Primera SureThing User Manual

retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means without the written permission of MicroVision Development, Inc.

MicroVision Development, Inc. P.O. Box 130023 Carlsbad, CA 92009

trademark of MicroVision Development, Inc. Other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.

Restrictions You are encouraged to make a reasonable number of backup copies of the Software for your

own use. You are not allowed to make unlimited copies. The Software is protected by the copyright laws and international treatises that pertain to computer software. It is illegal to make copies of the Software except for backup purposes. It is illegal to give copies to another person, or to duplicate the Software by any other means, including electronic transmission. The Software contains trade secrets, and in order to protect them you may not decompil e, reverse engineer, disassemble, or otherwise reduce the Software to humanperceivable form. You may not modify, adapt, translate, rent, lease, or create derivative works based upon the Software or any part thereof.

Warranty MicroVision warrants that the original disks are free from defects in material and work-

manship, assuming normal use, for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. If a defect occurs during this period, you may return your faulty disk to MicroVision, along with a dated proof of purchase, for a free replacement.

EXCEPT FOR THE EXPRESS WARRANTY OF THE ORIGINAL DISKS SET FORTH ABOVE, MICROVISION GRANTS NO

WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY STATUTE OR OTHERWISE, REGARDING THE DISKS AND

OTHER

MATERIALS, THEIR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE, THEIR QUALITY, THEIR MERCHANTABILITY, OR

RELATED OTHERWISE TO FOR

. THE LIABILITY OF MICROVISION UNDER THE WARRANTY SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL BE LIMITED

THE AMOUNT PAID BY THE CUSTOMER FOR THE PRODUCT. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROVISION BE LIABLE

ANY SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY.

Credits

Engineering Robert B ushner

Jim Mayall John H. Gaby Patrick Wright

User’s Guide Sean Cavanaugh

Jim Mayall

Online Help Jim Law SmartDesig ns Garvey

Jim Mayall Sean Cavanaugh

Testing & Support Ben Dougl as

Pete Calkins Tony Tran Nyeland Newel David Rast Sean Kelley

iii

Editing & Misc Robin Ralston

Paul Cary

Con t e n ts

Introducing SureThing CD Labeler 6

About this manual 6 System requirements 6 Installing SureThing CD Labeler 7 Registration 7 Getting Help 7 Technical Support 7

The SureThing Environment 9

Label Blocks 12

Turning blocks on and off 12 Selecting Tools 14 Using Object Tools 14 Setting Program Options 14

Entering User Information 15

Internet Ta b 15

Appearance Ta b 15 Zooming In and Out 15

Working with the Software 17

Starting SureThing 17 Creating a New Label 17 SmartDesign Basics 19 Working with Text 20

Editing T ext Frames 20

Adding a New Text Frame 22

Changing the Size and Position of a Text Frame 22

Inserting Merge Fields in Text Frames 23

Formatting Text in a Text Frame 24

Editing T ext Effects 24

Selecting different types of Text Effects 25

Adding a New Text Effect 26

Working with the Software (continued)

Working with Logos and Clipart 27

Editing a Logo 27

Adding Clipart to Your Label 28 Working with Backgrounds 29

Using Y our Own Backgrounds 30

Using a Background Color 30 Acquiring Images 31 Changing the Label Stock 31 Duplicating a Label Design 31 Saving Y our Label 33

Saving a design with a new filename 33 Calibrating Y our Printer 34 Printing 34 Working with Label Templates 35

Creating Customized Layouts using the Template Creation Wizard 35

Saving Existing Designs as Templates 37

Deleting Templates 38 Introduction to Playlists 39

The Playlist Manager 39

A Quick Walk-Through 40

Compilation Music CDs 41

For Advanced Users 41 Working with Playlists 42

Importing a Playlist Using the New CD Wizard 42

Importing a Playlist to an Existing Design 43

Applying a Playlist from Your Playlist Database 44

Creating a Custom Playlist with the Playlist Database 44

Creating Your Own Playlist Data 45

More Info on the Playlist Manager 46

Displaying Playlists Fields or Data 47

In tr oduci ng S ur eThin g CD Labeler

elcome to SureThing CD Labeler–intelligent labeling

to creat e attractive labels q uic kly and efficientl y.

You can use SureThing CD Labeler to create any type of CD label. Our Smart- Design system is perfect for m usic CDs, interactive mul timedia titles, Pho toCDs, or even simple backups, for example. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a novice designer or an art director, SureThing CD Labeler gives you ease of use and professional results at the same time. Smart- Designs are capable of building jus t about any type of layout simply by clicking your choices. You can also modify them or even build your own layouts from scratch.

There’s no need to worry about measurements or lin in g things up proper l y because SureThing CD Labele r ha ndles th a t for you autom atica lly. It’s pre-configured to work with many popular label stocks, leaving you free to be creative and focus on your designs.

SureThing CD Labeler also comes with a large collection of backgrounds, textures and clipart you can use in your labels and designs, an d o f course yo u can also incorporat e your existing images and artwork into any label design.

You can even merge information from CD playlists, a database or CSV file, and print sets of labels, or numbered series.

software that gives you the tools

About this manual

The SureThi ng CD Labeler User Guide pro vides the essential information you need to get u p and running as quickly as possible. The goal of this manual is to give you a go od overvi ew of the p ro gram’s features and functionality. It’s not so much a command re fe rence as it is a general reference. The program’s built-in Help system is the best place to find typical command reference information. The Help system also contains a number o f useful mini-tutorials, tips and techniques for using SureThing.

We assume you have a basic working knowledge of your computer and operating system, including ho w t o choose menu commands, operate the mouse, select text, and work with files (opening, closing and saving, for example).

System requirements

Here are the bare bone requirements needed to run SureThing:

• PC with 486 or faster proce ssor

• Window s 95, 98, ME or 2000

• 16 MB RAM (64 MB for Windows 2000)

• 64 MB of available hard disk space

• Inkjet or Laser printer recommended

SURETHING CD LABELER

User’s Guide

Installing SureThing

This section describes how to install the SureThing CD Labeler software on your computer.

We recommend that you quit all currently runn ing prog rams. Doin g so frees up memory and resources and minimizes the chance of installation errors.

1 Insert the Sur eThin g installa tion CD in to your CD-ROM drive.

2 Double-click the file named Setup.exe. This launches the installation that will walk

you through the process of installing SureThing CD Labeler on your hard disk. If Au t o-run is turned on, the Setup program will load automatically when you insert the SureThing CD.

Registration

Please take a moment to register SureThing. Regist ering the software en titles y o u to technical support as well notification of program updates and upgrades. To register the software choose Register SureThing from the Help menu to go directly to our reg is tr at io n web p ag e. If you don’t have access to the Internet, you can register by calling MicroVi sion a t 800.998.4555, or

760.438.7781.

Getting Help

sensitive. In other words, it will jump directly to the specific topic related to the feature or command you are working with. When no specific feature or command is detected, choosing Help takes you to the help system’s index or topic list. The Help system also contains a number of helpful tutorials, tips and techniques.

To access help:

• Press the F1 key any time you are using SureThing CD Labeler, or choose the Contents command from the Help menu.

• In many dialog boxes you can press a Help button, which opens the help topic for that dialog box (and even if you don’t see a Help button in a dialog box, you can still press F1).

Technical Support

If you have a question or problem with SureThing CD Label er that you ca nnot adequat ely an s we r or solve using th e manual or help syste m, technical su ppo rt is available from MicroVision Development.

SureThing on the Web

If you have access to the Internet, this is definitely the best option. Our web si t e is kept current with answer s to fr eque n t ly asked questions (FAQs), pr ogram updates and patches, and a user-to-user support forum. Visit our website at

www.surething.com

SureThing CD Labeler has a complete help system accessible anytime the program is running. Much of the help is context-

You can access our web site directly from SureThing’s Help menu. Options are available to register the software, order

8 CHAPTER 1

Introduction

label supplies, and check for software updates. Choose SureThing on the Web from the Help menu at any time to automatically launch your web browser and go to our site.

