TWAIN device. See the documentation that came with your device, or ask your supervisor or ID Card Maker System Administrator for step-by-step instructions.

TWAIN (Fast)

If the photo source selected is TWAIN (Fast), the last TWAIN device used is automatically selected. See the documentation that came with your device or ask your System Administrator for step-by-step instructions.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

Video for Windows

If the photo source selected is Video for Windows, the Video for Windows Interface dialog box opens.

When you click the Select Source button, the Select Source dialog box opens. It lists all the Video for Windows devices installed on your computer.

Select the device you want to use and click the OK button. The Select Source dialog box closes.

If the Source list shows a Video for Windows source (possibly designated VFW) and a Windows Driver Model (WDM) source for your camera, selecting the Windows Driver Model entry usually gives better results.

In the Video for Windows Interface dialog box, click the Acquire Photo button. The Video for Windows Camera dialog box opens.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

When your subject is ready, click Take Photo. The camera captures the image and the label on the button changes to Retry. If the photo is unacceptable (for example, if the subject’s eyes are closed), click Retry. If the photo is acceptable, click OK. The Photo Crop and Adjust dialog box opens. See Cropping and Adjusting Photos

Video for Windows (Fast)

If the photo source selected is Video for Windows (Fast), the Video for Windows Camera dialog box opens immediately. You do not have to select a source.

on page 14.

Optional Cameras

In addition to the photo sources already described, your ID Card Maker system may include an optional capture device, such as a Polaroid ID Card Maker Image Capture product. These optional devices have special software that makes them especially easy to use with your ID Card Maker system. Optional cameras are explained in their own online documents, which you access through the Windows Start menu.

Selecting a Different Photo Source

You can use a photo source other than the one specified when your project was created. See the online help topic “Select a photo source” for step-by-step instructions.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

Cropping and Adjusting Photos

The Photo Crop and Adjust dialog box will open as soon as you have selected your photo. Your photo will appear in the image area with four squares, called sizing handles, around the outside.

To zoom in on the subject (eliminate unnecessary background), click and drag any sizing handle, then release the mouse button. The crop box proportions, set by the project designer, remain constant.

After you have zoomed in, your subject may no longer be centered in the crop box. To adjust the position of the crop box, move the mouse until the pointer is inside the crop box. The pointer changes to a four-

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

way arrow. Click and drag the crop box to the position you want, then release the mouse button.

When the photo is as you want it, click the OK button. The Photo Crop and Adjust dialog box closes, and the photo appears in the photo field.

Most of the time, cropping and adjusting is all you need to do to a photo. But the Photo Crop and Adjust dialog box also offers the following advanced capabilities.

Rotating Photos

Some previously taken photos may have an orientation different from the one you need. You can compensate for this by rotating the photo as necessary. Each time you click the Rotate button, the photo rotates one-quarter turn clockwise.

Any cropping or adjusting you did is lost when you rotate a photo. If you need to rotate the photo, do that first, then crop and adjust.

Selecting an Exposure

If the subject of the photo has a very light or very dark complexion, you can improve the quality of the photo to some degree by clicking the Photo Selection button.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

An array of nine different brightnesses appears, with the original exposure in the center. Select a photo by clicking it with the mouse or by using the arrow keys to move the selection box.To adjust the contrast of the photo, select the More button. You can also select from nine choices for saturation. At any time you can start over or select OK or press E

NTER to accept the currently-selected photo. Your selection

appears in the image area of the Photo Crop and Adjust dialog box.

Remember, the final quality of the image is also affected by the printer you are using to print your ID cards. Changing lighting and camera settings should always be the first steps you take to improve the photo. This selection option will not make up for poor data.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

Starting Over

You can undo all your changes (cropping, exposure selection, rotation) by clicking the Restore Original button.

Previewing Cards

To see a preview of the card that will be printed, from the menu bar select View and then Card preview – front or Card preview – back. A Card Preview opens. (You can see previews of both sides of the card by selecting both card preview menu commands.)

You can move the Card Preview to a different location by clicking on its title bar and dragging it to the new location. You can change the size of the Card Preview by moving the mouse to an edge of the Card Preview until the pointer turns into a two-way arrow, then clicking and dragging the edge of the Card Preview until it is the size you want.

If your card design includes a bar code and if you enter too much data, the bar code in the Preview will change to diagonal lines. If you enter the wrong kind of data in the Production Form field associated with the bar code (for example, a letter if the bar code type only accepts numbers), the bar code in the Preview will change to a crosshatch pattern. Cards with too much or unsupported bar code data will not print.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

Too much bar code data

Unsupported bar code data

Printing Cards

You can print each card as you gather the information or you can collect information on a group of cardholders (saving it in the project database) and then print the cards in a batch.

Card printing works the same whether you print cards singly or in batches:

1. Gather the cardholder information or select the record(s) to print.

2. To print a single card, from the menu bar select File and then Print

Card or click the Print button on the toolbar.

To print cards for all the records you selected, from the menu bar select File and then Print All or click the Print all button on the toolbar.

The Print Card(s) dialog box opens.

3. If necessary, select your card printer from the list.

4. If you want to print more than one copy of the card(s), enter the

number of copies you want.

5. If your printer has a magnetic stripe encoder, you can choose to

print the card, encode the card, or both by selecting the appropriate check boxes.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

6. Click OK. If you chose to print cards for multiple records, the

Batch Print Status dialog box opens.

Clicking the Cancel button stops processing cards. However, cards that have already been processed will still be sent to the printer and cards that have been sent cannot be retrieved.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

Using the Project Database

Your ID Card Maker project is connected to its own database. To help you use the database, your menu bar has a Record menu and your toolbar includes eight database-specific buttons.

Database-specific buttons

Databases store information in tables. Each row of the table is called a record, and that is why the new menu on the menu bar is named Record—it deals with database records. Each column of the table is known as a field. A column contains a category of information, such as a name, a telephone number, or a photograph of the person described in the record. The information you enter in fields in the ID Card Maker Production Form can be stored in and retrieved from columns in a database table. Searching the database to retrieve information is explained in Searching the Database

on page 23.

Changing Information in a Database

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

To change information in a database:

1. Locate the record you need to change. See Searching the Database

on page 23, or go to the online help topic “Find a record with Quick Search”.

2. Click in or tab to the field that needs to be changed and correct the

information.

If you need to reverse all the changes you made to the record, from the menu bar, select Record and then Refresh. The information returns to the way the record is stored in the database.

3. When all changes have been made, from the menu bar, select

Record and then Save (or click the button on the toolbar that looks like a diskette). The changed information is saved in the database.

Entering a New Database Record

To add a new record to a database:

1. From the menu bar, select Record and then New (or click the

button on the toolbar that has a yellow starburst). All fields are cleared.

