These instructions apply to PC and Macintosh computers. Since systems and applications vary considerably, our goal is to provide your Bright Ideas¿ backgrounds in a simple format that may be used without installation on any system.
If you are an experienced user, simply drag'n drop the images from the CD disk into an open document. If you do not understand "drag'n drop," please read the following paragraphs.
About Bright Ideas¿ backgrounds
If you have already read about how to use your Bright Ideas¿ images, you will be glad to know that backgrounds may be treated as very large image files. And thus, the instructions for placing backgrounds in a document are identical (except for folder and file names).
Even if you have read the images instructions, there are a few more things you might want to know about backgrounds.
Background files are much larger than the image files. Because backgrounds are so much larger, they require more memory (RAM) than images.
A high resolution file occupies about 14 megabytes of disk space; low resolution files run about 3 megabytes. This does not mean that your system actually requires 14 megabytes of RAM to load hi-res files. It means that the more RAM you have, the faster loading and processing.
Since available RAM is variable on individual systems, all background are provided in high and low resolution formats.
Background filenames look like this: 1296081h.tif or 1296081l.tif ; 1296 denotes the month and year; 081 is the image number ; h means the image is the high resolution format and l is the low resolution format.
The letters (.tif) are visible on the PC side because PC applications need them. Mac users will not see the letters .tif .
Hi-res files are 160 dpi (dots per inch) lo-res files are 72 dpi. Both output an 11 by 17 inch print.
If your system will not load (or place) a high resolution background, try the low resolution version for the same image number.
If you have not read about how to use your Bright Ideas¿ images, read the following paragraphs.
How to use Bright Ideas¿ backgrounds on Macintosh, PC & Compatibles.
To use your Bright Ideas¿ backgrounds, select an image and place the image in a document ( a newsletter, flyer, or letter ).
Choosing Images PC or Mac
1. To choose an image, read the Bright Ideas¿ magazine included with this volume. Note the number of the image you want to use in your publication. The images are shown in a special pull-out section in the middle of the magazine.
2. To place the image in a document:
Insert this CD-ROM in your drive and start your word processor or desktop publishing program.
Open an existing document, or create a new one. Use the insert, place or import function appropriate to your application. If you are unsure about which command to use check the Quick Reference Guide at the end of this document; you could also consult the application's user guide.
Once you select an insert, place or import function, you must locate the drive and folder where the background images are stored. In all cases, you must first, select (open) your CD-ROM drive.
When the CD-ROM drive opens PC users will see a "BKG" folder; Mac users will see a "Backgrounds" folder.
Open a folder (double-click on it) , scroll to the selected image number and double-click it. In some programs the selected images appear in your document; in others the selected image displays as an insertion cursor - usually, a little box or small icon. If you get the insertion cursor, position the cursor in your document and click once to add the image to the page
Once the image is displayed in your publication you may change it's size and position to suit your layout.
Please keep these instructions for future reference.
Quick Reference Guide
If you are new to your software application, access your Bright Ideas¿ images the easy way. "Open," "Place" and "Import" are common commands for accessing images. Refer to your user manual for additional information. The following list shows the commands used in the most popular graphics and page layout applications.