Online support

Online support, including e-mail, FAQs and user-to-user forums are just a click away. Set your web browser to the following URL and follow the links to our support section:

www.surething.com

Fax or mail support

You can mail or fax questions to us at the following:

MicroVision Dev elopment P.O. Box 130023 Carlsbad, CA 92009

Fax line: 760-438-7406

Telephone support

You can also phone us directly and speak with a technical support representative. Telephone support is available Monday– Friday 9:00am–4:30pm P aci fic time.

Support line: 760-438-0305

The Sur eThing Enviro nment

he SureThing environment is not too diff erent from wh at you’re

already familiar with in other Windows applications. It includes a menu bar at the top of the screen, the tabbed label window (the number of tabs depends on the brand of label you are using), and

Menu bar

a collection of tools for creating and editing elements such as label text, text effects, backgrounds, images, borders, etc.

At the bottom of the screen are buttons you click to cycle through the various SmartDesigns.

Command bar

Control Strip

Speed Tools*

Design bar

* Speed Tools are turned off by default, but you can turn them on by choosing View Options from the V iew menu.

Variation bar

10 CHAPTER 2

The SureThing Environment

Design bar Speed Tools (default set)

Calibrate Printer Print

The icons along the left of the

Printer Setup

screen are shortcut menus to commonly performed tasks.

Click the arrow to toggle the display of the Design bar on and off. Turning it off gives more room to the design window.

Undo/Redo Cut, Copy & Paste

Text F rame tool Picture tool Text Effect tool

Find Replace Find Next

Bring to Front Send to Back

Select All Set Program Options Show Item

Set Merge File Change Label Stocks Template Info

Control Strip

Text mode Object mode

Rotate tool Transparency tool

Font color menu Bold, Italic, Underline options

Text alignment menu Vertical text alignment menu

Get contents from CD Select a playlist for this design

Font menu Font Size menu

Zoom In Zoom Out Fit in Window

Object tools list:

• Text Frame tool

• Picture tool

• T ext Effects tool

• Line tool

• Rectangle tool

• Round-Corner Rectangle tool

• Ellipse tool

• Insert OLE Object tool

• Text tool

• Object selection tool

• Rotate tool

• Transparency tool

• Crop Picture tool

SURETHING CD LABELER

User’s Guide

Label Design Area

Rulers (click and drag to create alignment guide lines).

Tabs for each component of the label sheet (referred to as “Blocks”)

Sample Text Effect

Sample Text Frame

Label edge Bleed area Non-printing area

(Clip to Label)

In T ext Mode, the horizontal ruler changes to a paragraph indent and tab ruler corresponding to the currently selected text frame.

The Label Design Area is where you create and edit your label. Each label block has its own tab at the top of the design area. The number of tabs displayed here depends on the label stock you are using (specific to each label sheet). The example above contains blocks for the CD label itself and a jewel case spine. By default, only the CD Label block is active – the others appear in parentheses. Clicking a tab activates the block, however, and also turns it on in the Pri n t dialo g box. If you don’t want to edit and/or print these blocks, you can turn them off again by choosing the Blocks

command from V iew menu, and then selecting Show/Hide.

The area displayed in crosshatch indicates the area outside of the label. If you place an object, such as a text frame or logo, over the crosshatch, the portion that overlaps the crosshatch will not be displayed on screen. You can turn off crosshatching by toggling the Clip to Label command under the View menu. When Clip to Label is turned off, all objects are displayed regardless of their placement on the label.

12 CHAPTER 2

The SureThing Environment

Label Blocks

We ment ion ed th e con ce pt of “block s” in the preceding section. A block is a group of identical labels found on a label sheet. For example, all of the CD labels on a sheet form a block of CD labels.

On many label sheets, you will find multiple blocks of labels on the same sheet where each block of labels is intended for a different purpose. For example, SureThing CD Labels include two blocks: CD labels for the CD itself and spine labels to go on the spine of a CD jewel case.

Consider the following example:

Turning blocks on and off

You select the blocks you want to design and edit by clicking their corresponding tabs at the top of the design window. This turns on a block and activates its design window if it wasn’t already activated. You can turn off blocks using the Blocks > Show/Hide command under the View menu. When you turn a block off, its tab appears in parentheses, and it’s no longer displayed in blue in the Print dialog box, indicating that it will not be printed. If it is on, however, it will be printed.

In the following Print dialog box, you can tell that only the CD label block has been turned on, because it’s the only block that appears in blue. The blue areas indicate active blocks, letting you know which ones will be printed.

A typical label sheet (SureThing CD Labels)

The circles in the center are, of course, the CD labels. The first tab in the design window corresponds to this block. The thin rectangles to the left and right of the CD labels are jewel case spines, and correspond to the second tab in the design window.

After activating the other blocks, notice that they now also appear in blue:

Command Bar

SURETHING CD LABELER

User’s Guide

The buttons along the top of the design area (New, Open, Save, etc.) perform the same function as some commonly used menu commands. They’re located here for your convenience.

The Add button makes a copy of the current design. You can then edit the copy, changing background, text, and layout, for example, leaving the original intact. The Add button provides an easy way to produce a series of labels with different layouts and data. The Del button deletes

Variation Bar

The Variation Bar lets you cycle through the various SmartDesigns available to a particular label stock. The first button, Background, lets you choose from various backgrounds for your label design. The second button controls the overall layout

the current label. The << (previous) and >> (next) buttons let you navigate between labels. All four buttons correspond to the Designs commands under the Tools menu.

(Note: The Add command is not the method you use to print multiple copies of a label – use the Print command and enter the number of copies you want to print for that – but rather a means to create different layouts, backgrounds, text, etc., within the same file.)

of your label. The third button contains font variations appropriate for each layout. Click the arrows to the left or right of a button to move back and forth between the variations, or click in the center of the button for a pop-up menu.

14 CHAPTER 2

The SureThing Environment

Selecting Tools

You select a tool by clicking it with the mouse. Some tools bring up dialog boxes (such as the Picture tool, for example), others change the shape of the cursor, indicating you can create an object based on the type of tool you selected. These are also kn o wn a s th e Object Tools.

When you move the mouse over a tool without clicking it, the name of the tool is displayed. For an overview of each tool, see the online Help.

Using Object T ools

The tools used to create objects work in the following fashion:

1 Select the tool (either from the tool menu on the Control Strip, or from the Obje c t Tools l is t un de r th e Tools me nu) .

2 Click and continue holding down the mouse button at the location in the label design area where you want to create the object.

Setting Program Options

A numb e r of Sure Th i ng’s se tt i ng s ca n b e customized. These include startup options, display options, toolbar and ruler settings, etc. Some of these options are set in the Options dialog box (choose the Program Options command from the Too ls menu), others are turned on and off under the View menu. These settings are saved each time you exit SureThing.

To change V iew Options:

• Choose View Options from the View menu to turn the display of selected items on or off. The commands under this submenu toggle on and off – a check mark next to an op t i on in di c ate s it’s on; s ele c t it again to turn it off.

3 While still holding down the mouse button, drag the size you want the object to appear.

4 When you are satisfied with the size of the object, release the mouse and the object is created.

Most object tools work in the manner described above. Some tools display dialog boxes where you can open and insert files, enter text, etc.

To change settings in the Options dialog bo x:

1 Choose the Program Options command from the Tools menu, or click the button at the bottom of the Design bar.

Program Options dialog box

2 Make any changes you see fit. Press

Help for more information about a specific option.

3 Click OK to save your settings and close the Program Options dialog box.

SURETHING CD LABELER

User’s Guide

Internet Tab

The Internet tab of the Program Options dialog box lets you select an Internet Playlist Server , enable reading of CD Text, and configure a proxy server.

Internet Playlist Server

SureThing defaults to the server www2.freedb.org/cgi-bin/cddb.cgi, but you can change this to another server that prov i de s pl ay l ist info r m at i o n. To ch a ng e the program back to the default server, click th e Use Defaul t Server option.

