Xara Cover Label Plus Owners Manual

Manual

The present documentation is protected by law. All rights, especially the right of duplication, circulation and translation is reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced in form of copies, microfilms or other processes, or transmitted into a language used for machines, especially data processing machines, without the express written consent of the publisher. All copyrights reserved.

© 2002- 2003 Copyright by MAGIX Computer Products International Corp. in the USA. MAGIX® is a registered trademark of MAGIX Computer Products International Corp. in the USA, Cover & Label™ is a trademark of MAGIX Computer Products International Corp. in the USA. All other product names are trademarks of the corresponding manufacturers.

Errors and changes to the contents as well as program modifications reserved.

What is MAGIX cover & label PLUS? 5

Tutorial 6

1. Open new project 6

2. Select project type 6

3. Edit front cover 7

4. Editing the back cover, inlay and label 10

5. Printing 11

Wizards 12

CD/DVD Wizard 12 LP Wizard 12

Work techniques 14

Work space 14 Projects 14 Undoing actions 14 Context menu 14 Zooming 15 Reduce or enlarge 15 Grouping 15 Organising layers 16

Images and graphics 17

Insert graphic 17 Insert: Geometr. Form 17

Text and Extras 18

Text 18 Extras 19

Buttons 20

Scan Image 20 Insert Graphic 20 Insert: Text 20 Insert: Cliparts 20 Insert: Geometr. Form 20 Insert: Extras 20 Print 20 Export image 21 New 21 Open 21 Save 21 Zoom 21

Table of Contents

File Menu 22

New 22 Load 22 Save 23 Save as 23 Export 23 Print 23 Page settings 23 Change page format 23 End 23

Edit Menu 24

Undo 24 Cut 24 Copy 24 Paste 24 Duplicate 24 Select all 24 Delete 24 Properties 25

View Menu 26

Restore view 26 Zoom out 26 Zoom in 26 Zoom tool 26 Shift view 26 Group 26 Ungroup 26 Send to front 26 Send to back 27 Next layer 27 Previous layer 27

Help Menu 28

Help 28 Registration 28 www.magix.com 28

Index 29

What is MAGIX cover & label PLUS?

MAGIX cover & label PLUS is a virtual studio for printing labels and covers for CDs, DVDs and VHS cassettes. Stickers, covers, inlays and booklets can be designed and printed in precisely to your needs. Both normal paper sheets and prefabricated sheets with perforated stickers can be used for printing, as found in trade stores. The clipart gallery provided offers a large quantity of images and backgrounds which can be combined into new cover motifs. Your own pictures can also be used. Via drag & drop, all pictures can be loaded, placed together on the working area, equipped with texts, and printed out in a suitable format. The LP Wizard looks after the scanning of 12” vinyl records. LPs are too large for most scanners — they are therefore scanned in two steps and thereafter automatically merged to form a uniform CD/DVD cover. The CD/DVD Wizard reduces CD/DVD cover, label and inlay scanning to just a couple of clicks.

Tutorial

Let’s begin with a concrete CD project! Even if you don’t intend to create a CD printing project, the following procedure is nevertheless recommended: It will allow you to quickly become acquainted with MAGIX cover & label PLUS so as to realize other projects, because the fundamental working procedures are alike for all project types.

1. Open new project

After starting the program, the ”New Project” start-up window opens offering three options: – create a new project without templates (Option: ”Empty

Project”)

– call up the templates included (Option: ”Template As-

sistant”)

– scan an existing CD or DVD (Option: ”Scanner Assis-

tant”).

Let’s assume that you’d to create a CD project from scratch, with label sticker, inlay and cover. Select the ”Empty Project” option in the start-up window.

2. Select project type

You are now confronted with the Project Type selection window.. Here you can select from a total of 5 project types: three different CD and/or DVD projects, a purely DVD project and a VHS project. The project types differ from each other in two regards:

Items: ”Label”, ”Cover”, ”Inlay” and ”Booklet” are combined

differently in the project types. Labels are round stickers for blank discs. ”Cover” designates the front and inside of

the CD box. The Inlay is the back of the CD box with the narrow strips down the sides. The Booklet is an information booklet that can accompany the CD or DVD into the box.

Dimensions: Depending upon the type of project, templates are used for almost square CD boxes (jewel cases.), oblong DVD boxes, or VHS cassettes. Depending upon the type of project, you are offered a combination of empty templates with suitable dimensions. For a CD project with cover, inlay and label, select the preset project type ”Standard CD/DVD label project” and click on ”continue”

Tutorial

3. Edit front cover

The front side of an empty CD is called up on screen when ”Standard CD/DVD Label Project” is selected.

Tutorial

This side can now be equipped with diagrams and texts. Usually you will want to include an artist name and a CD/ DVD name. The Playlist (and/or the table of contents) normally appears on the back of the cover or at the back of the CD box (inlay).

Insert Text: In order to enter text, click on the Text button and draw out a text field with the mouse. You can also click on the template, keep the mouse button pressed, and move the mouse. If you release the mouse button, a dialog for the text entry opens.

As with a text processing program, you can write and format text in the dialog. Enter the title of your CD and the artist’s name! To format text, ”highlight” the text in the dialog by pulling the mouse pointer over the text while pressing down the mouse button (so that the letters are white and are framed darkly). The marked text can now be formatted. If you click on O.K., the text entry dialog closes. Now the text in the text field appears on the template. You can click and then shift the text field, or delete it again. In order change the text later, open the text dialog by double clicking on the text field.

Insert Graphics: There are three possibilities for loading graphics or photos: – via the ”Browse” button, you access the graphic library

provided. The list of pictures can be shifted with the scroll bar so that all the items can be viewed. You can of course

also use your own images. Simply click on “Insert Cliparts” and access your graphics files directory (e.g. in JPG or BMP format).

– via the ”Search” button you can search directories or

drives for usable graphics files. You can enter a name, a file type and a folder (e.g. ”Local drive C:”). Subsequently, all sub-directories of the selected search item are searched. Data found appears on the right side of the dialog.

– via the ”Scanner” button you can directly scan in photos

(for example) to be used for the CD/DVD cover. Of course, you also need a ready-to-run scanner.

Tutorial

Note: In order to scan a complete CD, DVD or LP cover, it’s best to use the Scanner Assistant

You can pull each picture from the preview list with the mouse. Click on the picture and drag it with the mouse button held on the template.

Arranging graphics and text fields: In principle you can combine as many pictures and text fields as like you. Each item can be pulled wherever you want it. Because a concise overview can be lost quickly, you can zoom in, i.e. increase the size of one part of the screen. The Zooming button is in the upper right corner. With many picture items on screen, it can sometimes be confusing when so many overlap. You can control this problem via the View menu with the ”One level in front”, ”To the front” or ”To the back” commands. Imagine the frames

Tutorial

as pieces of paper on top of each other upon your desk and which only a part of each piece can be seen. The size of each graphic can be changed easily by clicking the graphic, then shifting the handle of the frame. If you pull on the edges between the handles with the mouse, you can then increase or reduce the edge in just one direction, thus distorting the graphic.

4. Editing the back cover, inlay and label

Once you have completed the front cover, you’ll probably want to work on the 3 other items of your CD project: The back cover, the inlay and the label.

Note: If you only need the front cover, you can at this point simply print. Select the ”Only current side” option in the print dialog.

Begin with the back of the front cover, that is, the side which appears when you unfold the CD. If you click the ”Back Cover” button, you will arrive at the applicable template.

Insert: Extra (Adding a playlist): It is often the case that the playlist appears on the back cover and inlay of the CD. If you’ve already provided a Playlist, MAGIX cover & label PLUS takes over the entries automatically from the main program (e.g. MAGIX video deLuxe 2.0 PLUS, MAGIX music cleaning lab or MAGIX mp3 maker). The entries are updated automatically as soon as the project in the main program is changed! Playlist tables are normal text fields which can shift, delete or (via double click) edit text in the text dialog.

Navigation bar: Inlay and label are accessed by means of the button bar. There are several buttons for all project type items: Cover, Booklet, (both for either CD or DVD), CD Inlay, CD/DVD label and VHS labels (cassette side and top side). Because you are working in the ”Standard CD/DVD Label Project”, you can switch between ”CD-Cover”, ”CD/DVD Label” und ”CD-Inlay”.

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