2. Enter data into the fields. See the online help topics “Enter data

into a text field” and related topics, as well as “Take a photo” for step-by-step instructions.

3. When all information has been entered, from the menu bar, select

Record and then Save (or click the button on the toolbar that looks like a diskette). The new record is saved in the database.

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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

An ID Card Maker project can be set up so that a record is automatically saved to the database each time a card is printed. Ask your ID Card Maker System Administrator if your project has been set up this way. If so, you do not have to remember to save each record.

Deleting a Database Record

To delete a record from a database:

1. Locate the record you need to delete (see Searching the Database

on page 23, or go to the online help topic “Find a record”).

2. From the menu bar, select Record and then Delete (or click the

button on the toolbar that has an X). A confirmation message appears.

3. Click Yes to delete the record. The record is deleted from the

database.

To delete multiple records, repeat the procedure above.

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Chapter 3: Searching the Database

Each ID Card Maker Entry Edition project is connected to a database. You get information out of a database by searching it.

Performing a Search

To perform a simple or one-time search of the database, click the button on the toolbar that has a magnifying glass on it (the Quick Search button), or from the menu bar, select Record and then Quick Search. The Quick Search dialog box opens.

The Quick Search dialog box contains a field for each text field in your Production Form.

You will never see a photo field in a Quick Search dialog box because you cannot enter search criteria for photos.

The kind and amount of information you enter in the Quick Search dialog box determines how many records the database system finds for you. If you click the Search button without entering anything in any of the fields, the database system shows you all the records in the

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Searching the Database

database. For example, if a database for a project has 15 records, clicking the Search button without making any entries in the dialog box results in 15 records.

Refining the Search

You can reduce the number of records displayed by entering more specific information in one or more search fields and by using wildcard characters.

This search uses the % (percent) wildcard character. It stands for any number of characters after the S. You can also use the _ (underscore) wildcard character to substitute for a single character. For example, entering Jo_n would find John and Joan but not Johann.

If you enter data into more than one search field, the database system looks for records that match all fields.

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Searching the Database

Navigating Search Results

When a database search finds multiple records, the title bar of the ID Card Maker Process application window changes to describe which record is currently visible and the total number of records that met the specifications of the search. Also, the Next and Last buttons on the toolbar become available for use (as well as the Next and Last commands on the Record menu). If you click the Next button, the title bar changes to “Record 2 of ...” and the First and Previous buttons on the toolbar (as well as the First and Previous commands on the Record menu) also become available for use. You can also use the P and P

AGE UP keys to move through records.

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 Operator’s Guide 25

AGE DOWN

Searching the Database

26 ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Index

Symbols

% wildcard character 24 _ wildcard character 24

Administrator application

definition 1

bar code field

errors 17

camera 13

card

previewing 17

cards

printing 18

database 20

deleting a record 22 searching 23

wildcard characters 24

database, using

searching

for all records 23

viewing records 25

opening a project 5

photo

adjusting 14 capturing with TWAIN device 10 cropping 14 rotating 15 selecting 15

source, selecting in Process

application 13

photo field

using in Process application 9 photo from file 10 pop-up menu 3 previewing cards 17 printing cards 18

Process application

definition 1

using 7

Process window

moving around in 7

project

definition 1

opening 5

using in Process application 7 Project application definition 1

keyboard shortcuts 3

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 Operator’s Guide 27

right-click menu 3 searching database 23

Index

text field

entering information in Process

application 8

toolbars 4

TWAIN

device, using in Process application 10 interface standard 10

Video for Windows

device, using in Process application 12

Welcome dialog box 3 wildcard characters 24

wildcard characters in database

searches 24

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Administrator’s Guide for

ID Card Maker Version 6

About the Administrator’s Guide _____________________________________________ v

Chapter 1: System Overview _________________________________________ 1

Introducing the ID Card Maker Project _______________________________________ 1 Getting Started_____________________________________________________ _________ 2

Using the Welcome Dialog Box___________________________________________ 3 Using ID Card Maker Applications ________________________________________ 4 Working with Fields ______________________________________________________ 5

Inserting Fields _______________________________________________________ 5 Selecting Fields ______________________________________________________ 6 Changing Field Properties _______________________________________ ___ __ 7 Fonts ________________________________________________________________ 9 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Fields _________________________________ 11 Arranging Fields_____________________________________________________ 12

Developing a Project ___________________________________________________ 12

Create the ID Card Maker Project ___________________________________ 13 Create the Card Design_____________________________________________ 13 Create the Production Form_________________________________________ 13 Configure the Database ____________________________________________ 13 Tie It All Together____________________________________________________ 14 Try It Out ___________________________________________________ ________ 14 Implement Card Production_________________________________________ 14

Chapter 2: Plan and Create a Card Design___________________________ 15

What Is a Card Design?_____________________________________________________ 15

Card Window __________________________________________________________ 15 Orientation_____________________________________________________________ 16 Size ____________________________________________________________________ 17 Background____________________________________________________________ 17 Topcoat _______________________________________________________________ 18

Types of Card Fields_________________ _______________________________________ 18

Text Field_________________ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ____ 18 Photo Field_____________________________________________________________ 19 Bar Code Field _________________________________________________________ 20 Magnetic Stripe Field ___________________________________________________ 22

ii ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Static Text Field_________________________________________________________ 23 Static Graphic Field_____________________________________________________ 23 Printing Sample Cards __________________________________________________ 24 Printing Cards in the Process Application_________________________________ 24

Chapter 3: Plan and Create a Production Form_______________________ 25

What Is a Production Form? _________________________________________________ 25

Production Form Window ________ ____ ___ _______ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ _ 25 Background____________________________________________________________ 26 Size ____________________________________________________________________ 27

Types of Production Form Fields ____________________ _________________________ 27

Text Field_________________ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ___ ____ ___ ____ ___ ____ ____ 27 Photo Field_____________________________________________________________ 28 Static Text Field_________________________________________________________ 30 Changing the Tab Order of Fields _______________________________________ 31 Adding Fields to the Production Form from a Card Design ________________ 31

Chapter 4: Using Databases with ID Card Maker Projects _____________ 33

Database Access __________________________________________________________ 33 Controlling Database Activities _____________________________________________ 33

Adding Fields to a Database _______________________________________________ 34

Chapter 5: Connecting Fields _______________________________________ 37

What Is the Field Connector? _______________________________________________ 37 Field Connector Window ___________________________________________________ 38

Data Source Area ______________________________________________________ 39 Production Form Area ___________________________________ ____ _______ ___ _ 39 Card Area _____________________________________________________________ 39 Connect and Disconnect Buttons _______________________________________ 40

Restrictions on Connections to Database Columns ___________________________ 40 Restrictions on Connections to Card Design Fields____________________________ 41

Chapter 6: Working with Capture Options____________________________ 43

Photo from File _____________________________________________________________ 45 TWAIN Interface____________________________________________________________ 47 Video for Windows Interface ________________________________________________ 48 Optional Capture Devices _______________ ___ ________________________________ 49

Configuring Optional Capture Devices __________________________________ 49

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 Administrator’s Guide iii

Chapter 7: Working with Printer Options______________________________ 53

Introducing Printer Plug-ins _________________________________________________ 53 Specifying Plug-ins _________________________________________________________ 54 Printing Graphics with the Card Printer’s K-panel _____________________________ 54

Field Properties Print Options ____________________________________________ 54 Override Field-level Settings _____________________________________________ 54

Index ______________________________________________________________ 57

iv ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

About the Administrator’s Guide

This Administrator’s Guide, part of the online User Documentation, explains why you might want to use the various features available in the ID Card Maker applications. It also suggests the order in which tasks should be performed.