The Connect to server without prompting option is primarily intended for users who are online all the time, such as those who use cable modem systems or LAN connections for example. If you connect to the Internet via a dial-up service, you may wish to be prompted.

You can als o t urn on or of f the dis pl ay of certain items by choosing View Options under the View menu.

User Info Tab

SureThing labels can be designed to use merge fields from databases or from the User Info tab of the Progra m Options dialog box. We encou rag e you to t ake a m ome nt to fill this information out.

Fill in information in any of the fields that are appropriate for you. Leave any unnecessary fields blank (you should delete the sample text).

Enable CD Text

CD Text is a recent addition to the CD audio specification allowing disc and track related information to be added to standard audio CDs for playback on suitably equipped CD audio players.

If the Enable Rea d i n g CD Text option is turned on, SureThing will first attempt to read CD Text when gathering playlist information. If no CD Text is detected, SureThing will then search the Internet Playlist Server for information about the CD.

Proxy Server

Enter the address and port number of the proxy server you wish to connect to. If you’re unsure about proxy server settings, chance are you are not using one.

16 CHAPTER 2

The SureThing Environment

Appearance Tab

The “Appearance” tab of the Program Options dialog box lets you personalize the

look and feel of the SureThing interface.

Zooming In and Out

You c an ma g nify or re duc e you r v iew of the design area using a couple of different methods. When you first open a file, or when you create a new one, the zoom level is set to fit within the current window. This means that the view size of the label is dependent upon the size of the window; increasing or decreasing the SureThing window zooms in or out of the label.

You can also set the view size to a specific zoom percentage, such as 50% to view it at half the actual size, or 300% to view it at three times the actual size, for example. When you choose a specific zoom level, the size of the current window does not affect the view size of the label.

To zoom out:

• Click the Zoom Out button on the Control Strip. Each time you click it decreases the zoom level.

• Press Ctrl+Minus key (on the numeric keypad)

• Choose Custom Zoom from the Zoom sub-menu under the View menu and select a zoom level from the list, or enter your own zoom level (must be between 30% and 400%).

You can return the zoom level to the actual print size or to the size of the current windo w by choos ing Actual Size or Zoom to fit in Window from the Zoom sub-menu under the View menu. Clicking the button on the Control Strip does the same thing.

To zoom in:

Do one of the following:

• Click the Zoom In button on the Control Strip. Each time you click it increases the zoom level.

• Press Ctrl+Plus key (numeric keypad)

• Choose Custom Zoom from the Zoom sub-menu under the View menu and select a zoom level from the list, or enter your own zoom level (must be between 30% and 400%).

Working with the Software

n this chapter, you’l l learn how to create a new SureThing label design, as

well as the basics of editing, saving and printing labels. The information is often presented in a step-by-step format intended to give you a good overview of SureThing’s features and capabilities. To learn more about a specific command or feature, please refer to the Online Help.

Topic Page

Starting SureThing 17 Creating a New Label 17 SmartDesign Basics 19 Working with Text 20 Editing Text Frames 20 Adding a New Text Frame 22 Changing the Size and Position of a Text Frame 22 Inserting Merge Fields in Text Frames 23 Formatting Text in a Text Frame 24 Editing Text Effects 24 Selecting different types of Text Effects 25 Adding a New Text Effect 26 Working with Logos and Clipart 27 Editing a Logo 27 Adding Clipart to Your Label 28 Working with Backgrounds 29 Using Your Own Backgrounds 30 Using a Background Color 30 Acquiring Images 31 Changing the Label Stock 31 Duplicating a Design 31 Saving Your Label 33 Calibrating Your Printer 34 Printing 34 Working with Label Templates 35 Playlists & The Playlist Manager 39

Starting SureThing

Double-click the SureThing icon on the desktop, or launch it from the Start menu (look under Programs > SureThing > SureThing CD Labeler).

If this is the first time you’ve started SureThing, the “SureThing First Time Wizard” appears. If this is not the first time you’ve started SureThing, depending on how you’ve configured your startup options (choose the Program Options command under the Tools menu), you may or may not see this wizard. If it doesn’t appear automatically, choose the New command from the File menu.

Creating a New Label

The New Label wizard steps you through the process of selecting a label stock and specifying design characteristics such as a background image.

Select a label stock

18 CHAPTER 3

Working with the Software

Select a product type and label stock from the lists on the right side of the wizard. The preview image should match your actual label stock. (Note: Deluxe Edition users can change the stock later with the Change Label Stock command under the Edit menu.) Click the Next butt on w he n yo u’re satisfied with your choice.

Select a background for your label

You have the option to select a background image for your label. To see a list of available backgrounds specially designed for SureThing, click the Browse button and select an image. A preview of it will appear in the wizard. If you change your mind, click the Clear button to use no background, or click the Browse button again and select a different background. You can select backgrounds for your CD label or jewel case spine by clicking the drop-down list before you browse the backgrounds. Click the Next butt on whe n yo u’re sati sf ie d with your choices.

The next step of the wizard presents you with the option of using SmartDesign templates, or designing a blank label from

scratch. We recommend you choose Use

SmartDesigns.

Select an initial SmartDesign

There are three categories of SmartDesigns: A ud io CD, Data CD and General Purpose. These categories determine the type of information, such as playlist track titles, that will be part of your design.

If you select the General Purpose

;

either Audio CD or Data CD if you choose to apply a playlist to your design.

This step lets you change the SmartDesign opti ons for yo ur lab el. You c a n cha n ge many of these options after you’ve created a label, so don’t worr y about being locked into a particular SmartDesign or background.

Click the Finish button to complete the wizard and start editing your label. Or...

Click the Next button to add playlist information to your design if you are creating an Audio CD or Data CD design.

option, you can later switch to

Tip: SureThing remembers all

selectio ns yo u’ve made in the wizard. If nothing changes for the next label you want to create, click Finish on the first screen of the wizard.

The Design window appears with the label you just created using the wizard, and is now ready for editing. The text you see is the initial sample text, and the background is the same one you selected in the wizard.

The Design Wi ndow

By default, all new labels start out with a SmartDesign for the product type and label stock you chose in the New Label wizard. SmartDesigns are templates that act like a design assistant. They provide a variety of layout choices, sample text, and font and point size suggestions.

SURETHING CD LABELER

User’s Guide

The sample text included in a SmartDesign is intended to give you ideas about the type of information you might use in your design. You can, of course, enter anything you like in each field. Several of the SmartDesign layouts also include sample images to use as placeholders until you insert your own graphics, logos, etc.

If you ch o s e Audio or D ata CD in t he Wizard, please refer to the section titled “Working with P lay lists” late r in this chapter .

SmartDesign Basics

SmartDesigns are interactive design templates built into Sure Th in g. Unlike traditional templates that simply place a few objects on a page and leave the rest up to you, SmartDesigns allow you to modify many aspects of the design with a few mouse clicks. We call them ‘smar t’ because they’re designed for specific label stocks by people with a good eye for graphic design. SmartDesigns let you put together attractive label designs without actually having to do anything more than click the mouse.

SmartDesigns display sample text, a variety of layouts, and a series of font selections for each layout. SmartDesigns don’t require you to draw and align objects (lines, rectangles, gradient fills, etc.) or format

The V a riation Bar

20 CHAPTER 3

Working with the Software

text. You simply browse the SmartDesign for a look that fits your taste and use it.

And of course, you can override or modify the SmartDesigns at any time; you’re not locked in to any designs.

SmartDesign Tip: Use the Variation

Bar to find a background, layout and font that suits your tastes before customizing the label.

SmartDesigns are manipulated using the Variation Bar at the bottom of the window. The Variat i on Ba r con sis t s of menu s fo r Background, Layout and Font variations.

To use SmartDesigns:

• Click the left or right arrows on one of the three Variation menus. You can also click in th e midd l e of a Va riati o n menu to display a pop-up list of choices.

