Polaroid ID CARD MAKER VER. 5 User Manual
Welcome to the ID Card Maker Enhanced Online User Documentation
This file contains information about Polaroid ID Card Maker
Enhanced Edition version 5.3 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.
ID Card Maker Operator’s Guide
ID Card Maker Administrator’s Guide
Polaroid PCID Printer and Magnetic Stripe Plug-ins
Using the Online User Documentation
Legal Notices
Conventions
Comments? Suggestions?
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
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 T ype Manag er 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 this product were created using LEADTOOLS © 1991-
2001 LEAD Technologies, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Portions of the bar code technology of this product are copyrighted by
StrandWare, Inc.
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
Conventions Used in the Online User Documentation
Notes remind or inform you of something you should know before
proceeding.
D
Tips remind
or inform you of
a feature or
method that
could save you
time and energy.
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 capit al letter s (for
example, E
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. See the document Using the ID Card Maker User
Documentation for tips on reading documents online.
NTER).
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
Comments? Suggestions?
Please send comments, suggestions, or corrections to:
ID Card Maker Information Development
Polaroid Commercial ID Systems
4850 Executive Blvd.
Ft. Wayne, IN 46808
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
Operator’s Guide for
ID Card Maker Version 5
ii
Contents
About the Operator’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
Chapter 1: System Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introducing the ID Card Maker “Project” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Log In to an ID Card Maker Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Changing Your User Password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Using the Welcome Dialog Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Using ID Card Maker Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Opening a Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 2: Using the ID Card Maker Process Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Using an ID Card Maker Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Entering Information in Text Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Entering Information in Date Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Selecting Information in List Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Using Photo Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Photo from File. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
TWAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
TWAIN (Fast). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Video for Windows. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Video for Windows (Fast). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Optional Cameras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Selecting a Different Photo Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Cropping and Adjusting Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Exporting Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Adjusting Photo Backdrop Removal Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Mandatory Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Read-only Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Previewing Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Printing Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Using a Project that is Connected to a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Changing Information in a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Entering a New Database Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Deleting a Database Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
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Chapter 3: Using the ID Card Maker Reports Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Reports Procedure Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Selecting a Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Selecting Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Printing Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Chapter 4: Searching the Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Performing a Quick Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Refining the Quick Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Viewing Search Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Navigating Search Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Running a Stored Advanced Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Creating a Stored Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Filter Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Using the Multi-value Constraint List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Adding and Clearing Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Modifying a Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Sort Order Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Manage Tab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Changing a Stored Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Deleting a Stored Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Search Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Text Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
= Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
IN Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
IS NULL Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
IS NOT NULL Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Numeric Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
= Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
> Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
< Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
BETWEEN Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
IN Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
IS NULL Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
IS NOT NULL Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Date Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
EXACT DATE Constraint Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
SINCE Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
BEFORE Constraint Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
BETWEEN Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
PREVIOUS _ DAYS Constraint Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
PREVIOUS _ MONTHS Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
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IS NULL Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
IS NOT NULL Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Image Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
All selected fields have data Constraint Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
At least one selected field has data Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
At least one selected field is empty Constraint Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
All selected fields are empty Constraint Rule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
About the Operator’s Guide
This document is one of three sources of information about Polaroid
ID Card Maker.
• 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.
• This Operator’s Guide, part of the online User Documentation,
gives additional background information about using the various
features available in the ID Card Maker applications. It also
suggests the order in which tasks shou ld be performed.
v
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
vi
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
1
System Overview
Polaroid ID Card Maker includes four
applications:
ID Card Maker Project lets a System
Administrator create projects that meet your
organization’s specific needs for card designs, report designs, data
entry, and database access.
In some organizations, one person performs all the Project functions.
In others, a graphic artist may be responsible for card designs while a
programmer, database administrator, and/or manager develop the
Production Forms, reports, and connections.
ID Card Maker Process lets you use the projects you create in the
Project application to gather information, access your database, and
print identification cards.
ID Card Maker Reports lets you generate and print image-rich
reports from your database.
ID Card Maker Administrator contains tools to manage user
accounts, monitor security, and 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 usually contains a Production Form and a card design
(although a card design is not required). Optionally, your project can
contain one or more report designs and one o r more stored searches.
By using field connections, information entered in a Production Form
can be saved in a database, printed on a car d, used in a re port, or a ll
of the above. 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 and report s using information in the d atab ase.
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
2 System Overview
Getting Started
The rest of this chapter explains the steps you take to begin using
your ID Card Maker identification software.
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
System Overview 3
Log In to an ID Card Maker Application
To begin using ID Card Maker software, double-click the ID Card
Maker Enhanced Process or Reports shortcut icon on your desktop,
or from the Windows Start button select Programs, Polaroid, ID
Card Maker, and then ID Card Maker Enhanced Process.