Other sources of information about ID Card Maker applications are:

• The CD insert tells how to install ID Card Maker software.

• The online help system tells you how to perform ID Card Maker

tasks. You can access the online help system from the Help menu in each ID Card Maker application or by pressing the F1 key.

• The Operator’s Guide, also part of the online User Documentation,

guides users of the Process application through the tasks they perform.

• The online User Documentation also contains a document about

the Polaroid ID Card Printer printer plug-in available for use with ID Card Maker software.

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 Administrator’s Guide v

vi ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Chapter 1: System Overview

Polaroid ID Card Maker includes three applications:

• ID Card Maker Project lets you create projects that meet your

organization’s specific needs for card designs and data entry.

• ID Card Maker Process lets a Process application operator use the

projects you create in the Project application to gather information, access your database, and print identification cards.

• ID Card Maker Administrator contains tools to configure your ID

Card Maker software and associated devices.

Introducing the ID Card Maker Project

An ID Card Maker project is similar to a folder or directory on a computer: it is the container that holds information about an identification implementation. In fact, when you create an ID Card Maker project, the software creates a folder on your hard drive with the name you give the project. And, just as you can have many folders on your computer, you can have many ID Card Maker projects.

A project contains a Production Form, a card design, and a database.

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System Overview

add or change information in the database or print cards using information in the database.

Getting Started

The rest of this chapter explains the steps you take to begin using your ID Card Maker identification software.

To begin using ID Card Maker software, on the taskbar, click Start, and then click Programs, Polaroid, ID Card Maker, and then ID Card

Maker Entry Project.

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System Overview

Using the Welcome Dialog Box

After you have started the application, the Welcome dialog box appears.

From this dialog box you can start a new project (see Create the ID

Card Maker Project on page 13) or open an existing project. If the

project you want to open is not listed, click More projects to display the Open Project dialog box, which lists all active ID Card Maker projects.

You can also choose not to have the Welcome dialog box display by clearing the check mark next to Show this window at startup. If you hide the Welcome dialog box and later want to show it again, from the application menu bar, select View and then Show Welcome on startup. The selection you make applies only to the Windows user name you used to log in and only to the current application. Other ID Card Maker applications have separate settings for showing the Welcome window.

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System Overview

Using ID Card Maker Applications

A status bar at the bottom of the window provides additional information about the application view or hide the status bar.

. As with toolbars, you can choose to

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System Overview

Status bar

These fields show sample data.

Working with Fields

Every element on a Production Form or card design is considered a field.

Inserting Fields

To insert a field, from the menu bar, select Insert and then the type of field you want to add to your Production Form or card.

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System Overview

The types of fields you can insert depend on whether the Production Form or card design is active. Some field types, such as a magnetic stripe field, apply only to a card design.

Selecting Fields

Text fields have six sizing handles.

Graphics fields have eight sizing handles.

When a field is inserted, it is automatically selected, meaning that you can make changes to it. A field that is selected has a border of diagonal lines and six or eight squares (called sizing handles) around the border, depending on the type of field. In addition, when a single field is selected, the status bar reports the field name, field type, component name, and component type (card, Production Form, etc.).

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System Overview

To select a field that was previously inserted, position your mouse pointer over the field you want to select and click.

You can also select two or more fields at a time. Position your mouse pointer over one of the fields you want to select and click. Hold down the S

HIFT or CTRL key while clicking on the additional fields.

When multiple fields are selected, you can move them as a group, align them, space them apart an equal amount, or make them the same size.

Changing Field Properties

Many field types have common characteristics, or properties. You can change a field’s properties in the Edit Field Properties dialog box. To access the Edit Field Properties dialog box, with the field selected, from the menu bar select Edit and then Field Properties.

An easy way to access a field’s properties is to double-click on it.

The Edit Field Properties dialog box changes depending on the type of field you have selected. The illustration above shows the Edit Field Properties dialog box for a text field on a Production Form. Chapters 2

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System Overview

(for card design fields) and 3 (for Production Form fields) describe the properties of each field in detail.

Most fields have the following properties.

Name

Every field has a name. The Project application names fields as you insert them, but you can change the system-supplied name (Text Field 1, for example) to a more descriptive name (such as FirstName). Giving fields descriptive names will help you when you are using the field connector to associate Production Form fields with card fields and database table columns.

Using the View menu, you can choose to have the fields in your Production Form and card design show either field names or sample data (which you provide) as you work in the ID Card Maker Project application. When you use the Field Connector (described in chapter 5,

Connecting Fields) field names are always shown for easier

identification of fields.

Sample Data

Variable fields that can contain characters let you supply sample data for use when viewing the project in Sample Data view or printing a sample card. You type information that might appear in the field. Photo fields use a sample photo.

Alignment/Rotation

Most fields have an alignment property. The choices available depend on whether the field contains characters or graphical information. In addition, many fields can be rotated in 90-degree increments.

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System Overview

Position/Size

All fields have position and size properties. You can change these properties by typing new values in the Edit Field Properties dialog box or by using the mouse to drag the field to a new position or drag a sizing handle until the field is the size you want. You can also change the height of graphic-oriented fields by dragging a sizing handle. Graphic-oriented fields include photos and static graphics. See the ID Card Maker Project online help topic “Size a field proportionately” for information on avoiding distortion of graphics.

To change the height of a text-oriented field, change the size of the font. Text-oriented fields are text and static text fields.

See the online help topics “Move a field” and “Change a field’s size” for step-by-step instructions. See C on page 11 for more information.

Fonts

utting, Copying, and Pasting Fields

You can select from many fonts for the text and static text fields on your cards and Production Forms. ID Card Maker Project uses Arial, an OpenType font that is supplied with Windows operating systems, as the default font. OpenType fonts are preceded by an “O” in fonts lists.

Because the OpenType format is an extension of TrueType, characteristics of TrueType fonts also apply to OpenType fonts.

Because TrueType fonts always produce the same results no matter what printer the card is printed on, it is strongly recommended that you use only these fonts in your card designs. The results of using non-TrueType fonts with more than one card printer are unpredictable. In addition, TrueType fonts can always be rotated.