Background menu with pop-up list

The first Var iation menu controls the various backgrounds you can select. The second menu contains several predesigned layouts appropriate for each of the backgrounds included with SureThing. The third menu lists font variations for each of the layouts from the second menu.

When yo u’re sat isf i e d with a ba c kgroun d and layout , you’re rea dy to move on t o editing the various objects and text fields in the label.

Working with T ext

Text can ta ke a couple of different forms in SureThing: text frames and text effects. Te xt in text f ram e s beh aves much li ke it would in a word processing program, for instance – with characters, paragraphs, tabs, indents, etc. Text effects, on the other hand, behave more like graphic objects – you can bend, warp, and twist the text, add drop shadows and fill patterns, etc. You’ll want to know how to work with both types while designing your labels.

Editing Text Frames

Text in SureThing is displayed in boxes called text frames that function much like fields in a database. The sample text frames you see are a bit different from the ones you create yourself – the sample text is linked to the underlying SmartDesign to allow SureThing to automatically generate new layouts and font variations.

Selecting text in frames

When editing a SmartDesign layout, the text frames have been arranged so that replacing the sample text is like filling in fields in a database.

• Press the Tab key to move to the next text frame in the design.

SURETHING CD LABELER

User’s Guide

• Press Shift-Tab to move to the previous text frame.

Maybe you’re wondering how to enter a tab in a text frame? Press Ctrl-Tab to insert a tab without moving the cursor to the next text frame.

Moving between text frames with the Tab key only works in text frames that were created with SmartDesigns. For new text frames you create yourself, you must click into the frame with the mouse. Pressing the Tab key in a manually-created text frame inserts a tab (like Ctrl-Tab).

The fields are sometimes logically grouped together. For example, an address may consist of a street address, city, state and zipcode fields. So that they can be moved as a unit, they are grouped together. When you select one with the Object Tool, you select the entire group.

The fields in each SmartDesign reflect the typical use for the label, but you can use them any way you like. You can even turn off selected fields if you find them unnecessary by simply deleting them with the Del key or the Cut command under the Edit menu.

Typical text frames. The frame on the left is actually an insert field containing the label’s creation date.

A text frame group consisting of two text frames: the CD title and subtitle.

To edit the text in a tex t frame:

1 Select the Text tool if it’s not already (it’s the one that looks like an I-beam). You can easily switch between the Text and Object tools by clicking the right mouse button and selecting the tool.

2 Click the mouse in the text field you want to edit. Either backspace over the default text, or press Ctrl-A to select all and hit the Del key.

3 Ty p e th e ne w te x t i n th e f i el d.

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Working with the Software

Adding a New Text Frame

In the preceding section you learned how to change the default text that appears in a SmartDesign template, but you can also add your own text frames. SureThing provides a couple of ways to do this.

To create a ne w t ext frame:

1 Click the “Adding Text” icon on the Design Bar located on the left of the window. Doing so displays a menu.

2 Choose Create New Text Frame from the menu. A text frame is drawn near the top of the CD label containing the default text “Your Text Here.”

3 Enter the text you want to appear in the frame. You can enter as little or as much text as you want. Notice how the text frame expands (or shrinks) to accommodate the text you ty pe. You can use the Tab and Return keys to insert tabs and line breaks. If you don’t press the Return key, line breaks will occur automatically as they would in a word processor.

To create a ne w text fr ame (Method #2):

This method of creating a text frame is similar to the one above, but with a couple of subtle differences that highlight some important SureThing features.

1 Click the “Adding Text” icon on the Design Bar.

2 Choose Use Text Frame Tool from the menu. The text frame tool appears.

3 Click and drag to create the frame. When you release the mouse, the frame is drawn and the text cursor blinks inside it waiting for you to enter your text.

4 Enter the text you want to appear in the fr am e . Unlike t he f i rst met h o d, the tex t frame does not expand to accommodate the text you type. If you type more text than can be displayed in the frame, you’ll see a red bar in the bottom of the frame, letting you know you’ll need to either make the frame larger, or decrease the font size of the text.

Under ce r t ai n c irc u ms ta nce s, th e red ba r can occur in the default text fields created by a SmartDesign. The default text frames can grow to a point, but it is possible to receive a red bar in a frame if you enter too much text or set the font size too large. Re-size the frame, delete some text, and/or change the font size until you can see all the text in the frame.

Changing the Size and Position of a Text Frame

First select the object (pointer) tool from the Control Strip, or right-click the mouse and select Object Mode, then click the text

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frame to select it. You can drag the fr ame to any location on your label. To change the size of the frame, click one of the red squares on the perimeter of the frame and drag it to the desired size.

A selected text frame.

Inserting Merge Fields in Text Frames

SureThing lets you insert many different types of merge fields in text frames. Examples of merge fields are date and time, auto-incrementing serial numbers, your name, company and address from the User I n for m at io n t a b of the Pr og r a m Options dialog box, audio playlist information, or even fields from an external database (dBASE or CSV text file).

To insert a merge field into your design:

1 Place the text cursor in the text frame where you want the merge field to appear.

2 Choose Insert Field from the Insert menu. The Insert Field dialog box appears.

3 Select the tab for the type of merge field, such as Special Fields.

4 Select the type of field you want to merge from the scroll list on the left, and any field options from the list on the right.

4 Click OK to insert the field into the frame.

If t h e “Show Fi el d Code s” option i s on under the View menu, the field appears as a code, with the field name enclosed in brackets. If this option is off, you will see the actual data (except for fields from an external database, which will always show the record you specify using the Set Merge Record command under View Options)

The same field viewed with Field Codes off (left), and Field Codes on (right). Field Codes are turned on and off under the View menu.

A popular example of using merge fields is the Serial Number function. Say for example you were printing several CD labels for a software product, and wanted a unique serial number printed on each label. A typical serial number might be something like “MVD300-010-AC0001,” with only the last four digits incrementing. You would type the text “MVD300-010AC” and insert a Serial Number merge field immediately after it (choose the Zero Fill option and set the maximum number to 1000 to create a four-digit repeating field beginning with “0001.”

The frame containing the serial number field might look something like this.

An example of a Serial Number field viewed with Field Codes off (left), and Field Codes on (right).

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Formatting Text in a Text Frame

You ca n for mat tex t i n tex t f r ame s mu ch as you would in a word processor or page layout program:

1 Select the text you want to format with the text tool.

2 Choose the Character command from the Fo rmat menu . You are pr esent ed w ith several options for formatting your text, includin g fon t, si ze, colo r, style, underli ning, and spacing options. Many of these options can also be changed directly from the Control Strip.

Character formatting commands on the control strip.

3 Choose the Paragrap h command from the Format menu. The Paragraph dialog box lets you change indents, line spacing, alignment, and tab positions, as well as other options such as border lines and fill patterns.

Note that when you click the text cursor within a text frame, you can change many of the paragraph formatting options from the ruler bar at the top of the design window. If you don’t currently see ruler bars to the top and left of your CD label, you can turn them back on by choosing View Options from the View menu, and then selecting the Show Rulers command.

Format Character dialog box

Character formatting applies only to the selected text in the frame. If you want it to apply to all text in the frame, press Ctrl-A to select all text. You could also switch to Object mode (click the pointer tool on the Control Strip, or right-click the mouse) and select the frame. Now the formatting options you choose will be applied to the entire text frame.

Editing Text Effects

Text Effects in SureThing let you apply special effects to text, such as circular text, slanted text, perspective text, drop shadows and more. Text Effects add spice to CD titles, for example, but are also usef ul for mo re ordi nar y t ask s su ch a s copyright notices, trademarks or even track titles.

A sample Text Effect

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2 Edit the sample text (under the Effect tab). Click OK when you are done.

Adding line brea k s in the Text Effect dialog box causes text in the effect to align in different ways. For example, notice how the first line wraps around the top of the CD, and the second line wraps around the bottom. Actually there are three line breaks: the first line will be on top; the second line (in this example a blank line) will be in the center of the CD; and the third line will wrap around the bottom. You can experiment with your text to see how it will appear in the label.