Process
shortcut icon
Reports
shortcut icon
In the User Login dialog box, type the User Name and User Password
given to you by your System Administrator, and then click the Log in
button.
When you are logged in to an ID Card Maker application, you do not
need to supply your user name and password again to start another
ID Card Maker application.
Changing Your User Password
Each time you log in to an ID Card Maker application you have the
opportunity to change your user password. To change your
password, click the Change Password button any time before
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
4 System Overview
completing the login. The Login and Change Password dialog box
opens, where you must supply your user name, current password,
and a new password. You will also need to type the new password a
second time for verification. Then click the Log in button to complete
the change and log in to the ID Card Maker application.
Using the Welcome Dialog Box
After you have changed your password or enter ed it and clicked Log
in, the Welcome dialog box appears.
From this dialog box you can open an existing project—either a
sample project or one that was designed specifically for your
organization. If the project you want to open is not listed, click Open
projects or More projects to display the Open Project dialog box,
which lists all ID Card Maker projects available to you.
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
menu bar, select View and then Show Welcome on start up. The
selection you make applies only to the Windows user name you used
to log in and only to the application you logged into. Othe r ID Card
Maker applications have separate settings for showing the Welcome
window.
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
System Overview 5
Using ID Card Maker Applications
If you are familiar with your Microsoft® Windows® operating system
and typical office applications, such as word processing and
presentation software, ID Card Maker software will feel familiar to
you. ID Card Maker applications let you perform most actions severa l
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 cut,
paste, and save—follow Microsoft Office conventions; you do not
have to relearn your favorite shortcuts.
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 fun ction
of the button appears.
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
Menu bar
Toolbars
Status bar
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
6 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).
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.
When you open an ID Card Maker project, it appears the way the last
project did when it was closed. For example, if the last project was
closed with the Card Preview showing, the project you select will
open with the Card Preview showing.
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
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.
Your System Administrator may have configured yo ur computer to
require logging in again if you have not used the Process application
after a certain period of time. If that happens, you will see a dialog
box similar to the following.
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
8 Using the ID Card Maker Process Application
Using an ID Card Maker Project
How your project opens depends on what privileges you have. If you
are allowed to enter new records, 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.) If your project
is connected to a database, 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. As mentioned, you can move between fields by tabbing or by
clicking with the mouse.
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 and your project is connected
to a database, 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.
If you need to start over with the record and your project is not
connected to a database, from the menu bar select Field and then
Clear All. All fields will return to the way they were when you opened
the project.
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
Using the ID Card Maker Process Application 9
Entering Information in Text Fields
Most fields will be text fields. You can enter in a text field any
character on your keyboard: uppercase letters, lowercase letters,
numbers, punctuation marks, special characters, or spaces. There
will, however, 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 your project connects to a
database, the maximum field length of text fields is often set to match
the maximum number of characters allowed in the corresponding
database column.
If you enter more characters than the text field entry box can display,
the text might scroll. Y ou can see all the text using the H
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
Text fields
OME, END, left
10 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.
Some text fields may appear with characters already entered for you.
For example, an identification number might appear with hyphens
separating groups of digits. These fields have a “mask” applied to
them to make your job easier. As you type data into these fields, the
pointer will skip over the characters that are already there. Some
other ways masked text fields might behave are:
• Converting characters. For example, lowercase characters you
type might automatically be changed into uppercase characters.
• Requiring that you enter something in a field. If you try to print a
card or save a record without entering a value in such a text field,
you will see the message, “Mandatory character not present.”
When you click OK to clear the message, the pointer will appear
in the field you need to complete.
• Requiring a certain kind of character. If you type a letter into a
phone number field that is masked to accept only numeric
characters, the letter will not be accepted and the computer bell
will sound.
Other text fields may be completely filled in for you. If a completed
field has gray text, you cannot change the contents. If the text is any
other color, it was supplied as a convenience to you but you can
change it.
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
Using the ID Card Maker Process Application 11
Entering Information in Date Fields
Date fields have separator characters (often slashes or hyphens) in
them. You must enter numbers for the day, month, and year in the
order that was specified when your project was created. If the prompt
for the date field does not tell you whether to enter the month first or
second and you enter it in the wrong position, an error message will
appear when you try to print a card or save the r ecord. You can easily
change the order.