If the printer you will use to print cards has printer fonts installed and you want to use them, you must select Display Printer Fonts and a

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System Overview

printer for the project on the Printer Fonts tab of the Edit Project Properties dialog box. See the online help topic “Use printer fonts” for step-by-step instructions. Printer fonts appear in the fonts list for card fields preceded by a printer icon. They never appear in the fonts list for Production Form fields.

You can use Type 1 fonts if you also have Adobe® Type Manager™ software installed on your ID Card Maker computer.

You can specify that the font size of a text field on a card design should automatically shrink to accommodate a large amount of text. The font size shrinks to a minimum of 6 points. If at 6-point type the text still does not fit, characters are dropped from the end.

Text Field Colors

You can select both a foreground and background color for your text fields. The foreground color refers to the color of the text in the field.

If you select pure black for the foreground color of a card text or static text field, the field will be printed with the black panel (K-panel) of the printer ribbon if the card printer is using a ribbon with a black panel. The black panel produces a truer black and sharper characters than printing using a combination of the cyan, magenta, and yellow panels. You can either specify that the background be transparent (the default) or that it be a solid color.

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System Overview

Printers do not print white. If you define the field to print in white text, the printer will “knock out” the characters, allowing the surface of the card or paper (usually white) to show through.

Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Fields

You can use standard Windows operations to delete a selected field from your Production Form or card design, or copy and paste a selected field on your Production Form or card design.

You can copy and paste fields within a project component but you cannot paste fields between the Production Form and a card. You can, however, create Production Form fields from card fields. See the online help topic “Add fields to a Production Form from a card design”.

When you cut a field, it is placed on the clipboard. It stays on the clipboard until it is replaced by a different field or you close the project.

Save time by copying and pasting formatted fields rather than always inserting a new, default field. For example, in the sample card above the “Grade” field was created and formatted.

Then it was copied and

pasted for the “Home Room” field and the Field Name and Display Text were changed on the General tab of the Edit Field Properties [Static Text] dialog box.

The designer did not have to change the font

characteristics for the copied field.

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System Overview

Arranging Fields

When you insert a field, the Project application places it near the upper left corner of the Production Form or card design. To move a selected field, place the mouse pointer over the field. The pointer changes to a four-way arrow. Hold down the left mouse button while you move the field to its new location and then release the mouse button.

As mentioned, you can select multiple fields and then move or align them. For example, to make your Production Form look consistent, select all the fields in the first row and then (using the Format or right mouse click menu) align the fields using the Bottom selection. Repeat with each row. Then select the left-most field in each row, and align them using the Left selection. See the ID Card Maker Project online help topic “Align fields” for additional options.

If fields overlap, you may need to arrange them by using the stacking order. To understand the stacking order, imagine that each field you place on the Production Form or card design is on a separate sheet of clear plastic. The first field you place is on a plastic sheet next to the object’s background; the second field is on a sheet in front of the first sheet, and so on. When you select a field, you can bring that field all the way to the front of the stacking order, bring it one position toward the front, send it all the way to the back of the stacking order, or send it one position toward the back. Commands to change the stacking order of fields are available on the Format menu of the menu bar.

Developing a Project

An ID Card Maker project involves a Production Form, a card design, and connections from the Production Form to the card design and database. It does not matter which part of the project you start with. This document describes card designs first because many people find it easiest to think about a card—something you can hold in your hand.

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System Overview

Furthermore, ID Card Maker applications support an iterative design process. You can start with a card design, move to the Production Form, use the field connector to associate Production Form fields with card fields and database table columns, and then go back and refine your card design or make changes to the Production Form.

Create the ID Card Maker Project

You create a new project in the ID Card Maker Project application. You can either create a project from scratch or start with a project you already have.

To create a new project from scratch, either select Create a new project on the Welcome dialog box when you start the Project application or select File and then New Project from the Project menu bar. See the online help topic “Create a new project” for step-by-step instructions.

Create the Card Design

See chapter 2, Plan and Create a Card Design for complete information.

Create the Production Form

See chapter 3, Plan and Create a Production Form for complete information.

Configure the Database

Chapter 4: Using Databases with ID Card Maker Projects explains

working with the project’s database.

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System Overview

Tie It All Together

Chapter 5: Connecting Fields explains what you need to do to retrieve

information from your database, save information to your database, and print information on cards.

Try It Out

Run the project in the Process application to make sure it behaves as expected and produces error-free results:

• Are text fields wide enough for all the characters that need to be

entered in them?

• Can you save records to the database—and retrieve them?

Also consider having your Process application users test the project and make suggestions for improvement.

Implement Card Production

When you are satisfied that your project meets your needs, you can start collecting data and printing ID cards.

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Chapter 2: Plan and Create a Card Design

What Is a Card Design?

A card design defines how a plastic identification card or other printed output will look when printed: what information will be the same on each card (such as a logo or enterprise name) and what information will vary from card to card (the cardholder’s name or photo). The card design also specifies whether information will appear on one or both sides of the card and whether the card will have a magnetic stripe. An ID Card Maker Entry Edition project can contain only one card design.

Card Window

You use the Card window in the ID Card Maker Project application to create the design for your cards. It contains the following parts.

Title bar

Rulers

Design area

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Plan and Create a Card Design

Title bar—The title bar shows the name of the card you are editing (Card in the example above). If you are viewing the back side of the card, that is noted in the title bar. The title bar changes color when that card side is active.

Rulers—The rulers help you locate and size card fields. You turn the rulers on and off by using the View menu. You specify the unit of measure to display in the computer’s Control Panel, Regional Settings property sheet, Number tab, Measurement system setting.

Close your project before changing the unit of measure to display.

Design area—This area represents the card and shows how the card will look when printed. You place all card fields in this area.

Scroll bars appear if the size of the Card window is smaller than the size of the card. Use the Maximize button (on the title bar) to make the Card window as large as possible.

You can create a two-sided card design by simply viewing the back of the card and placing fields on it. See the online help topic “Create a two-sided card” for step-by-step instructions.

Orientation

When you start a new ID Card Maker project, you have the opportunity to decide whether you want your card to be in portrait or landscape orientation. You can change the card orientation during the design process, but if you do, you will probably have to move some fields to keep them visible on the card.

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Plan and Create a Card Design

The front of the card can have a different orientation from the back.

Size

The card design is the industry-standard CR80 card size and cannot be changed.

Portrait orientation

Landscape orientation

Background

You can specify that your card background be printed with a color, with a graphic, or with both. You can use graphics that are stored in a variety of formats. However, for the best printed card quality the following formats are recommended by Polaroid:

Format Type of File

BMP Windows Bitmap TIF Tagged Image File Format (single image per file,

uncompressed only)

See the online help topic “Add a graphic or color to a card background” for step-by-step instructions.