To edit a text eff ect:

1 Double-click the Text Effect object in the design window (or right-click it with the mouse and choose Object Properties).

Note: You must c li ck th e te xt p o r t i on of the effect to select it. This is different from previous versions, allowing you to more easily select other objects in your design, especially any objects that are behind a text effect.

Selecting different types of Text Effects

There are several types of Text Effects you can choose from. To select a different style, click the Type tab in the Text Effect dialog box.

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Click the button to see the available categories of text effects. If this button is grayed, you are already viewing categories. Click the button to view variations on the selected categor y. Double-click on a variation to select it.

If you select another layout from

the Variation Bar after you ’ ve formatted text in any of the sample Text Effects or Text Frames, SureThing warns you that your edits will not be included in the next variation. This only applies to the samp l e t ext fr ame s & effe cts, ho wever. New frames and effects are not affected.

Adding a New Text Effect

In a preceding section you learned how to change the sample text that appears in a text effect object. Here you’ll learn how to create a new text effect object from scratch.

3 Select the type of effect you want to create, then click the Next button.

1 Click the “ Text Effects” icon on the Design Bar located on the left of the window. Doing so displays a menu.

2 Choose Use Text Effect Wizard from the menu. The wizard guides you through the process of creating a text effect.

4 Select a variation on the type you chose in step 3, then click Next.

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5 Select from a list of preset colors. The check boxes at the bottom of the wizard let you turn certain characteristics on or off. You can alwa ys change your mind later. Click Next when you’re satisfied with your choices.

6 Enter the text you want to appear in the text effect (first delete the sample text).

7 Change the font and style options to suit your tastes. For certain types of effects, you can also choose whether or not they are to be created with perspective, stretched to a curve, or drawn flat (Normal). Click the Preview button to view your edits in the wizard. Click the Finish button when you are ready to create the effect.

The effect is created on your label. The next thing you’ll need to do is adjust its size and position.

You can edit the text effect later simply by double-clicking it.

Why does te xt appe ar ja gged in Text

Effe cts on scr e en? Text appears jagge d in text effects because the software has to work with it as if it were a graphic. Even though the text in text effects does not always appear very legible on screen, it will print crisp and clear.

Working with Logos, Pictures and Clipart

There are a couple of ways of working with graphics in SureThing. Some of the SmartDesigns include placeholders for graphics (such as a company logo,). You can easily substitute your own graphics for the placeholders simply by double-clicking them and selecting your own file.

For SmartDesigns that don’t include placeholders, you can easily import graphics and clipart yourself using the pic tu re too l ( und er th e Tool s me nu) , or by selecting a file from the Clipart menu on the Design Bar.

We’ll discuss editing exis ting graphics in SmartDesigns first, then move on to importing your own graphics and clipart.

Editing a Logo

Many of the SmartDesigns contain placeholder logos. These placeholders have been sized and positioned in such a way to look good with the other text elem ents of the l a bel des i gn, but it’s high l y

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unl ikely you’d want to le ave t he place holder in your design. Replacing the logo wit h one of you r ow n, howe ve r, is a piec e of cake.

The following SmartDesign layout contains a placeholder logo:

To change a logo or clipart image:

1 Double-click the image or logo you want to change. The New Picture dialog box appears where you can choose a different image file. Several useful images are provided with SureThing.

2 Select an image from the list, or choose a different directory and select an image of your own.

3 Click OK. The image you just selected replaces the placeholder image.

Adding Clipart to Your Label

Adding graphic images such as logos, clipart and symbols to your labels is a snap with SureThing. A number of useful images are included with SureThing, and were copied to your hard drive during installation.

1 Click the “Photos/Clipart” icon on the Design Bar located on the left of the window. Doing so displays a menu.

2 Choose Browse for Logos/Clipart from the menu. A dialog box is displayed where you can choose from a selection of readyto-use images, or to other drives and directories.

3 Click an image, then click OK. The image is placed on your label, at which

point you can change its size and position to fit within your design.

Adding your own images

If you’d li ke to a dd you r ow n c l ip a r t to a labe l desig n , click the “Photos / C l i p a rt” icon on the Design Bar, and choose Use Pict ure Tool from the menu. The Picture tool appears.

Click and drag to create a rectangle about the size of the image you want to insert. When you release the mouse, a dialog box appears prompting you to select an image file. Many popular graphics formats are support ed (BMP, JPEG, TIF, EPS, etc.). Select the drive and directory where your image is located, choose it from the list and click OK. The picture appears in your label. You can change its size and position to fit your design (and your fancy).

SureThing does not support the GIF

image format. If you have GIF images you would like to include in your label designs, we suggest converting them to another popular image format such as BMP or TIF.

Working with Backgrounds

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Backgrounds are images SureThing places in the background of a label design. All other objects – text frames, text effects and clipart – appear on top of the background image.

You can select a background from the New La b el Wizar d, but you c a n a lways chan ge you r min d late r. A numb er of background images are included with SureThing that have been specially designed for CD labels. You can choose your own images to use as backgrounds as well. Or you can decide to use no background at all.

To change the background image:

1 Click the “Backgrounds” icon on the Design Bar:

2 Choose Browse SmartDesign Back- grounds from the menu. The following

dialog box appears:

3 Select a category in the left pane, which displays the folders where backgrounds are stored. Expand or collapse the tree structure as needed.

4 Select a background image from the dialog box by clicking it, then click OK.

To help sort through the many backgrounds that come with SureThing, the Background Browser includes a Favorites Folde r. When yo u s ee an im ag e you li ke and might want to use again, click the Add to Favorites button.

Here’s an other way to change backgroun ds: The Variation Bar at the bottom of the

window provides a quick way to change backgrounds, layouts and font choices. The left-most variation bar lets you select backgrounds.

• Click the mouse in the middle of the Vari at i o n Bar o n th e left. A lis t of ba ck grounds appears.

• You can als o cl ic k t h e lef t - an d rig ht pointing arrows on either side of the variation bar to cycle through the images.

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Using Your Own Backgrounds

The background images supplied with SureThing have been sized correctly to fit the CD label area. Before using your own backgrounds, you should make sure that they have been sized properly in an image editor such as Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. In other words the aspect ratio, i.e., the ratio of height to width, should be roughly equal. Images should be no larger in file size than 4 megabytes (and even that would be whopping big). The images we supply are generally no larger than half a megabyte and they look great when printed.

If you wish to use your own backgrounds, you’ll also need to know the directory, or folder, they’re stored in.

To use your own Background image:

1 Click the “Backg rounds” icon. A me nu is displayed.

2 Select Use You r Own B ackground. The Backgrounds dialog box appears.

3 Select the drive and directory where the image you want to use as a background is located, Click the Browse button to view thumbnails of any images in a directory.

4 Choose an image from the list and click OK. The image appears as a background in your label.

Using a Background Color

If you decide not to use a background image, you can specify a background color. You can even create interesting fill patterns, shades, and gradients (blends).

To change the background color:

1 If you are currently using a background image, you must first clear it. Click the “Backgrounds” icon on the design bar, then choose Clear Background Image from the menu.

2 Click the “Backgrounds” icon on the design bar, then choose Se t Back g round Color from the menu. A dialog box appears.

3 Choose shades or patterns, and/or pick colors from the color menus. You can mix colors and shades, or colors and patterns. To create a gradient blend, choose a foreground color and a background color, then choose the type of gradient you want to create from the Blend menu (you can also click the Blend button for a dialog with more specific options).

4 Click OK. The background color options you

selected are applied to the label. If you later apply a background image, the color options you specified will no longer be displayed, but you can get back to them by choosin g the “No Ba ckground” option from the background menu on the Variation Bar.

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Background color options also affect SmartDesign layouts. Many SmartDesigns include solid areas of black or white, either alone or superimposed on background images. Background color options change the way these items appear.

The SmartDesign on the left has a solid black area superimposed on a background image. The same design on the right after changing the background color to a black-to-white gradient..