Some date fields also require that you enter a time. The time part of
the date field will appear to the right of the date. You must enter
numbers for the hour, minute, and second part of the time. If your
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
Date field
12 Using the ID Card Maker Process Application
project uses the 12-hour time format, you will also need to enter AM
or PM.
If you make a mistake while entering a date, move the pointer to the
right of the incorrect character, press the B
type the correct number.
ACKSPACE key, and then
Selecting Information in List Fields
List fields
List fields have an arrow at the righ t side of the field. Instead of typing
information in them, you make a selection from the items in the list.
To see all the choices, click and hold on the arrow. Move the mouse
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
Using the ID Card Maker Process Application 13
until the choice you want is highlighted, then release the mouse
button. If you prefer to use the keyboard, the up and down arrow keys
scroll through the list choices. See the online help topic “Select an
item in a list field” for additional ways to use the keyboard to make list
field selections. List fields save you typing and ensure that
information stored in a database is consistent.
Using Photo Fields
Photo field
What happens when you enter a photo field depends on how your
project was set up, whether your system has a camera, and, if so,
what kind of camera it is. The most common behavior is for a photo
capture to begin as soon as you enter the photo field. If no dialog box
ID Card Maker Enhanced Version 5 User Documentation
14 Using the ID Card Maker Process Application
opens, you must start the capture operation. From the menu bar,
select Capture and then Capture.
D
If you need
to select a
source, check
with your System
Administrator.
They may have
forgotten to
assign a source.
Photo from File
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 or click the right mouse button and select Select
Capture Source from the menu. See the online help topic “Select a
photo source” for step-by-step instructions.
The following paragraphs show the dialog boxes that open for the
photo sources that are available on all ID Card Maker computers.
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. The
Open dialog box “remembers” the last directory you used. If most of
your photo files are in the same directory , you do not have to do much
navigating. When you select a file, a “thumbnail” of the file displays so
you can verify that you have the correct file.
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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application 15
ID Card Maker software supports the following file types:
BMP Windows Bitmap
EPS Encapsulated PostScript
JPG Joint Photographic Experts Group File Interchange Format
(single image per file)
J2K JPEG 2000 File Format
PCT Macintosh PICT Drawing
PCX PC Paintbrush
PNG Portable Network Graphics
PSD Adobe Photoshop® (3.0)
TGA TARGA® Image File Format
TIF Tagged Image File Format (single image per file,
uncompressed only)
WMF Windows Metafile
When you have found the file you want, click Open. The Photo Crop
and Adjust dialog box opens, where you can center the subject or
crop out (eliminate) unnecessary background. See “Cropping and
Adjusting Photos” on page 19.
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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16 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.
TWAIN (Fast)
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 d evice. See the document ation that
came with your device, or ask your supervisor or ID Card Maker
System Administrator for step-by-step instructions.
If the photo source selected is TWAIN (Fast), the software
application that is associated with the last TWAIN device used in an
ID Card Maker project (or the only TWAIN device installed on your
computer) starts. 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
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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application 17
documentation that came with your device or ask your supervisor or
ID Card Maker System Administrator for step-by-step instructions.
Video for Windows
If the photo source selected is Video for Windows, the Video for
Windows Interface dialog box opens. (Video for Windows is a
Microsoft standard interface for storing and playback of video and
audio information. It also lets you capture a single frame to a bitmap
or JPEG file. Single-frame capture is the capability of Video for
Windows that ID Card Maker software uses.)
When you click the Select Source button, the Select Source dialog
box opens. It lists all the Video for Windows d evices 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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18 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” on
page 19.
Video for Windows (Fast)
If the photo source selected is Video for Windows (Fast), the Video
for Windows Camera dialog box opens immediately. Y ou d o not have
to select a source.
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Using the ID Card Maker Process Application 19
Optional Cameras
In addition to the photo sources already described, your ID Card
Maker system may include an optional capture device, such as
Polaroid ID Card Maker Image Capture product. These optional
devices have special so ftware 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
If you have the necessary privilege, you can use a photo source other
than the one specified when your project was created. For example, if
the project is set to automatically start the software for a TWAIN
device, you can close the dialog box that opens automatically. Then,
with the photo field still selected (there will be a border around the
photo field), select a different source for the photo. From the menu
bar, select Capture and then Select Capture Source or click the
right mouse button and select Select Capture Source from the popup menu. See the online help topic “Select a photo source” for stepby-step instructions.
Cropping and Adjusting Photos
If your ID Card Maker project allows you to crop 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.
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20 Using the ID Card Maker Process Application
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 fourway 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.
ID Card Maker Version 5 Operator’s Guide
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