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Topcoat

A topcoat is a layer of material applied to the top of a card that protects the image beneath from chemicals and abrasion and adds a level of protection against card tampering.

Most card fields allow you to specify whether or not to apply the topcoat over the field. A topcoat would interfere with the operation of some fields, such as a magnetic stripe field. For this reason, you cannot specify a topcoat for certain fields.

Types of Card Fields

Card fields are the building blocks of all card designs. You must create a card field for each item you want to print or encode on the card. You define each card field by type. The type determines the field’s contents.

ID Card Maker Entry Edition Project includes six types of card fields: text, photo, bar code, magnetic stripe, static text, and static graphic.

Plan and Create a Card Design

Text Field

Text field

Text fields print information that changes from one card to the next, such as cardholder name. The data originates from the Production Form, where it might be retrieved from a database, entered by a Process application user, or derived from other data. You can specify

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Plan and Create a Card Design

the font and color attributes of a text field, as well as rotate it. See Fonts on page 9

See the online help topic “Add a text field to a card” for step-by-step instructions.

Photo Field

Your card design can have one photo field. Photo fields contain the cardholder’s captured image. You can move and size photo fields, as well as rotate and add a border to them.

Photo field

Photos with borders will not print correctly if they are on a card side configured to print using only the K-panel.

See the online help topic “Add a photo field to a card” for step-by-step instructions.

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Bar Code Field

Bar code field

You create bar code fields to print bar codes on your cards. You can size, align, and rotate bar code fields.

With some types of bar codes, you can specify density, error checking, and whether the bar code field uses a checksum algorithm. The kind of bar code you use in your card design is determined by the bar code reading equipment you use and the characters you need to encode. See the documentation for your bar code reader to determine what bar code type to select. That documentation will also explain the rules for determining valid information for the bar code type you will use.

Plan and Create a Card Design

You select the bar code type on the Advanced tab of the Edit Field Properties [Bar Code] dialog box. The following table lists the bar code types ID Card Maker software supports, as well as the options available with each bar code type.

Bar Code Type Options Available

Codabar Checksum: none, Mod 16, Mod 10,

Mod10Lib, Mod10Lun Density: High, Medium, Low

Code 128 Auto Density: High, Medium, Low

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Plan and Create a Card Design

Bar Code Type Options Available

Code 39 Checksum: none, Mod 43, Mod10Lib,

Code 39 Extended Checksum: none, Mod 43

EAN/JAN-13 Supplemental Digits: 0, 2, 5

EAN/JAN-8 Supplemental Digits: 0, 2, 5

Interleaved 2 of 5 Checksum: none, Mod 10, Mod10Lib,

UPCA Supplemental Digits: 0, 2, 5

Mod10Lun Density: High, Medium, Low

Density: High, Medium, Low

Mod10Lun Density: High, Medium, Low

Density: High, Medium, Low

UPCE 11 digit Supplemental Digits: 0, 2, 5

Density: High, Medium, Low

The Background Color Options area of the Advanced tab lets you choose a background color for the bar code field. The default background color is white. If you have specified a color for the card background, the Use Card Background Color setting becomes available.

If you use a color other than white for the bar code background, print a sample card and test it in your bar code reading equipment to make sure the colors and size you chose can be read reliably.

The Interpretation Text Options area of the Advanced tab lets you choose to have the contents of the bar code displayed in regular text.

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Plan and Create a Card Design

When Interpretation Text On is selected you can also specify the font characteristics of the text and the location of the text relative to the bar code.

You must provide sample bar code data to display and print on the sample card. You do this on the General tab of the Edit Field Properties [Bar Code] dialog box. If you enter too much sample data, the field is filled with diagonal lines. If the bar code type does not support the data you entered, the field is filled with a crosshatch pattern.

Too much bar code data

Unsupported bar code data

You must inform your Process application operators about the amount and kind of data that can be entered in bar code fields.

See the online help topic “Add a bar code field to a card” for step-bystep instructions.

Magnetic Stripe Field

Magnetic stripe field

Your card design can have one magnetic stripe field. You create magnetic stripe fields to encode information in the magnetic stripe area of your cards. The ID Card Maker Project application places the magnetic stripe field in the correct location for a three-track magnetic

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Plan and Create a Card Design

stripe on the most common card stock. You can move the field up or down on the landscape-oriented card. You cannot change the width of the magnetic stripe field or move it left or right.

The magnetic stripe field is always encoded in IAT format using the Polaroid ID Card Printer Magstripe Plug-in. If you are using a nonPolaroid printer but your printer supports special magnetic stripe printer fonts, you can encode the magnetic stripe on a card by using one of the magnetic stripe fonts with a Text field. See your printer documentation for details.

See the online help topic “Add a magnetic stripe field to a card” for step-by-step instructions.

Static Text Field

Static text field

A static text field prints the same text on each card. You enter the text that appears in the static text field when the project is designed and at that time you also specify the font and color attributes of the static text field. All text in a static text field displays with the same font and color attributes. You can rotate a static text field. See the online help topic “Add a static text field to a card” for step-by-step instructions.

Static Graphic Field

You define a static graphic field to print a graphic, such as your organization’s logo, on each card. While it is possible to use any of the

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formats listed under Background on page 17, using a bitmap will provide the highest quality graphic on the printed card. You can size and rotate static graphic fields.

See the online help topic “Add a static graphic field to a card” for stepby-step instructions.

Printing Sample Cards

Before fine-tuning the card layout, print a sample card. This allows the software to determine printer characteristics and size fields more accurately.

While you are designing your card, you can print sample cards by selecting Print Sample Card from the File menu on the menu bar or from the right mouse button menu or by clicking the Print Sample Card button on the toolbar. For best results, use the same card stock and printing supplies your Process application users will use.

Sample cards are always printed with the sample data you supplied for the card fields.

Plan and Create a Card Design

Sample cards are not encoded. To check that magnetic stripes are encoded correctly, start the ID Card Maker Process application and print a card.

Printing Cards in the Process Application

You can set up your ID Card Maker project to help Process application users track the progress of print requests. On the Printing tab of the Card Design Properties dialog box, select a field to identify print jobs. At print time, the contents of this field will be displayed in the printer’s print queue.

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Chapter 3: Plan and Create a Production Form

What Is a Production Form?

The Production Form is used by the Process application user to gather cardholder information and print cards. Through the Production Form the operator can search the project’s database, add records to the database, add or update information in the database, or delete database records. The operator can gather and save text (such as the cardholder’s name) and a photograph of the cardholder.

An ID Card Maker project contains one Production Form.

Production Form Window

You use the Production Form window to design the form for your project. It contains the following parts:

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Plan and Create a Production Form

Title bar

Design area

Title bar—The title bar changes color when the Production Form window is active.