Acquiring Images

SureThing supports TWAIN, an interface that lets you create images using a device such as a scanner or digital camera attached to your computer and import the images without leaving SureThing. Your device must support TWAIN in order for you to take advantage of this feature.

You can acquire images for use as regular graphics or as backgrounds.

Changing the Label Stock

don’t have to re-create your designs to work with the Avery labels, but rather change the stock. SureThing adjusts your design to print properly on the new labels.

To change the label stock:

1 Choose the Change Label Stock com- mand from the Edit menu. A dialog box appears.

2 Select the stock you want to use from the New Stock list.

3 Click OK. Yo u have th e opt i on to apply th e st ock

only to selected blocks. For example, you could apply the Aver y stock to the CD label face, but keep the spine and jewel case blocks set to a stock from a different label manufacturer. In the Blocks to apply list, click a block to deselect it; click it again to re-select it.

The Deluxe version of SureThing lets you change the label stock at any time. Say, for inst anc e, you’ve created some lab el de sig ns for Memorex CD labels, but you later purchase a box of Avery CD labels. You

Duplicating a Label Design

The Add button on the Command Bar can be used to make copies of the current label design. You can then edit the copies,

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changing background, text, and layout, for example, on each copy while leaving the original intact.

Some users have mistakenly assumed the Add command is how you print multiple copies of a label. While you could in fact use it that way, it’s much simpler to set the number of copies you want to print from the Print dialog box. So when should you use the Add command?

The Add command provides an easy way to produce a series of labels based on a comm on des ig n. S ay you’re cre at in g l abe l s for a clipart CD collection – the first CD contains clipart of animals, the second sports, and the third cartoons. Let’s also say you want a different title and logo on each label to identify each collection. Design the first label, “Animals” in this example, then click the Add button. The Add Designs dialog box appears:

next. (If you are currently on the last label, click i n g th e > > bu tto n a sk s you if you’d like to duplicate the label.)

The Designs command under the Tools menu lets you add, delete and navigate labels in case you’ve turned off the display of the Command Bar.

Deleting duplicate labels

If you want to delete any duplicate designs you’ve crea ted , cli ck t he Del button on the Command bar and specify which designs you want to delete.

Enter “2” in the No. of copies field and click OK. You now have three copies of the same design. You can then change the title and logo on duplicate labels #2 (“Sports”) and #3 (“Cartoons”) accordingly.

Click the << and >> (previous and next) buttons to move from one label to the

The No. of designs to delete field tells SureThing how many duplicates to get rid of; the Beginning with design field specifies the first duplicate to be deleted. The tab at the top of the Design Area indicates the number of the current design:

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Saving Your Label

Saving a design in SureThing is a very simple process, and one you should do wit h regularity. Ever y fe w minutes i s recommended. That way, if anything unexpected happens (e.g., power outage, meteor impact, etc.), you’ll always have a recent version of your label.

To save a label choose the File > S av e (or Save As) command. Select the drive and directory where you want the file to be saved, give it a name and click the Save button. You don’t have to ent er a filename extension; one will be added automatically if you don’t. Following are the specific steps.

To sav e a new document:

1 Choose the Save (or Save As) command from the File menu. If it’s the first time you’ve saved the label, the Save As dialog box appears:

3 Ty pe a n ame for you r l ab e l in t h e File name box.

You don’t have to ty pe an extension because SureThing automatically gives all labels the extension std.

4 Click Save. The design is saved to your hard disk with

the filename you typed, and you can resume working with it.

After saving your design the first time, you st ill ne ed to sav e yo u r work p e riod i call y. Choose Save from the File menu, or press Ctrl+S. The label is saved, with all of your updates.

Saving a design with a new filename

There are times when you want to give a SureThing label design a new name, such as when you want to edit an existing design, but keep an unchanged copy of the original. If you were to open the label, edit it, and use the Save command, the edited version would replace the original. The Save As command provides a way to save your changes as well as retain a copy of the original. After opening the original label design, choose the Save As command from the File menu and enter a different filename, or the same filename but a different location on your hard disk (or a different disk).

2 Select the drive and folder where you want the label to be saved from the Save In list. If you want to create a new folder, click the new folder button and give it a name.

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Calibrating Your Prin ter

Because each printer is full of working parts, the precision in each is slightly different. Sometimes this may cause SureThing to slightly miss the mark when printing. If this happens, you need to cal ibrate your pr inter.

To calibrate the prin ter:

1 Choose the Calibrate Printer command from the File menu. The Calibrate Printer dialog box appears.

2 Confirm that the correct printer is listed in the Printer field.

3 Press the Print Calibration Sheet button. 4 Fold the Calibration Sheet according to

the printed instructions and enter the values in the Offset fields.

Your printer will now be offset by these values to accommodate for any errors in precision.

Before calibrating, be sure that you are printing the correct template for the paper you ar e using. Select About Template from the Help menu if you’re not sure.

Printing

To print a label design:

1 Put the correct paper in the paper tray of yo ur printer. Use pl ai n p a p er i f you a re doing a test-print; use your label stock if you are printing final output.

2 Choose Print from the File menu, or click the Print button on the Command bar. The Print dialog box appears.

3 Make sure that the correct printer is selected, and that the printer is setup properly .

4 Enter the number of copies you want to print in the No. of Labels field. You can specify the number of designs to print based on either individual labels or label sheets. Whether you choose Labels or Sheets, SureThing tells you how many sheets of label stock you will need (listed below the Sample window).

Printing your label designs is simple. SureThing manages the actual layout of the designs on the page, and sequences them as they print. All you need to do is tell it how many copies to print, and on which label to start.

5 Under Label Set Option s, ch oose Print A ll Labels in Set to print all of the designs (i.e.,

any designs you’ve created using the Add command); choose Print the current label only to print only the current design; choose Print range of labels and identify the beginning and ending design to be printed if you want to print more than one, but not

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all of the designs, or to print one design which is not the current design.

Note: If your document only contains a single design, the Label Set Options will appear grayed out.

6 In the Sample window, click the label position where you want printing to begin. Normally this would be the first label on the pa g e , but if you’ve a lre a dy pr i n ted a label in the first position, you’ll want to click a different position. The beginning position is indicated in blue. Also, only the active blocks appear in blue (use the Blocks > Show/Hide command under the View menu to turn blocks on or off prior to printing).

7 If you are not going to print from the default paper source, you can specify which bin the paper should come from. This is useful if you have more than one bin or want to force the printer to use the manual feed (if available).

8 Click OK to print.

Choose All to print all of the records in the database. Choose Range and identify the beginning and ending records from the database you want to print.

Unless you have chosen None, the number of copies represents the number of sets to print. If you select two, you will get two copies of each design for each record in the database.

Working with Label T emplates

Templates in SureThing are designed for two primary uses:

. You can create customized layouts for labels not found within SureThing using the Template Creation Wizard under the File menu (Deluxe version only).

. You can save your existing label designs as templates and use them as the starting point for new labels.

We recommend that you do not

run label sheets through your printer after you have peeled off any labels. Doing so may dam age your printer.

Printing Merge Jobs

If you’ve s e t a m e rg e f i le for you r de s i g n , you can control which records from the merged database will print. The Merge button is available to select a range of records from the database you’re merging. Choose None to print the current design as you see it on the screen without merging.

Creating Customized Layouts using the Template Creation Wizar d

If you need to print labels not found within SureThing, u se the Template Creation Wizard located under the File menu (Deluxe version only). The wizard steps you through the process of creating a new label type.

Before proceeding with the wizard, you will need to know the precise measurements for the type of label you are creating, including:

• page size

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• height and width of each label

• starting position of the first label (measured from the top and left edges of the page)

• number of labels across and down the page

• horizontal and vertical span (horizontal span is the distance from the left edge of the first label to the right edge of the last label across the page or block; vertical span is the distance from the top edge of the first label to the bottom edge of the last label down the page or block)

To create a new la yout template:

1 Choose Template Creation Wizard from the File menu.

2 Click the Next button. 3 Enter the page dimensions and orienta-

tion of the label sheet and click Next when you are ready to proceed.