Design area—This area represents the window the Process operator will use. You place all form fields in this area.

Background

You can specify that the background of your Production Form has a color, a graphic, or both.

All fields are placed on top of the background. If you do not specify a background, the form background will be the color specified by the operating system display properties.

See the online help topic “Add a background color or graphic to a Production Form” for step-by-step instructions.

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Plan and Create a Production Form

Size

The Production Form adjusts automatically to accommodate the fields you add.

Types of Production Form Fields

Fields are the building blocks of your Production Form. You must create a field for each item you want to appear on the form, each piece of variable data you want to appear on your cards, and each field you want to connect to the project’s database.

The ID Card Maker Entry Edition Project application includes three types of Production Form fields: text, photo, and static text.

Text Field

Text fields

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Plan and Create a Production Form

Text fields allow the Process application user to gather alphanumeric data. The data can then be printed on a card, saved in a database, or both. You can specify a prompt that reminds the Process aplication user what data to enter in the field. You can also specify the font and color attributes of the operator prompt and the text the Process application user will enter.

Text fields are always searchable.

See the online help topic “Add a text field to a Production Form” for step-by-step instructions.

Photo Field

Photo field

Each ID Card Maker Entry Edition project can have one photo field. Photo fields provide a way to capture the cardholder’s image or access a previously-captured image. You can specify how large the photo field appears on the Production Form, whether there is a prompt for the operator, and the font and color attributes of the prompt. You can

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also specify the image capture method (taking a photo with a specific camera, using an image in an existing file, etc.).

Consider making the photo field on the Production Form the same shape as the photo field on the card. For example, if the photo area on the card is square, make the photo field on the Production Form square by entering the same number for Height as for Width on the General tab of the Edit Field Properties [Photo] dialog box.

In the Process application, the image capture method you specified is launched automatically. When a photo file is opened, a black crop box with sizing handles appears to allow the operator to remove unwanted background from the photo.

Photos are always stored in the project’s database in compressed JPEG format.

See the online help topic “Add a photo field to a Production Form” for step-by-step instructions. Also see Working with Capture Options page 43, for more information.

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Plan and Create a Production Form

Static Text Field

Static text field

You can use a static text field to add instructions to the Process application user or to divide the Production Form into categories of information. You can specify the font and color attributes of a static text field. See the online help topic “Add a static text field to a Production Form” for step-by-step instructions.

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Changing the Tab Order of Fields

You can determine the tab order of the fields so the fields are entered in a logical progression, without regard to the order in which you created them. See the online help topic “Change the field tab order” for step-by-step instructions.

Adding Fields to the Production Form from a Card Design

Developing an ID Card Maker project often involves several iterations. You may decide to add a field to the card design after you create the Production Form. The Add Fields to Production Form command on the Tools menu lets you add card fields to an existing Production Form quickly and easily. See the online help topic “Add fields to a Production Form from a card design” for step-by-step instructions.

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Plan and Create a Production Form

Deleting a field on the card does not delete the corresponding Production Form field.

Add Fields to Production Form creates field types as follows:

Card Field Type Production Form Field Type

Text Text Photo Photo Barcode Text

The field name assigned to each Production Form field matches the card field name used to create it. The operator prompt for each field is the field name. Matching Production Form and card fields are automatically connected. (See Connecting Fields

on page 37.)

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Chapter 4: Using Databases with ID Card Maker Projects

If you want to save information entered in the Production Form for future use or if you want to use existing information to print cards, you will do it by connecting fields in your Production Form to columns in the project’s database.

ID Card Maker Entry Edition automatically creates a single-table Access database for your project. Use the Add Production Form Fields to Database command on the Project application Tools menu (described in the database for your needs. Database columns added will be named as described in

Adding Fields to a Database on page 34) to customize

Adding Fields to a Database on page 34.

Database Access

You access the database when you use the Field Connector window in the ID Card Maker Project application. In the ID Card Maker Process application, you access the database when you open a project.

Controlling Database Activities

The best place to restrict Process application users’ database access is on the Database tab of the Edit Production Form Properties dialog box. There you can prevent operators from creating new database

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Using Databases with ID Card Maker Projects

records, saving changes to records, deleting records, or searching the database.

You can also use the Edit Production Form Properties dialog box to make sure that a database record is saved whenever a card is printed for that record by selecting the Save On Print option in the Automatic Actions area. Using this feature also eliminates the need for an explicit “save” operation for each card printed.

Adding Fields to a Database

Developing an ID Card Maker project often involves several iterations. You may decide to add a field to the Production Form or to add information to the database that you first thought you did not need to save. The Add Production Form Fields to Database command on the Tools menu becomes available after you have added a field to your project’s Production Form. See the online help topic “Add fields to a database” for step-by-step instructions.

Deleting a field on the Production Form does not delete the corresponding database field. ID Card Maker Project does not provide a way to delete database fields.

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Using Databases with ID Card Maker Projects

When creating database field names, Add Production Form Fields to Database starts with the Production Form field name, removes any

characters that are not allowed, and adds “IDCM” to the start of the name. Adding this prefix prevents the inadvertent creation of a database field name that is a reserved word. If removing characters from Production Form field names results in duplicate database field names, the software tells you to change a Production Form field name. For example, Production Form fields named “First Name” and “FirstName” would both result in the database field name “IDCMFirstName” and you would receive an error message.

Database field names are limited to 64 characters. If the field name is longer than 64 characters after the characters that are not allowed are removed, only the first 64 characters are used.

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Using Databases with ID Card Maker Projects

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Chapter 5: Connecting Fields

Chapter 2 described the types of fields you can place on card designs, Chapter 3 explained the types of fields available on a Production Form, and Chapter 4 described the types of database fields ID Card Maker Entry Edition software supports. This chapter explains how to make connections between the following:

• Production Form fields and database table fields, so the Process

operator can retrieve, update, create, and delete database records

• Production Form fields and card fields, so information on the form

can be printed or encoded on a card

What Is the Field Connector?

The ID Card Maker field connector lets you establish connections between and among fields on the various parts of your ID Card Maker project. You can connect a Production Form field in three ways:

• Connect to both the database and the card. In this case, data

entered in the Production Form is printed on the card and saved in the database. If data is already in the database, the Production Form is the conduit for printing that information on the card.

• Connect to the card design only. You may want to print something

on the card that does not need to be saved to the database. For example, you might give cardholders the option of having a

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shortened form of their name on their cards, but it is not likely that you will need to store that information in your database.

• Connect to the database only. If you use the ID Card Maker

Production Form as a data entry vehicle, you can collect and store information in your database without using it on a card. A home address is an example of information you might collect and save in the database but not print on a card.

When making connections, select the Production Form field first and then the database table column field or card field.

Field Connector Window

You use the Field Connector window to establish connections between fields. From the menu bar, select View and then Field Connector. The Field Connector window contains three areas: Data Source, Production Form, and Card.

When you open the Field Connector window, the Production Form and card design windows change to viewing field names (if you had been viewing sample data). This helps you associate field names in the Field Connector window with fields on your Production Form and card design.

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Connecting Fields

Data Source

Data Source Area

The names of the database table columns are listed in alphabetical order.

Production Form Card

Production Form Area

The names of the data input fields in your Production Form are listed in alphabetical order. If you click on a Production Form field that is connected to a Data Source column and/or a Card field, a line appears showing the connection.

Card Area

The names of card fields that will change from card to card appear.

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Static text and static graphic fields on a card are not listed because they cannot be connected to a field on the Production Form.

Connect and Disconnect Buttons

Two sets of buttons let you connect and disconnect fields. The buttons between the Data Source area and the Production Form area are for connections between fields in those two parts of the ID Card Maker project, and the buttons between the Production Form area and the Card area are for connections between fields in those two parts of the project.

Restrictions on Connections to Database Columns

A Production Form field can be connected to one and only one database table column, and a database table column can be connected to one and only one Production Form field.

You can connect Production Form fields only to compatible database table columns. For example, if you try to connect a text field on your Production Form to the database table column created for a photo, the ID Card Maker software will display an error message.

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Connecting Fields

Restrictions on Connections to Card Design Fields

You can connect a Production Form field to as many card design fields as necessary, provided the field types are compatible. For example, if a card design includes the cardholder’s identification number on both sides of the card, a single text field on the Production Form can be connected to both card design text fields. The following table lists compatible field types.

Production Form Field Compatible Card Design Fields

Text Bar code, Magnetic Stripe, Text

Photo Photo

Each card design field can have only one connection.

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Chapter 6: Working with Capture Options

In addition to using a computer keyboard to gather character-based information, ID Card Maker identification software lets you capture photo images.

The ID Card Maker Process application includes four ways of capturing photo images:

• Using images stored as files on your system or network.

• Using any capture device (camera, scanner) that complies with the

TWAIN interface standard.

• Using any camera that complies with the Microsoft Video for

Windows or Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) interface standard.

• Using an integrated photo capture solution, such as the a Polaroid

ID Card Maker Image Capture product.

Using the ID Card Maker Project application, you select the default capture device on the Source tab of the Edit Field Properties [Photo] dialog box. The Default Photo Source list has the following choices:

• No Capture

Use if images are already stored in your database and the Process application user normally will not take new photos. The operator will be able to select a capture device in exception cases.

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Working with Capture Options

• Photo from File

Use if previously-captured images are stored on your system or network as files. See Photo from File

on page 45.

• TWAIN

Lets the Process application user select the TWAIN device to use to take the photo. See TWAIN Interface

on page 47.

• TWAIN (Fast)

Use if only one TWAIN device is loaded on the computer or if one TWAIN device will be used most often. Selects the last TWAIN device used. See TWAIN Interface

on page 47.

• Video for Windows

Lets the Process application user select the Video for Windows device to use to take the photo. See Video for

Windows Interface on page 48.

• Video for Windows (Fast)

Use if only one Video for Windows device is loaded on the computer or if one Video for Windows device will be used most often. Selects the last Video for Windows device used. See Video for Windows Interface

on page 48.

In addition, the Default Photo Source list includes any optional Polaroid photo capture devices present on your computer.

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Working with Capture Options

Photo from File

If you specify Photo from File on the Source tab of the Edit Field Properties [Photo] dialog box, Process application users will see the Open dialog box when they enter the photo field on the Production Form. The operator can navigate to the proper file using standard Windows navigation techniques.

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Working with Capture Options

ID Card Maker software can open photos saved in the following formats:

BMP

EPS Encapsulated PostScript

JPG

J2K

PCT Macintosh PICT Drawing

PCX PC Paintbrush

PNG

PSD Adobe Photoshop® (3.0)

Windows Bitmap

Joint Photographic Experts Group File Interchange Format (single image per file)

JPEG 2000 File Format

Portable Network Graphics

TGA TARGA® Image File Format

TIF

Tagged Image File Format (single image per file, uncompressed only)

WMF Windows Metafile

* Recommended

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TWAIN Interface

If you specify TWAIN on the Source tab of the Edit Field Properties [Photo] dialog box, Process application users will see the TWAIN Interface dialog box when they enter the photo field on the Production Form.

The user must select a device (by clicking the Select Source button and selecting from available sources listed in the Select Source dialog box) and then activate the device by clicking the Acquire Photo button. When the user clicks the Acquire Photo button, ID Card Maker Process launches the software application provided by the manufacturer of the TWAIN device.

If you specify TWAIN (Fast) on the Source tab of the Edit Field Properties [Photo] dialog box, the ID Card Maker Process application launches the software application provided by the manufacturer of the TWAIN device that was used most recently. Specifying TWAIN (Fast) can save your Process application users up to four mouse clicks for each photo they take.

Because you can use any TWAIN-compliant device from any manufacturer, ID Card Maker documentation cannot provide step-bystep procedures for Process application users to follow. You must develop those procedures for your users.

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 Administrator’s Guide 47

Video for Windows Interface

If you specify Video for Windows on the Source tab of the Edit Field Properties [Photo] dialog box, Process application users will see the Video for Windows Interface dialog box when they enter the photo field on the Production Form.

Working with Capture Options

If you specify Video for Windows (Fast) on the Source tab of the Edit Field Properties [Photo] dialog box, the ID Card Maker Process application launches the software application provided by the manufacturer of the Video for Windows device that was used most recently. Specifying Video for Windows (Fast) can save your Process application users up to four mouse clicks for each photo they take.

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Optional Capture Devices

Polaroid offers a number of optional capture devices for use with ID Card Maker systems. These capture devices are explained in separate online documents that are loaded on your system with the capture device software.

Configuring Optional Capture Devices

Some optional capture devices allow you to create a configuration—a group of settings tailored to the way you use the device. You use the ID Card Maker Administrator application to specify a configuration. Follow these steps:

1. Start the Administrator application by clicking the Windows Start

button and selecting Programs, Polaroid, ID Card Maker, and then ID Card Maker Entry Administrator.

2. From the menu bar select Capture and then Configure Capture

Devices. The Configure Capture Devices dialog box opens.

3. From the list, select the capture device you want to configure and

click Configure. The configuration dialog box for the device you selected opens.

If no device names appear in the list, none of the capture devices installed on your system can be configured.

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Working with Capture Options

If you selected Video for Windows as the device to configure, the Video for Windows Interface dialog box opens.

A. If you have more than one Video for Windows device

loaded on the computer, click Select Source and choose the camera you want to configure from the Select Source dialog box.

B. Click Configure. The Configure Capture Device dialog

box opens.

C. Click the button for the configuration option you want

to change. The device’s configuration dialog box opens.