You can optionally specify bleed settings (the amount of space outside the bounds of the label into which SureThing will print), and choose from a list of template SmartDesigns. Selecting a SmartDesign from the list will initially set the height and width of the label size, but you can change it. This is useful if the label template you are creating is similar to one that already exists in SureThing, but has slightly diff erent me asure ments . If you don’t wish to use SmartDesigns, choose “(Ot her)” from the list.

Click Next when you are ready to proceed. 5 Enter the number of labels across and

down the sheet, the position of the first label, measured from the left and top of the page, and the horizontal and vertical span.

4 Enter a description for the layout, select its shape (rectangular or circular), and the size of individual labels on the sheet.

Why measure span instead of the space between labels? This is done to minimize rounding errors. If you measured the space between individual labels, and were off by one-tenth of an inch, for example, this error would be applied to each label. But by measuring the label span, i.e., the

distance from the left/top edges of the first label to the right/bottom edges of the last label, if you were off by one-tenth of an inch, this error would be divided by the number of labels. If you had six labels across a sheet, an error of one-tenth of an inch for span would amount to one-fiftieth of an inch for each label.

Click Next when you are ready to proceed. 6 Enter a name for the template, and

choose a category.

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For more information about creating

templa te s, ch oo se Sur eT hi ng Tutorials from the Help m en u, and select “Creati n g a Custom Label Template. ”

Saving Existing Designs as Templates

You can save your existing label designs as templates that can be used as the starting point for new labels.

To save a design as a t empla te:

1 Open or create the design you want to use as a template.

2 Choose Save As from the File menu. 3 Enter a name for the template. 4 From the Save As Type list, select

“Template (*.stt)”.

The category you select is where the new label will appear when you create new designs in SureThing. If you don’t want the label to appear under the listed categories, select “Other” from the list. You will be prompted to enter a name for the new category – “My Labels,” for example.

Click Next when you are ready to proceed. 7 Click Finish. Now, w henever you choos e the New

command from the File menu, you will be able to choose the label template you just created from the list of label types.

Optionally select a category for the template. The category you select is where the new label will appear when you create new designs in SureThing. If you don’t want the label to appear under the listed categories, select “Other” from the list. You will be prompted to enter a name for the new category – “My Labels,” for example.

5 Click Save to save the label as a tem- plate.

When you start a new label using the New command under the File menu, you can select the template you just created from the list of label types.

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Deleting Templates

Templates you create are stored in a folder named “User Templates” loc ated w ithi n the folder where SureThing is installed. If you accepted the default settings when you installed SureThing, you would open the following folders to locate the templates:

To delete a template, open the User Templates folder, se lect the f ile you want to remove and delete it (or move it out of the User Templa tes fold er).

SureThing templates have the extension STT.

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Introduction to “Playlists”

SureThing makes it easy to use playlists to create labels for your audio CD collection. A playlist is a set of information describing the contents of an audio CD. A playlist typically consists of things like the album title, the name of the artist and the titles of each audio track. Sometimes this information is recorded directly on the CD (CDText), but more commonly a playlist can be found in a database on the Internet.

The beauty of using playlists is you don’t have to type the information on to your label. You simply insert the CD in to your drive, and SureThing takes care of the rest.

Playlists are most commonly associated with audio CDs. The concepts, however, apply equally well to a data CD where you might want to list the files included on the CD. SureThing uses playlists for both ty pe s of CDs.

SureThing makes using playlists easy in a number of ways. It will read your CDs and find the playlist information automatically (if available). Using SmartDesigns, it will automatically place the playlist on your label in a number of attractive layouts. Finally, there is a Playlist Manager which helps organize your playlists and allow you to re-use them on future labels.

The Playlist Manager

The Playlist Manager serves as the nerve center for all playlist activity within SureThing. Whenever you read a playlist directly from a CD, the playlist is added to the playlist manager building up a data-

base of playlist selections stored on your computer. You can then use these saved playlists in the future, even when you’re not connected to the Internet.

In fact, we refer to inserting your CD into your drive throughout this section. But once you have an entry in t he Playlist Manager, you don’t even need the CD in your drive to make a label for it. Just open the Playlist Manager, select the desired CD and click OK. You can use these selections on any label.

In addition to using the Playlist Manager to select playlists for use in labels, it also allows you to create custom playlists for CDs which may not be included in the playlist database located on the Internet. You can add a new playlist, edit an existing playlist, delete a playlist or read a CD into the playlist database.

For convenience, many people like

to open the Playlist Manager and quickly read several CDs into the database at one sitting. This allows dial-up users to store their music collection in one online session and use the playlist features later without connecting to the Internet.

There are actually two groups of playlists being managed by the Playlist Manager at all times. The first is the playlist database, which, as has been discussed, is a collection of all your audio CDs. The second is a set of active playlists used by the current document. SureThing makes a copy of a playlist to be saved within a document so that it can be customized specifically for that document. SureThing makes this

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almost entirely transparent to you, but you will see mention of it in the software so we thought it should also be mentioned here.

SmartDesigns

SmartDesigns are our interactive design tools to help make creating great looking labels easier . When used with playlists, you make a couple of choices, insert your CD and you're done. That’s why we highly recommend using SmartDesigns for all your playlist labels, even if you just use them as a starting point for creating custom designs.

We have created a number of SmartDesigns specifically to be used when creating audio or data CDs. These SmartDesigns have specified where things like the CD title, ar ti st’s name, and track listings will be placed. When you insert a CD into your drive, SureThing automatically reads the playlist and places the data into these designs. You can then click your way through the SmartDesign choices to find the look you’re after.

You choose the type of SmartDesign you’d like to us e i n the New L a b e l Wizard . You will see thre e choices: Audio CD, Data CD or General Purpose. The General Purpose layouts are free form and do not place any playlist information. The other two include designs which match their purpose.

A Quick Walk-Through

We’ve now g i ve n you a goo d o ve rvi e w of playlists and how they are used in SureThing. But nothing really shows how easy

it is like a quick exercise. So follow these steps and create your first label using playlists.

1 Select New from the File Menu or click the New button in the Command Bar.

2 Choose SureThing CD Labels 2-U p, click Next.

3 Choo s e a ba ckgroun d i f you’d like , or simply click Next.

4 Make sure “Use SmartDesig ns” is checked and select Audio CD in the SmartDesigns list. You can quickly click through the available SmartDesign layouts. When you’re rea dy, click Nex t .

5 On the final screen, select “Use Playlist Manager.” We have a sample playlist already set up just for this exercise. Click Finish.

6 You will now be presented with the Playlist Manager. In the list of playli st selections, select Follow the Sun by Team SureThing. Click OK.

You are now looking at a fully completed label ready to print. It’s that easy! You can now browse through backgrounds, change the SmartDesign layout, or change the fonts to get the look just right for you. Have fun!

In real life, you may want to select “Read from CD” on the Finish screen of the New Label Wizard to grab a playlist from the CD you just recorded. So metimes you’ll want to play with font sizes, move text blocks slightly, or delete unwanted fields from the design of the label. It’s all easy,

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and we’ve ju st save d you a w ho le lot of typing and formatting!

Compilation Music CDs

The database of CD playlists on the Internet usually only applies to CDs you buy in stores. Someone has previously submitted the playlist to the database, hence it is available for you to access when you insert your CD.

Thi s do e sn’t help w h en m ak in g c ompi la tion CDs of your favorite songs, for example. A compilation CD is your own personal collection, so no one could have previously submitted it to the Internet. SureThing still makes it easy in one of two ways to use playlists with compilation CDs.

The first is to make sure you recorded the CD with the CD-Text option turned on in your CD recording software (e.g., Easy CD Creator or Nero). This will record the playlist information directly to your CD, and will eliminate the need for SureThing to look for it on the Internet. Most CD-R drives and recording software support CD-Text but not all, consult the respective user guides for more information on recording CD-Text.