If a button is unavailable, that option cannot be configured for your device.

4. See documentation for the capture device for information about

making selections and saving the configuration. When you close

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the configuration dialog box, you return to the Configure Capture Devices dialog box.

5. Click Close.

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Working with Capture Options

52 ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Chapter 7: Working with Printer Options

ID Card Maker applications work with two kinds of printers. While you are developing your card design, you can print to the same kind of paper printer you would use to print a word processing document or spreadsheet. But even during development, we recommend printing sample cards to a card printer.

Printing ID cards is more complex because card printers offer features, such as topcoating and encoding, that are not available on paper printers. In addition, each card printer has a different set of available features.

Introducing Printer Plug-ins

ID Card Maker applications rely on software modules called plug-ins to provide the interfaces between the main ID Card Maker applications and the various card printers and encoders for magnetic stripes. This design allows support of a wide variety of printers without changing the ID Card Maker software.

The printer plug-in simply “plugs in” to the ID Card Maker application.

ID Card Maker Application

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 Administrator’s Guide 53

Printer Plug-in

Encoder Plug-in

Working with Printer Options

Similarly, a magnetic stripe encoder plug-in plugs in to the printer plug-in, extending the capability of the printer.

Specifying Plug-ins

If the driver for your Polaroid card printer is installed on your computer when you install the ID Card Maker software, the ID Card Maker installation program automatically associates the correct printer plug-in with your card printer. If you add a card printer to your system after installing ID Card Maker software, you must specify the association by using the Assign Printer Plug-ins utility in the ID Card Maker Administrator application. See the ID Card Maker Administrator online help topic “Assign printer plug-ins” for step-bystep instructions. Printer plug-ins must be assigned on each computer that prints cards with your ID Card Maker project.

Printing Graphics with the Card Printer’s K-panel

You can specify that all graphics on a card side be printed with the Kpanel using a utility in the ID Card Maker Administrator application.

Field Properties Print Options

Selecting black for the foreground color of a text or static text field automatically uses the K-panel for that field.

Override Field-level Settings

You can specify that photos and graphics be printed to the K-panel with the Configure K-Panel Printing utility in the ID Card Maker Administrator application. You specify K-panel printing for the front of the card, the back of the card, or both.

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Because card side K-panel conversions are done at print time, the Project card design and Process Card preview windows always display graphics in color. You must print a card to see the results of the settings.

You can use the Configure K-Panel Printing utility in the ID Card Maker Administrator application to adjust the contrast of images printed with the K-panel. Contrast refers to the degree of difference between the lightest and darkest areas of the graphic.

First select the printer you will use. Then move the slider and click OK. Print a test card and adjust your settings if necessary.

You must set up K-panel configurations on each ID Card Maker computer and for each printer used by the computer.

See the Administrator online help topic “Configure K-panel printing” for step-by-step instructions.

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Working with Printer Options

56 ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Index

add fields to Production Form from card

design 31

Administrator application

Assign Printer Plug-ins 54 configure capture devices 49 definition 1

background

card design 17 Production Form 26

background color

card fields 10

bar code field

card 20

camera,configuring 49

capture device

optional 49

card design

background 17 definition 15 orientation 16 size 17

card field

aligning 12 bar code 20 magnetic stripe 22 photo 19 static graphic 23 static text 23 text 18

Card window 15

cards

printing in Process application 24

configure capture devices 49

connections 37

between Production Form and card 41

between Production Form and

database 40

database 33

accessing 33

adding fields (table columns) 34

connections to Production Form 40

create from Project application 34

database setup

automatically saving records 34

connecting to a project 33

restricting privileges 33

field

aligning 12

alignment property 8

changing properties 7

changing size 9

copying 11

cutting, copying, pasting 11

definition 5

inserting 5

moving 12

name property 8

pasting 11

position property 9

rotation property 8

sample data property 8

selecting 5

size property 9

stacking order 12 field color 10 field connector 37

definition 37 Field Connector window 38

ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 Administrator’s Guide 57

Index

field name view 8

font

card field 9 size 10

foreground color

card fields 10

format, graphics 46

graphic

Production Form background 26 static, on card 23

graphics format 46

horizontal card orientation 16

image

capturing 43

keyboard shortcuts 4 K-panel printing 54

landscape card orientation 16

magnetic stripe field 22 measurement system 16

name, see valid name

orientation of card 16

photo

capturing 43 from file 45

photo field

card 19

connections between Production Form

and card 41

Production Form 28

plug-in

definition 53

printer, assigning 54

specifying 54 plug-ins 53 pop-up menu 4 portrait card orientation 16 printer 53

plug-in 53 printer plug-in, assigning 54

printing cards

sample card in Project application 24

with K-panel 54

Process application

definition 1

Production Form

add fields from card design 31

background 26

connections to database 40

definition 25

size 27

window 25

Production Form field

aligning 12

photo 28

static text 30

tab order 31

text 28

project

creating 13

definition 1

developing 12

Project application

connecting fields 37

creating cards 15

definition 1

58 ID Card Maker Entry Version 6 User Documentation

Polaroid ID CARD MAKER ENTRY User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

ID Card Maker Entry Online User Documentation

Legal Notices

Conventions Used in the Online User Documentation

Comments? Suggestions?

Contents

About the Operator’s Guide

Chapter 1: System Overview

Introducing the ID Card Maker “Project”

Getting Started

Start an ID Card Maker Application

Using the Welcome Dialog Box

Using ID Card Maker Applications

Opening a Project

Chapter 2: Using the ID Card Maker Process Application

Using an ID Card Maker Project

Entering Information in Text Fields

Using Photo Fields

Photo from File

TWAIN

TWAIN (Fast)

Video for Windows

Video for Windows (Fast)

Optional Cameras

Selecting a Different Photo Source

Cropping and Adjusting Photos

Rotating Photos

Selecting an Exposure

Starting Over

Previewing Cards

Printing Cards

Using the Project Database

Changing Information in a Database

Entering a New Database Record

Deleting a Database Record

Chapter 3: Searching the Database

Performing a Search

Refining the Search

Navigating Search Results

Index

Contents

About the Administrator’s Guide

Chapter 1: System Overview

Introducing the ID Card Maker Project

Getting Started

Using the Welcome Dialog Box

Using ID Card Maker Applications

Working with Fields

Inserting Fields

Selecting Fields

Changing Field Properties

Name

Sample Data

Alignment/Rotation

Position/Size

Fonts

Text Field Colors

Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Fields

Arranging Fields

Developing a Project

Create the ID Card Maker Project

Create the Card Design

Create the Production Form

Configure the Database

Tie It All Together

Try It Out

Implement Card Production

Chapter 2: Plan and Create a Card Design

What Is a Card Design?

Card Window

Orientation

Size

Background

Topcoat

Types of Card Fields

Text Field

Photo Field