The second is to use the Playlist Manager to create a custom playlist from its database. You would first insert each of the master CDs from which your compilation will be created, and then select each song to be added to your new playlist. You can then save the compilation playlist in the

play l is t d ata b as e for future u s e. You will find step by step instructions for this below.

For Advanced Users

For those of you who want to know how every thing works, read on. For others, the following might be interesting reading, but not essential. The important thing to remember is that for most typical playlist designs, SureThing and SmartDesigns will take of the details for you.

A label design with playlists is much like a ma il merge do cu men t in a wo rd pr oc es so r. You insert fields into the document which are placeholders. At some point, the inserted fields are replaced with the actual data you want to print.

In SureThing, you can view a playlist design at any time showing either the playlist fields, or the actual playlist data from a CD (title, artist name, song titles, etc). This essentially gives the label design two modes: Playlist Field mode and Playlist Data mode.

Display Playlist Fields mode is like creating a template or a blueprint. Anything you do here, like formatting text, changing headers, inserting new playlist fields, affects how the Playlist data will appear once it is merged into the document. You only need to switch to this mode if you feel such a change is necessary.

In the example below, note that Playlist fields are set off with curly brackets { }.

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The information inside the brackets is the name of the field from the Playlist.

Display Playlist Data mode is the finished product. You’ve read in a playlist from a CD and the playlist information is being displayed as if you typed it all in yourself. At this point you’re putting on the finishing touches and getting ready to print.

Your old Pla ylist Data will be thro wn out, and the new Playlist Data will replace it, so any changes you made while in Display Playlist Data mode will be lost.

You can easily switch between the two modes from the Playlist menu. There are also a few instances where SureThing will automatically switch between the two modes. For example, when you want to insert a playlist field, you must be in Playlist Field mode so SureThing switches to it.

In summary, SmartDe signs take care of most, if not all, of the underlying details for playlist designs. It helps, however, to understand how things work so if and when you want to tweak the designs, you'll know what you're doing.

Wor king with Playlists

SureThing CD Labeler lets you add and edit audio and data CD information in your design with just a few mouse clicks. SureThing automatically maintains a CD information database.

This brings up another important point to remember: Whenever you start a new design, read a new playlist from a CD, switch to a new playlist in the Playlist Manager or edit the contents of a playlist, SureThing regenerates the Playlist Data.

Importing a Playlist Using the New CD Wizard

SureThing lets you select between audio and data labels when you create a new design, or later if you have created a General Purpose design.

. Audio fields are related to audio

information on your CD or from the Internet.

. Data fields are related to filename,

filesize, and so on.

. General Purpose designs do not use

playlist fields.

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Importing a Playlist to an Existing Design

If you didn’t import the playlist information when you created your design, you can still add it to an existing design. You can import either audio or data information.

To add an audio playlist t o an existing design:

1 Insert the CD you wish to read into the CD ROM drive.

2 From the Design Bar, click the Playlist icon and choose Get Playlist Contents from CD.

If you already have a playlist in your design, you’ll be asked if you wish to replace the current one. If you do, click Yes.

3 When A udio CD information cannot be foun d on the C D, you’ll have th e op t io n of searc h in g for it on l in e . You must b e connected to the Internet to do this. If you see this message, click OK.

In cases where you want SureThing to always check online (especially if you’re always connected to the Internet), you can check the “Don’t prompt me ” checkbox.

4 If CD information is found, it is added to your d esign. It is a ls o automatically added to your playlist database.

To add a data playlist to an existing design:

1 From the Design Bar, click the Playlist icon and choose Get Playlist Contents from

CD.

If you already have a playlist in

your design, you ’ll be asked if you wish to replace the current one. If you do, clic k Yes.

2 Use the General, File List and Files tabs to select data from the CD. You can edit this information if you wish on the General and File List tabs.

3 Click OK.

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Applying a Playlist from Your Playlist Database

You can quickly apply any existing playlist from your playlist database, which makes it easy to use your design for different CDs. You won’t have to create a separate design for each CD.

To apply a playlist from your database:

1 From the Design Bar, click the Playlist icon and choose Playlist M an ag er.

2 The Playlist Manager dialog box displays all the playlists already stored in your dat aba se . To sel e ct th e play l is t yo u w is h to apply, click it in the list.

Creating a Custom Playlist with the Playlist Database

Need a label for your CD of favorite songs? SureThing lets you choose the songs from your existing playlist database to create a custom playlist.

To creat e a custom pla ylist with the Playlist Manager:

1 From the Design Bar, click the Playlist icon and choose Edit Active Playlist.

2 Enter information about the CD on the General tab.

3 Click OK.

3 Click the Database tab.

4 Double-click an album title in the CDs

column to see its songs. Click on the song you wish to add to the Current Tr acks column and click the button, or simply double-click the song to add it.

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To change the track order in your playlist:

1 Click the Tracks tab.

2 Do one of the following:

User’s Guide

If you wish to remove a song from the playlist, click it in the Current Tracks column, and click the Remove button. This just removes the track from the active playlist; it does not delete it from the database.

If you wish to clear the Current Tracks column of all songs, click the Remove All

button. This removes all the tracks from the active playlists in document; it does not delete them from your database.

5 Repeat step 4 to add additional songs. 6 When you’re finished, click OK.

. Click the Move Up button to move

the highlighted track up once each time you click this button.

. Click the Move Down button to

move the highlighted track down once each time you click this button.

Creating Your Own Playlist Data

You can create new playlists or edit existing ones for either audio or data CDs. The steps below describe how to create an audio playlist.

Creating a data playlist is done the

same way but has a few different options. See Data Playlist Options for the options that apply to a data playlist.

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To create your own pla ylist data:

1 From the Design Bar, click the Playlist icon and choose Playlist M an ag er.

2 Click the New button. 3 Enter information about the CD on the

General tab.

4 Click the Tracks tab and enter the track information. Click the Add button to add each track.

As you continue to do this, your tracks will be added to the list.

. If you wish to delete a track, click it in

the list and click the Delete button.

. If you wish to edit a track, click it, make

your changes and then click the Change button.

. If you wish to clear the track info fields,

click the New button. 5 When you’re finished, click OK. You are

returned to the Playlist Manager dialog. 6 Click OK to apply the custom playlist to

the design.

Acti ve P layl ists in Docum ent are p la ylists in use in the current document only. They’re not available to other documents or to new documents you create unless you choose to save them by clicking the Add button, which adds them to the Playlist Database Selections list, available to all SureThing documents. They’ll always be part of the current document whether you save them or not, however (unless you delete them, of course).

Playlist Database Selections are global playlists, available to all SureThing documents.

More Info on the Playlist Manager

The Playlist Manager lets you create, edit, and app l y p l ay lists to your d e s igns. You can open the Playlist Manager either from the top menu bar or from the Design bar.

The first thing you’ll notice is that there are two primary lists: Activ e Play lists in

Document (the top-most list), and Playlist Database Selections.

Following is a description of the buttons along the bottom of the Playlist Manager dialog box;

Contents

Reads info from the CD in your CD-ROM drive, or searches online CD databases.

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Add

Adds selected playlist from Active Playlists in Document to the playlist database.

New

Creates a new playlist in either the Active Playlists in Document, or in the Playlist Database, depe nding on whi ch list yo u’ve

sel ecte d pr ior to cli ck ing New.

Edit

Edits the selected playlist (can be either a document playlist or one from the playlist database).

Delete

Closes the Playlist Manager dialog box without applying a playlist to the current design.

Displaying Playlist Fields or Data

You can toggle between displaying playlist fields and the actual data contained in the fields.

If you have playlist data displayed

and want to display playlist fields, you will be asked to confirm this choice. If you have changed text in the playlist information, these changes will be lost when you display playlist fields.

To display playlist fields or pla ylist data:

1 From the Design Bar, click on the Playlist icon and choose Display Playlist Data.

If your design is already displaying data, this Playlist menu changes to Display Playlist Fields.

Deletes the selected playlist (either a document playlist or one from the database).

Accepts any changes you’ve made and applies the selected playlist to the current design.

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Primera SureThing User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual