Index

How to

  Use LabelDesigner

  Design a Label

  Enter Data

  Use the Index

  Print Labels

  Copy Label Files

  Format Text

  Grouping fields together on a label

  Print Multiple Copies of a Label

  Import Data

  Export Data

  Use Templates

Reference

  Windows

  Commands

  Glossary

Help

  Helpful Hints

  In Case of Difficulty

  Technical Support


Technical Support

1. FAX SUPPORT ON DEMAND is a free service which offers descriptive and concise answers to commonly asked questions about MySoftware products.  Over half of our technical support calls can be satisfied by this service.  You can use FAX SUPPORT ON DEMAND 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from any fax machine or fax-board equipped PC.  To receive a menu of documents available call (303) 727-6440 from your fax machine.  Follow the recorded instructions and make your request using your touch tone phone.  You will be asked to press 'start' to enable the fax machine to accept transmission of the document.  Use the menu to request documents by their number.  Remember, this service is free.

2. LIVE TECHNICAL SUPPORT is free for the first call at (415) 325-9372.  A second free call is available if you send in your Warranty Registration Card (it's a good deal for 19 cents postage,  so send your card in now).  Use these calls sparingly because beyond two calls, live technical support is only available for an additional cost.  Two paid support options are available:

a) Becoming a MySoftware Club member.  For an annual fee of $49 for one product or $95 for two or more MySoftware products, members receive unlimited technical support calls, automatic free major updates and notification of special MySoftware activities.  You may even want to become a member before using your two free calls.  Just send a check or credit card number and the serial number of the product or products you would like to register.

b) Per call paid support.  Just give us your credit card number over the phone at the time of the call.  The charge is $7 for a single call or $25 for a package of five calls (save $10).

NEW EXTENDED HOURS.  Live technical support is now available from 6am to 5pm Monday through Friday and from 9am to 5pm on Saturday.  All times are Pacific and holidays are excluded.  Again the number is (415) 325-9372.  Before calling please have your computer on, our program running and your serial number ready (it's on the master diskette label).  Sorry, we can not accept collect calls.


Using LabelDesigner
Using MyLabelDesigner

MyLabelDesigner is a versatile label making tool with which you can easily create labels for a wide variety of uses.

MyLabelDesigner has three different windows: the Design Window, the Data Entry Window and the Index Window.  Depending on what type of labels you create you may use just one or all three of these windows.

No matter what your intended use, the label design process always starts in the Design Window.  If you are creating a one-of-a-kind label such as return address labels, "Air Mail" stickers, "No Smoking" labels, etc., this is the only window you will need to work in.  After you design your label you will be ready to print one or thousands copies of this label.

It is likely that you will want to create a set of two or more labels where the data or text varies from label to label, such as labels for your mailing list or name tags for a group event.  To create a set of dynamic labels you will also start out in the Design Window where you specify the label size and layout the basic label design.  How this differs from creating a one-of-a-kind label is that you will place dynamic text fields on the label in the Design Window.   You will then go to the Data Entry Window to type into these fields the data that varies from label to label, such as addresses, names or prices, etc.  And if you are entering a long list of names or data, you may then want to use the Index Window to help manage the list of labels.

Steps to Creating Labels:

1 Start in the Design Window .  Select the label type and size from the Laser Label menu  or the Impact Label menu .

2 Design your label by placing borders , pictures , rectangles , and lines .  Place and edit static text fields .  If you are creating a set of labels, place and edit the prompt names of dynamic fields .

3 Align and Pack the design elements as needed.

4 If you are creating a set of labels, Import your data or go to the Data Entry Window and enter your data.

5 From within the Data Entry Window, Print Preview your labels to see exactly how they will look when printed.  Run Overflow to check if any of your lines of data run off your label edge.

6 If needed, now go back to the Design Window  to refine your design or adjust field position.

7 If needed, go to the Index Window  to sort your list of labels, to easily find certain labels to edit, or to specify a print range .

8 When ready, select Print  from the File menu.  Specify which and how many labels to print.

9 You're done.


Printing Labels

Before printing labels you, naturally, need to have a label designed.  It is usually best to decide on the type of label you are going to print before designing the label.  This not only includes the type of label, but what type of printer  you will be using.  For more info on selecting label size see Impact label and Laser label  selection.  MyLabelDesigner will show you how the label will look according to what you have selected so to keep your work looking like the finished label will look it is best to get all the settings as close as possible in the beginning.

Once you have your label designed and any data entered, it is now time to get your labels into the printer.  If you find that your labels are not being printed evenly on the page you may want to go to Calibrate printer to make sure your printer is aligned correctly.  (See Calibrate Laser Printer  or Calibrate Impact Printer .)

When you are ready to print select Print from the File menu.

Laser printers and Impact printers have a number of different issues associated with each of them.  If you are using a Laser or Deskjet Printer please refer to Printing Laser Labels .  If you are using an Impact printer please refer to Printing Impact Labels .

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See Also

Printing Laser Labels , Printing Impact Labels , Printer Setup , In Case of Difficulty


How to Copy Label Files

In order to copy files it is easiest to use Save as  and save the current label files to a new location.  If you are using this transfer between computers there are a number of issues you need to be aware of.

-  A label file is made up of a label, data and index files. (NAME.LBL, NAME.DAT, NAME.IVX)

-  Pictures in MyLabelDesigner are not always stored in the label itself.  Because picture files can be very large, MyLabelDesigner keeps track of the location of the picture on your computer and gets the image when it is time to print the label.  By doing this MyLabelDesigner saves a lot of diskspace by not having multiple copies of large picture files in several locations on you computer.

-  Because a picture's location is saved in the label file, when you transfer to another computer that has these pictures in a different location, or not at all, MyLabelDesigner may not be able to find them.  To avoid this, if you know you will be transferring a particular label, before placing pictures in the label copy the pictures to your MyLabelDesigner directory.  If MyLabelDesigner cannot locate a picture it will also look in the MyLabelDesigner directory.

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See Also

  Save as


Windows

MyLabelDesigner has three primary work areas: the Design Window, the Data Entry Window, and the Data Index Window.  Any or all three windows can be opened within MyLabelDesigner at any time.

The menu at the top of the MyLabelDesigner window contains commands that work globally for the entire program and also commands that are only applicable in certain work areas, such as the Design window.  Any commands that are not accessible from the window you currently working in will be grayed (faded) out.

For more information click on the appropriate icon.

 Design Window

 Data Entry Window

 Index Window

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See Also

  Commands


Design Window

The Design Window is the starting point for all labels you are going to create.  In the Design Window you select, place and size the various elements of your label such as text, borders, lines, boxes, and pictures.

The first step is to select the appropriate label size.  Under the Label menu, select Laser Labels  or Impact Labels  depending on what type of printer you plan to print your labels.  If none of the standard label sizes are appropriate, you can create a custom size label.  (See Custom Laser Labels  or Custom Impact Labels ).    You can always change the label size at any time, even if you have already placed down text, art, etc.

The next step is to select, place and size any combination of the items in the vertical toolbar described below.   The ruler , grid , align and pack tools may be useful tools in correctly positioning these items.

The Vertical Toolbar

 The Static Text  button creates a static text field.

 The Dynamic Field  button creates a dynamic text field.

 The Get Picture  button allows you to select and place a picture in the label.

 The Rectangle button creates a rectangle, or a border .

 The Horizontal Line  button creates a horizontal line.

 The Vertical Line  button creates a vertical line.

 The Pack  button will pack a group of objects .

 The Quick Address  button creates a set of dynamic address fields in your label.

If you do not have Dynamic Fields entered in the label, you can go straight to printing this label.   Just select Print  from the File menu, specify the number of "Copies Of Each Label" and print.   If you do have Dynamic Fields ,  go to the Data Entry Window  to enter your data.

The Design Window is the only place where you can add, delete, size or position the design elements.  You may find that, after entering some of your data, you would like to come back to the Design Window and make some changes to the design.  Any changes that you make in the Design Window will be reflected in all labels in the current file.

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See Also

  Data Entry Window , Using MyLabelDesigner


Data Entry Window

The Data Entry Window is where you actually enter data into the label you designed in the Design window.  When you open the Data Entry Window you will see the label you designed waiting for data entry.

-  The only fields you can select and move between are the dynamic fields , which are where you will be entering your data.

-  All the fields are fixed in place; to change the location of an object go back to the Design Window .

-  The menu bar is accessible through the the Data Entry Window, although certain commands may not be active (e.g. the Design and certain Edit and Layout comands).  Inactive commands are grayed out and cannot be selected.

To move around in the Data Entry Window use the buttons in the horizontal toolbar or, to get from field to field, use the tab and enter keys.  Shift-tab will move you backwards one field.  When you finish entering data or move past the last field of a label the next label will scroll onto the screen.  If you are at the end of the list a new label will be created.  The list of labels with data in them is referred to as a stack of labels.  You can also move between labels by using the scroll bar, or, if part of the previous or next label are visible, double click on that label and it will scroll to the middle of your screen.  The Index Window  can be used simultaneously with the Data Entry Window to facilitate moving around the labels.

The Horizontal Toolbar

The Top button will take you to the first label in the stack.

The End button will take you to the blank label at the end of the stack.

The Preview button will show you what each label will look like once it is printed.  This button will stay ON until you turn it OFF by clicking on it again.  If you try to edit a label while in Preview mode, you will automatically be returned to the normal data entry mode.  Preview is a good feature to use especially if you are using packed fields, since preview will show you how your packed text fields will look when printed.  For more information see Pack command .

The Overflow button will look at each label for data fields which, when printed with the printers fonts, will run over the edge of the current label size.  MyLabelDesigner will also scan for any text in dynamic fields which will be clipped when printed.  When an overflow is found you will be prompted to go to that label and correct the problem, or to ignore the overflow.  You could fix the problem, either by deleting some of the data in the field or by going to the Design Window  and moving the field.  Some fields which look like they will overflow the border may not, if the fields are packed, to have a better idea of how a label will look when printed use the Preview button.  Note:  Overflow will scan from the label you are in to the end of the list.  The first time you scan a list you should first click on Top.

The Delete button will delete one, or a range of, labels from the stack.  The default will be the label you are in.

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See Also

  Index Window , Importing Data , Overflow Found Dialog


Overflow Found

If an overflow error is found while your data is being scanned a dialog window will open giving you a number of options.

Continue Scan

Selecting this option will continue with the scan.  You will have to remember which entry this was, or rerun scan from the top again.

Go to this Label

Selecting this option will stop the overflow scan and place in the label where the problem was found.  Clicking on Overflow again will restart the scan from your current position.

Abort Scan

This option will stop the scan and return you to the label you were in when you initiated the scan.

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See Also

  Data Entry Window , Overflow Button


Index Window

The Index Window is used to quickly access and sort the data you have entered in the Data Entry Window .  It can also be used to select a range of labels  to print. The Index is a useful tool for finding a specific label you wish to edit in the Data Entry Window.  Scrolling through the Index does not affect the Data Entry Window, however, if you actually click on a field in the Index it will become highlighted and the corresponding label will scroll into view in the Data Entry Window.  When using the Index with the Data Entry Window, we recommend that you position both windows on the screen side by side for ease of use.

Column Display Buttons

The Index Window allows you to view the index via two different dynamic text fields.  To assign what fields the index will display, click on the column display button at the top of each index column.  A list of all available dynamic fields will appear.  Double click on your choice to set the index.

Quick Find Letter Buttons

You can quickly go to a record by clicking on the letter buttons along the side of the Index Window.  This will take you to the first occurence of this letter in the left display column.  Clicking on the same letter a second time will take you to the next occurence, etc.  This is a great way to get around a large database where only a screenful of the labels can be displayed at one time.

Sort

Click on the Sort button to sort your labels into alphabetic order.  They will sort according to what fields you have selected to display in the Index Window.  The label stack in the Index and Data Entry Windows will be rearranged according to this new sorted order.

-  The second column will be sorted within the field selected in the first column.  For example, if you had a list of names and addresses and you wanted them sorted by state, and then by city within each state, you would select state in the first column and city in the second column.

Top and End

These buttons will move you to the beginning or end of the stack, respectively.

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See Also

  Data Entry Window , Label Design Window


Printing Laser Labels

When printing on Laser Labels the most important issue to keep in mind is that there is a Printable and Non-Printable region on a page.  The non-printable section extends approximately 1/3", all around the edge of the page.  The width of the non-printable region varies between printers.  To help you work around this, the default position of the rectangle border feature has been set so that any text or images placed within the borders should be within the printable region.  Therefore ,if some of your printed area is being clipped by your printer, go back to the Design Window  and at least temporarily place a border in the label as a guideline for where to place your other design elements.

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See Also

  Printing Labels , Printer Setup , In Case of Difficulty


Printing Impact labels

When printing on Impact labels there are a number of things to watch for.

Windows 3.1 Users

If you are using Windows 3.1 you shouldn't encounter many difficulties.  However, some printer drivers are not designed for label printing so if you encounter a problem with labels being skipped it may be a bug in the printer driver.  The best work around for fixing most problems is to load one of the Epson printer drivers.  The Epson printer drivers, on the whole, seem to be the least problematic.  When printing labels the printer should only scroll out as many labels as you have printed.  If you would like the entire page to form feed, you need to select Override Custom Page in the Preferences  dialog under the Layout menu.  You may also want to try this if your data is creeping up or down your labels.

Windows 3.0 Users

Unlike most 3.1 drivers, the 3.0 drivers always print to an entire sheet, so even if you are only printing three 2" labels, the entire page will be form fed.  If, when printing out more than a page worth of labels, labels are being skipped on the label sheets, your printer driver may have skip perforation on.  To change the settings of your printer driver, click on the Options Button in the printer setup menu.  If the options button is grayed out, then you have an old driver and will need to go to the Windows Control Panel to reconfigure your printer.  Another option, if you are encountering problems with your printer driver, is to select an Epson or other compatible printer driver.

Updating Printer Drivers

If you are having problems with your printer driver you may want to try locating a more up to date version.  There are a number of places you could try:

- Microsoft's BBS  206 936 6735

- Microsoft on Compuserve;  type GO MSL

- Microsoft customer support 1-800-426-9400

- Local Bulletin Boards.

- Local Dealers

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See Also

  Printer Setup , In Case of Difficulty


Commands

File

New , Open , Save , Save As , Import , Export , Page Preview , Print , Printer Setup ,  Calibrate Impact Printer , Calibrate Laser Printer , Exit , Last Files

Edit

Undo , Cut , Copy , Duplicate , Paste , Delete , Select All

Design

Static , Serialize , Dynamic , Picture , Rectangle , Border , Horizontal Line , Vertical Line

Label

Laser Labels , Impact Labels , Custom Laser Labels , Custom Impact Labels

Layout

Zoom , Pack , Unpack  , Align , Grid , Rulers , Quick Address , Preferences

Window

Default , Tile , Cascade , Arrange Icons , Close All

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See Also

  Windows


Glossary

ASCII Text Files

Clipboard

Default Printer

Dynamic Text

File Naming Conventions

Handles

Installing Printer Drivers

Non-Printable Region

Objects

Pack

Pictures

Static Text

WYSIWYG


Helpful Hints

Design Window

1. Keeping objects as part of a packed group.  Design Window Hint 1 .  See also Pack command .

2. Selecting a number of non-adjacent dynamic fields at the same time.  Design Window Hint 2 .  See also Pack command , Selection Arrow .

3. How to easily select objects that are inside rectangle/borders objects.  Design Window Hint 3 .  See also Selection Arrow .

Data Entry

1. Moving around a label while entering data.  Data Entry Hint 1 .  See also Data Entry Window .

2. Importing header information.  Data Entry Hint 2 .  See also Importing .

Printing

1. Useful impact printer drivers.  Printing Hint 1 .  See also Impact Printing , Printing Labels .

Index Window

1. Selecting ranges of labels via the Index window.  Index Hint 1 .  See also Index Window .


Index Hint 1

There are a number of ways to select (highlight) the labels listed in the Index Window.

-  To highlight a contiguous block click on the first label you want selected, then, while holding down the SHIFT key, click on the last label in the sequence.  This will highlight all the labels between the two you clicked on, inclusively.

-  To select a number of non-contiguous labels, hold down the CTRL key and click on the desired labels.

Remember, clicking on an already highlighted selection will de-select that label.


Printing Hint 1

If you are having trouble printing your impact labels we recommend that you try an Epson 9 pin driver if you are using Win 3.0 or 3.1, or, possibly, the IBM graphics driver for 9 pin printers in Win 3.1.

To switch drivers, select the driver though the File menu, Printer Setup command.   See your Windows documentation for installing new drivers if the desired driver is not available.


Data Entry Hint 2

When importing, if you do not select to use the information in the dialog box as a header, this information will be imported onto the first label of the imported data file.   The header is the first line of data from the ASCII text file.  It will create dynamic text fields on the design label of the label file you are importing to.


Data Entry Window Hint 1

When entering data in the data entry window if you just start typing the first field will be activated.  To move from field to field you can use the Enter, Tab and Down Arrow key.  To move backwards you can use the Shift-Tab or Up Arrow  key.  PgUp and PgDn will take you to the same field of the Previous or Next label, respectively.  The PgUp and PgDn keys are particularly useful if you have to go through a list of labels and update the same piece of information in each one.


Design Window Hint 1

When you move a dynamic field or fields that are part of a previously packed group they will lose their packed status.  You will need to repack them.  An object loses its packed status when it is edited or moved.  Moving the entire group of packed objects will not unpack them.  Remember, objects that are packed will have a red rectangle around them.


  Design Window Hint 2

To select a number of different fields hold the CTRL button down while clicking on each of the desired fields with the mouse.  This is particularly useful if you need to select a number of items that are inside of a rectangle/border object.


Design Window Hint 3

To select an object which is surrounded by another object it is best to first click on the Arrow button or in a blank area of the gray work area.  This will deselect anything currently selected.  Then position the cursor over the object you would like to select and press the button down for a moment (press the button for longer than a click).  If you release the button after a moment the object will be selected.  If you continue to hold the button down the cursor will change to a hand so that you can drag the object to a new position and then release it.

To select a number of different fields inside of a border or rectangle, hold down the CTRL button while clicking on the desired fields with the mouse.


In Case of Difficulty

Printing

1 After printing, the print head stays on the right.  Solution .  See also How to Print .

2 Problems using a wide carriage printer with Windows 3.0.  Solution .  See also Printer Setup .

3 A page form feed keeps occuring after printing on an impact printer, even if only 1 label is printed.  Solution .  See also Printing Impact Labels .

4 The options button in the printer setup dialog is grayed out.  Solution .  See also Printer Setup, Printing Impact Labels .

5 Skipping labels when printing.  Solution .  See also Printing Impact Labels , Printing Laser Labels .

6 Printing on a color printer but no color is printing.   Solution .

7 Nothing printing.  Solution .

Designing a Label

1 Unable to Paste an image from the clipboard.  Solution .  See also Picture command .

2 Can't use clip art and get an error when you run the program.  Solution .

Other

1 Unable to save file even though it looks like there is enough diskspace.  Solution .

2 Overflow error in the Data Entry Window with no visible overflow.  Solution .  See also Data Entry Window .

3 Power loss before saving a file.  Solution .

4 Scrolling (re-displaying data) is too slow in the Data Entry Window. Solution.


Scrolling to slow: Solution
Scrolling too slow: Solution

If you find that the labels in the Data Entry Window are taking too much time to scroll:

- From the Layout menu use the Preferences command to de-select the scrolling feature to speed up entering data.

- From the Layout menu use the Preferences command to de-select using printer widths for text.  This means that your labels will be displayed on screen using screen fonts as opposed to using fonts contained within your printer driver (printer fonts).


Color not printing: Solution

Updating Printer Drivers

If you are having problems printing color you may need to update your printer driver.   Check with the manufacturer of your color printer to ensure that you have the most current version of the printer driver.


Other: Solution 3

MyLabelDesigner keeps temporary copies of your work on the disk.  If you have a power loss or some unforseen accident which causes Windows or the Application to cease running before you have saved your data don't panic.  Most of your work will still exist in the temporary files which you can find in your windows directory.  Simply rename the temporary files as follows:

Rename ~my00000.lbl to yourfilename.lbl

Rename ~my00000.dat to yourfilename.dat

Rename ~my00000.ivx to yourfilename.ivx


Other: Solution 2

It is possible to get an overflow on an image in the label even though the image is completely in the label.  The blank part of a picture still counts as part of the entire picture.  Therefore, keep this in mind when using small images where there is a large blank area surrounding the picture.


Other: Solution 1

While you are working on a file, MyLabelDesigner keeps a temporary working copy of your data on the disk.  This temporary copy is saved in your \Windows sub directory.  If your windows sub directory is on a different hard disk partition than MyLabelDesigner you may run into a problem where, your data directory has enough space for your files, but the Windows directory doesn't.  In order to correct this situation you will need to modify the LABEL.INI file in your windows sub directory to contain these lines:

[workfileinfo]

tmppath=directory path name (e.g. C:\MYLABEL)

The directory path is the new location where you would like the temporary files to be saved.  Once you have done this you will need to re-launch MyLabelDesigner.


Solution 1
Printing: Solution 1

After printing, some printer drivers will not reset the print head in the printer.  So the next time you go and print, the print job will start from this new position.  Simply turn the printer off and on, to reset the print head.


Solution: Printing 2

If you are having problems getting your wide carriage printer to print wider than a standard sheet of paper, it is likely that you don't have the printer setup correctly.  In 3.0 you will have to go to the Printer Setup in the Control Panel to set the printing to wide carriage.  If you are using windows 3.1 you can go the Printer Setup in MyLabelDesigner and click on options.

If you are creating custom label sizes wider than 8 1/2" you will not be able to view them using the define custom labels Apply command.


Solution: Printing 3

Windows 3.1 Users

Check the Override Custom Page setting in the preferences dialog and make sure it is not selected.  If it isn't selected you may want to try a different printer driver.

Windows 3.0 Users

In Windows 3.0 a page cannot be defined as the size of a single label so the printer will always form feed the size of a normal 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of paper.


Solution: Printing 4

If the options button is grayed out it means that you are using an old printer driver.  To reconfigure the printer drivers setup you will need to go to the Control Panel and select Printer.


Solution: Printing 5

Windows 3.1 Users

If you are using Windows 3.1 you shouldn't encounter many difficulties.  However, some printer drivers are not designed for label printing so if you encounter a problem with labels being skipped it may be a bug in the printer driver.  The best work around for fixing most problems is to load one of the Epson printer drivers.  The Epson printer drivers, on the whole, seem to be the least problematic.

Windows 3.0 Users

Unlike most 3.1 drivers, the 3.0 drivers always print to an entire sheet, so even if you are only printing 3 two inch labels the entire page will be form fed.  If, when printing out more than a page worth of labels, labels are being skipped on the label sheets, your printer driver may have skip perforation on.  To change the settings of your printer driver, click on the Options Button in the printer setup menu.  If the options button is grayed out, then you have an old driver and will need to go to the Windows Control Panel to reconfigure your printer.  Another option, if you are encountering problems with your printer driver, is to select an Epson printer driver.

Or maybe...

If you are skipping every other label you may have selected the wrong label size.  For instance, if you have 3 1/2" - 1" labels and select the 3 1/2 - 2" format you would skip every other label.


Solution: Designing a Label 1

The clipboard works with .bmp and .wmf files.  To select a different file format use the picture command.


Solution: Cant use clip art/error when booting
Solution: Can't use clip art/error when booting

Trouble using clip art or the "IMAGEMAN" error means the program cannot find the required DLL and DIL files.

Copy the files listed below from whatever sub-directory they currently exist to the directory where MyLabelDesigner was installed.

IMAGEMAN.DLL

IMGBMP.DIL

IMGEPSF.DIL

IMGGIF.DIL

IMGPCX.DIL

IMGTIFF.DIL

IMGWMF.DIL

You can use the search function from the File Manager to find these files.  When you use search make sure and close MyLabelDesigner, do not just minimize it.

Once these files are copied, restart the program.  You should be able to use the clip art and you will no longer recieve the "IMAGEMAN" error when running the program.


New command (File menu)

Use this command to create a new label file.

-  If you are currently editing a label and have not saved it, you will first be asked if you would like to save that label file.

-  To open an existing label file use the Open command .

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See Also

  Open , Save , Save As , Last Files


Open command (File menu)

Use this command to open an existing label file.

-  If you are currently editing a label and have not saved it, you will first be asked if you would like to save that label file.

-  To create a new document use the New command .

Dialog Box Options

File Name

Select or type the filename you want to open.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file you want to open.  The standard MyLabelDesigner extension is lbl although any three letter extension is acceptable.  For example, if you would like to see a list of all the lbl files in the File Name display box you would enter *.lbl

Directories

Select the directory where MyLabelDesigner stores the file that you would like to open.

Drives

Select the drive to be displayed in the directories display box.

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See Also

  New , Save , Last Files


Save command (File menu)

Use this command to name and save the current label file.

-  If you have already named the file just click on OK to save the file.  If a file has already been named then choosing this option does not give an 'OK' option, it just saves the file.

Dialog Box Options

File Name

Enter the filename you would like to use.

List Files of Type

To  see a list of current file names in the list files box, you can enter the file extension you would like to see preceded by an asterik.  For example, to see all the standard label files enter *.lbl

Directories

Select the directory to where MyLabelDesigner will save the current file.

Drives

Select the drive to be displayed in the directories display box.

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See Also

  New , Open , Save As


Save As (File menu)

Use this command to save the current label file under a new name.  The new label file will be loaded.

-  Any changes you have made, and not saved, will not be saved to the current file.  Any unsaved changes will be saved in the new file.

-  If you use Save As to copy files to a disk please read the How to Copy Label Files  section.

Dialog Box Options

File Name

Enter the filename you would like to use.  To see a list of current file names in the list files box, you can enter the file extension you would like to see preceded by an asterik.  For example, to see all the standard label files enter *.lbl

List Files of Type

These are the file types that will be displayed.  MyLabelDesigner Files will have a .lbl extension.

Directories

Select the directory to where MyLabelDesigner will save the current file.

Drives

Select the drive to be displayed in the directories display box.

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See Also

  New , Open , Save


Import command (File menu)

The Import function is used to bring data from another file or program into MyLabelDesigner (More on Importing a file ).

-  If you import into a new label file, MyLabelDesigner will create a dynamic text field for each field of data being imported.  If you have a header line in the import file and select this option in the import dialog box, the header information will be used to name these dynamic text fields.

-  If you have one or more dynamic text fields placed on the Design Window labels, MyLabelDesigner will only import the number of fields that you have in the current label design.  For example, if you are importing 5 data fields and have a label created with only 3 dynamic text fields, only the first 3 data fields will import.

File Name

Select or type the filename you want to import.  These files to be imported (previously exported from another program) will generally have an .EXP extension.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file you want to import.  The standard files to be imported are MyLabelMaker (DOS), Double Quote & Comma, and Comma Delimited text files.

Directories

Select the directory where the file you would like to import is stored.

Drives

Select the drive to be displayed in the directories display box.

After you select the file to be imported, another dialog box appears.  In this dialog box, you will specify the importing information.

Filename

The file you will be importing appears here.

Import Method

Select the type of import file in which your data is contained.  The standard files to be imported are MyLabelMaker (DOS), Double Quote & Comma, and Comma Delimited text files.  If you file is not one of these types use the Custom Delimited option.

Notes

This box contains a message from MyLabelDesigner telling you what type of import method the program believes should be used.

Header Information

If the data shown in this box are the field names you would like to use, select this option.

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See Also

  Export , Data Entry


Export command (File menu)

The Export function is used to send data from a MyLabelDesigner file to a text file which may be imported into another program.

-  You may also import data from one label file in MyLabelDesigner to another.  This will save time if you want the same names and addresses but in a different label format.

File Name

Select or type the filename to which you want to export.  The file should have an .EXP extension.

Save File as Type

You can only save the exported file to Quote and Comma delimited.

Directories

Select the directory where MyLabelDesigner should store the file you are about to export.

Drives

Select the drive to be displayed in the directories display box.

When you select OK, MyLabelDesigner will export the data into a Double Quote & Comma delimited text file.

Note: If you plan to import to another program, MySoftware technical support cannot support software from another company.

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See Also

  Import


Page Preview command

When you select this option MyLabelDesigner will switch to the Page Preview window.  The Page Preview window lets you view your labels as they will look when you print them.  You will be presented with one page at a time, however you can leaf back and forth through the pages.  If you would like to print what you see in the output preview you can go directly to the Print menu by clicking on the Print button at the top of the screen.

If you are printing multipe copies of a label Page Preview will still only preview only one label at a time.

The 1st Page button takes the Page Preview display to the first page of your output.

The NextPage and PrevPage buttons move the display one page forwards or backwards through the output.

The Print button will take you directly to the print window .

The Help button opens this help message.

The Exit button will return you to the main MyLabelDesigner screen.

Note: Do not confuse this Page Preview with the Print Preview Button in the  Data Entry Window .  Please refer to the Data Entry Window  section for more details on the Preview Button.

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See Also

  Printing Labels


Print command (File menu)

The Print command is used to actually send the label data to the printer.  Within the Print window you can control the number of copies and range of labels to be printed.

Printer

The printer line at the top of the window displays the current active printer.  To change to the printer go to the Printer Setup  command.

Print Range

In the Print Range box you can select one of three ranges of labels to print.

-  All of the labels you have created.  (If you are not using data in the Data Entry Window, All will mean one label.  However, you can change the number of times the label will be printed using the copies box.)

-  Selection from Index Window will print a range that you have selected (highlighted) in the Index Window .  This option will be faded out if you have not selected a range in the Index Window.

-  The third option lets you define the starting and stopping labels for printing, inclusively.

Print Quality

Print Quality lets you control the DPI (dots per inch), the resolution, of your printing.

Print to File

If you do not want to print right away you can print the file to the disk and later print the file from the dos prompt using the print command.  When you print to a file you will be prompted for a filename .  For example, if you printed to a file called LATER.DSK, from the dos prompt you could later type PRINT LATER.DSK LPT1 /B to print the labels out.  (If your printer is not on LPT1 check your DOS manual for more about printer port designations)

Labels To Skip

See Skipping labels .

Copies

You can also select how many copies of each label you would like to print.

-  Of Each Label will print a number of copies of each label, one label at a time.  For example, if you had three labels and wanted two copies of each label they would come out in this order 1,1,2,2,3,3.

-  Of Sets of Labels will copy the range of labels the entire range at a time.  For example, if you had three labels and wanted two sets of labels copied they would come out in this order 1,2,3,1,2,3.  Each set would also start printing on a new sheet of labels.

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See Also

  Printing Impact Labels , Printing Laser Labels , Skipping labels


Printer Setup command (File menu)

In MyLabelDesigner it is very important that you have the correct type of printer assigned.  The label design screen is WYSIWYG , so it will show you how your output will look (depending on what type of printer you are going to use).

The Printer Setup command allows you to select what type of printer you are going to use.

Printer

Select the printer you want to use.

-  MyLabelDesigner will first select the windows Default Printer .

-  The Specific Printer option lets you choose from all the currently installed printer drivers .

Orientation

Select which orientation, portrait or landscape, the output will be printed in.  For example, if you are using Letter sized sheets, Portrait mode would be 8 1/2 x 11 in. while Landscape mode would print out horizontally on the page (11 x 8 1/2 in.).

Paper

Select the size and source of the sheets of labels that you are using with your printer.  If you are using pin feed labels, just use 8 1/2" by 11" paper.a

Options

Select the Dithering (density) and the Intensity of the printer output.

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See Also

  Printing Labels


Exit command (File menu)

The exit command will close your current label file and exit the application.  If you have not saved the current file you will be prompted to save it.

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See Also

  New command , Open command


Calibrate Impact Printer

Calibrating your impact printer allows you to shift to the left or the right exactly where your printer starts printing.  Using the Printer Calibration is an alternative to manually sliding your tractor feeds to the right or the left.

Please note that calibrating for an impact printer is a different activity than calibrating for a laser printer.   The printer calibration dialog box changes depending on whether you have an impact or laser label selected in the file selection menu.  (See Calibrate Laser Printer.)    Therefore to adjust your impact printer, you must have an impact label selected from the Label selection menu.  Then simply select Printer Calibration from the File menu.  Type in the amount you wish to shift the printing.  Specify to the right or left and click OK.   The printing will shift for all future labels selected, therefore, you may need to go back and adjust the calibration depending on the label stock you use.

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See Also

  Calibrate Laser Printer , Selecting Impact Labels , Printing Labels


Calibrate Laser Printer

If you find that the labels you are printing are not aligned correctly on the label sheet, (i.e. the labels are printed too high, a little too far to the left, etc.) you may need to calibrate your printer.  This calibration tool is to adjust for minor differences between printers.  Before you use Printer Calibrate, make sure that your label  sheet is being fed correctly into the laser printer.  Slightly crooked sheets can make labels look misaligned.

Please note that calibrating for a laser printer is a different activity than calibrating for an impact printer.   The printer calibration dialog box changes depending on whether you have an impact or laser label selected in the Label pulldown menu.  (See Calibrate Impact Printer .)  Therefore you must have a laser label selected from the Label selection menu in order to see the Laser Printer Calibration dialog box.

Calibrating your printer will adjust your printer for any and all label sizes.  To adjust your printer, select a commonly used laser label size from the Label selection menu.  Then select Print Calibrate from the File menu.  Following the instructions on screen, place the label stock, which matches the selected label size, in the printer.  Press "Print Calibrate" and a calibration scale will print out on the label sheet.   If the numbers crossing the edges as described in the Printer Calibrate Dialog box are different than the ones already entered, re-enter the numbers.  Then select OK.

The next time you print a label the printer adjustment should be reflected.

Note:  If you were to go back to the Printer Calibration dialog box, you may notice the number you had previously entered shifted by one or two numbers.  This is due to rounding, it is not an error.

If the alignment gets worse from one label to the next on the same sheet, you may have a printer driver problem.  Tey using another driver that is compatible with your printer.

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See Also

  Calibrate Impact Printer , Selecting Laser Labels , Printing Labels


Last Files opened (File menu)

The Last Files section of the File menu lists the last 4 files opened, the first line containing the most recently opened.  To open one of these files either click on the appropriate line or select the line and press enter.

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See Also

  Open command


Undo command (Edit menu)

The Undo command, when used in the Design Window, will undo your last action, and return the label to the state it was in prior to your last action.  For example,  if you select an rectangle and accidentally select delete instead of copying the rectangle, you can use the undo command to back track to right before you accidentally deleted the rectangle.

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See Also

  Design Window


Cut command  (Edit menu)

The Cut command, when used in the Design Window, will remove a selected object from the label and place it in the clipboard .  To select an object, click on it; if you have selected it a box and handles will appear around it.  The Cut command will say what type of object it is about to cut.  For example, if you have selected a Static Text field the Cut command in the Edit menu will say Cut Static Text.

-  Dynamic fields  are treated differently than other objects when it comes to being removed.  Because dynamic fields can have data associated with them you cannot cut and paste them.  To remove a dynamic field you have to use the Delete command .

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See Also

  Undo , Copy , Duplicate , Paste , Delete


Copy command (Edit menu)

The Copy command, when used in the Design Window, will copy a selected object or group of objects to the clipboard .  To select an object, click on it; if you have selected it, a box and handles will appear around it.  The copy command will say what type of object it is about to copy.  For example, if you have selected a Static Text field the Copy command in the Edit menu will say Copy Static Text.

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See Also

  Undo , Cut , Duplicate , Paste


Duplicate command (Edit menu)

The Duplicate command, when used in the Design Window, will make a copy of whatever object you currently have selected, and place it over (but slightly offset) the original object so that you can reposition it where you want.

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See Also

  Undo , Cut ,Copy ,  Paste


Paste command (Edit menu)

The Paste command, when used in the Design Window, will take whatever is in the clipboard and paste it to the current label design.  A copy will still be left in the clipboard.  If you only want to make a copy of an object in a label see the Duplicate command .

-  You cannot cut, copy or paste dynamic objects through the clipboard.

-  An important point to understand is how pictures are stored in MyLabelDesigner.  When you select a picture through the Picture Button, MyLabelDesigner will remember where you got the picture from and get it from there whenever it needs it.  By not actually making a copy of the picture into the label a lot of diskspace is saved.  However, if you paste a picture in from the clipboard, the entire picture will be saved into the label.

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See Also

  Undo , Cut ,Copy ,  Duplicate


Delete command (Edit menu)

The Delete command, when used in the Design Window, will remove a selected object from the label.  To select an object, click on it; if you have selected it, a box and handles will appear around it.  The Delete command will say what type of object it is about to delete.  For example, if you have selected a Static Text field the Delete command in the Edit menu will say Delete Static Text.

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See Also

  Undo , Cut


Select All command (Edit menu)

The Select All command, when used in the Design Window, will mark all objects in the label as selected.  This can be particularly useful for repositioning all your objects within the label or for Packing your objects.

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See Also

  Pack


Arrow Button

The Arrow Button is used to set the mouse cursor in the select object(s) mode.  Once you have clicked on the Arrow Button you can select an object with the mouse by positioning the mouse cursor over an object and pressing the mouse.  You can then drag the object to a new position and release the button.  A group of objects can be selected by holding the mouse button down and dragging the cursor to another position.  As you drag the mouse you will see a "dotted" box appear, and enlarge as you drag the cursor.  When you release the mouse, any objects within the borders of the "mouse box" will be selected.

-  You can also select more than one object by holding down the CTRL key and clicking the object you want to select with the mouse.  This is useful for selecting objects that are not adjacent.

-  If you click on a blank area of a label, or the gray work area, you will be setting the cursor into this selection mode.

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See Also

  Pack


Static command

The Static Text command is used in the Design Window for creating static text  fields in your label.  First select Static Text either from the Design menu or by clicking on its button.  Second, position the mouse cursor where you would like the field and press the button.

-  To type text into the field double click on the field.

-  To change the size of the field select the field and use the handles on the surrounding box.

-  Each Static Text field is a single line.  For multiple lines you will need to use multiple Static Text fields.

Within static text fields you can control the font, justification, style and size of the text by using the options which will appear in the horizontal toolbar when a static text field is selected.

The Horizontal Toolbar

Justification

The text you enter in a static field can be left, center or right justified.  Merely click on the appropriate justification button.

Font, Style, Size

Select the Font, Style, and Size of the text for the selected static text field.  If you would like to see how the different fonts, styles, and sizes will look, click on the Font button to be able to select different combinations and have a sample displayed on the screen.  If a font size is not available in the pulldown it is because your current printer driver does not support that size.

Underline

Select this button to make all text entered into this static field underline.

Color

Use the Color button to apply color to text.  There are two ways to color your text.

-  When you click the Color button a palette of availible colors will open.  Select the desired color and then use the Static or Dynamic text button to place text.

If you have fields already placed on a label:

-  Select a field with the pointer tool.  Press the Color button to open your palette and select the desired color for the selected text.

Serialization

Select the Serialize button to make the static field a serializing field.  The serialization option allows you to increment a field each time a label is printed.  Use the Set # button to set the direction and values of the serialization.   See Serializing .

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See Also

  Design Window , Dynamic Fields , Serializing


Dynamic command

The Dynamic command is used in the Design Window for creating dynamic text fields in your label.  First select Dynamic either from the Design menu or by clicking on its button.  Second, position the mouse cursor where you would like the field and press the button.

-  To type text into the field double click on the field.  The text you enter into a dynamic field while in the Design Window is the name of the dynamic field.  To enter data into this field see Entering Data .

-  To change the size of the field select the field and use the handles on the surrounding box.

-  A Dynamic field contains one line of text.  If you need multiple lines, use more than one dynamic field.

-  Dynamic fields can be placed anywhere in the label.  You can have more than one field on a line in a label.

Within dynamic fields you can control the font, justification, style and size of the text by using the options which will appear in the horizontal toolbar when a dynamic field is selected.

The Horizontal Toolbar

Justification

The text you enter in a dynamic field can be left, center or right justified.  Merely click on the appropriate justification button.

Font, Style, Size

Select the Font, Style, and Size of the text for the selected dynamic text field.  If you would like to see how the different fonts, styles, and sizes will look, click on the Font button to be able to select different combinations and have a sample displayed on the screen.  If a font size is not available in the pulldown it is because your current printer driver does not support that size.

Underline

Select this button to make all text entered into this dynamic field underline.

Color

Use the Color button to apply color to text.  There are two ways to color your text.

-  When you click the Color button a palette of availible colors will open.  Select the desired color and then use the Static or Dynamic text button to place text.

If you have fields already placed on a label:

-  Select a field with the pointer tool.  Press the Color button to open your palette and select the desired color for the selected text.

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See Also

  Design Window , Entering Data , Static Fields


Picture command

To place a picture in a label first select Picture, either from the Design menu or by clicking on its button.  The Pick Picture dialog window will open, from which you can locate and select the picture you want to use.  After selecting the picture you want, position the mouse cursor where you would like the picture to go and click the mouse.

-  To change the size of the picture, select the picture and use the handles on the surrounding box.

-  To move the picture, position the mouse cursor over the box and press the mouse button.  When the cursor changes to a hand, drag the picture to a new position and release the button.

Pick Picture Dialog

Drives

Select the drive to be displayed in the directories display box.

Directories

Select the directory where you would like to look for the image files.  The default directory for the MyLabelDesigner clipart files is \CLIPART.

List Files of Type

Select the type of picture file you want to open.  The types of picture files which MyLabelDesigner can access are: .BMP .DIB .PS .EPS .WMF .TIF .GIF .PCX   For example, if you would like to see a list of all the .BMP files in the file name box you would enter *.BMP

File Name

Select or type the filename of the picture you want.  See file types below for the types of picture files accessible.

You cannot add color to pictures using MyLabelDesigner.

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See Also

  Design Window


Rectangle command

To create a rectangle in a label first select Rectangle, either from the Design menu or by clicking on its icon.  Second, position the mouse cursor where you would like the rectangle and click the mouse.

-  To change the size of the rectangle, select the rectangle and use the handles on the surrounding box.

-  To move the rectangle, position the mouse cursor over the box and press the mouse button.  When the cursor changes to a hand, drag the rectangle to a new position and release the button.

The Horizontal Toolbar

Line Thickness

Select the button for the desired thickness of the rectangle's border.  If you select the button with a crossed line the rectangle border will disappear.

Corner Style

Select the button for the desired shape of the rectangles corners: squared or rounded.

Transparent

Select the transparent button to make your rectangles transparent.

Fill Color

Use the Fill Color button to fill a rectangle with a desired color.  There are two ways to fill your rectangles.

-  After you have selected Rectangle, click the Fill Color button and a palette of available colors will open.  Select the desired color and then place a rectangle.

If you have rectangles already placed on a label:

-  Select a rectangle with the pointer tool.  Press the Fill Color button to open your palette and select the desired color to fill your rectangle.

Border

After placing a rectangle on your label, selecting this option will expand the rectangle to just under the size of the label, creating a visible frame around the inside of the label edge (At any time when a rectangle is selected and the border icon is pressed, the rectangle will snap to the appropriate border size and position.  You can then adjust the border size or position by using the borders handles .)

Border Color

Use the Border/Outline Color button to apply color to a Border or to a rectangle's outline.  There are two ways to do this.

-  When you click the Border/Outline Color button a palette of available colors will open.  Select the desired color and then use the Rectangle button to place a rectangle.

If you have rectangles already placed on a label:

-  Select a rectangle with the pointer tool.  Press the Border/Outline Color button to open your palette and select the desired border color for the selected rectangle.

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See Also

  Design Window


Horizontal Line command

To create a horizontal line in a label first select Horizontal line, either from the Design menu or by clicking on its button.  Second, position the mouse cursor where you would like the line and click the mouse.

-  To change the length of the line, select the line and use the handles on the surrounding box.

-  To move the line, position the mouse cursor over the line and press the mouse button.  When the cursor changes to a hand, drag the line to a new position and release the button.

The Horizontal Toolbar

Line Thickness

Select the button for the desired thickness of the line.

Color

Use the Color button to apply color to a line.  There are two ways to color your lines.

-  After you select the Line command, click the Color button and a palette of available colors will open.  Select the desired color and then place a line.

If you have lines already placed on a label:

-  Select a line with the pointer tool.  Press the Color button to open your palette and select the desired color for the selected line.

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See Also

  Design Window


Vertical Line command

To create a vertical line in a label first select Vertical line, either from the Design menu or by clicking on its button.  Second, position the mouse cursor where you would like the line and click the mouse.

-  To change the length of the line, select the line and use the handles on the surrounding box.

-  To move the line, position the mouse cursor over the line and press the mouse button.  When the cursor changes to a hand, drag the line to a new position and release the button.

The Horizontal Toolbar

Line Thickness

Select the button for the desired thickness of the line.

Color

Use the Color button to apply color to a line.  There are two ways to color your lines.

- After you select the Line command, click the Color button and a palette of available colors will open.  Select the desired color and then place a line.

If you have lines already placed on a label:

-  Select a line with the pointer tool.  Press the Color button to open your palette and select the desired color for the selected line.

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See Also

  Design Window


Laser Labels

Select the type of laser labels you are planning to use.  Inkjet or other sheet fed printers should use laser labels.

Label Display and Detail Boxes

The top half of the Window gives you all the details about the currently highlighted label type, including a large picture of the label page to help you decide if that is the correct label type.

Label Description and Selection Box

Highlight the desired label and see its statistics appear in the Display and Detail boxes at the top of the Window.  When you have found the label type you are going to use, either double click on the label description line or press OK.

The MySoftware and Avery columns give you the label part numbers for these companies' labels.

-  If you need a custom size, first select the closest standard size, then click on the Customize button which will take you to the Define Custom Laser Printer Label  window.  If there is no close size, just select any size.  When you select to customize one of these sizes, a copy will be made (The original label size will be untouched).

Note on Non-Printable Regions: Laser printers have printable and non-printable sections of a page.  The non-printable section extends approximately 1/3", all around the edge of the page.  The width of the non-printable region varies between printers.  The default position of the borders have been set so that any text or images placed within the borders should be within the printable region.  Therefore ,if some of your printed area is being clipped by your printer, go back to the Design Window  and at least temporarily place a border in the label as a guideline for where to place your other design elements.

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See Also

  Impact Labels , Custom Laser Labels , Printing Labels


Impact Labels

Select the type of impact labels you are planning to use.

Label Display and Detail Boxes

The top half of the Window gives you all the details about the currently highlighted label type, including a large picture of the label page (for impact labels a representation of a section of continuous feed labels is displayed) to help you decide if that is the correct label type.

Label Description and Selection Box

Highlight the desired label and see its statistics appear in the Display and Detail boxes at the top of the Window.  When you have found the label type you are going to use, either double click on the label description line or press OK.

The MySoftware and Avery columns give you the label part numbers for these companies' labels.

-  If you need a custom size, first select the closest standard size, then click on the Customize button which will take you to the Customizing Impact Labels window.  If there is no close size, just select any size.  When you select to customize one of these sizes, a copy will be made (The original label size will be untouched).

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See Also

  Laser Labels , Custom Impact Labels , Printing Labels


Custom Laser Labels

If you need a custom size which isn't listed in the Select Custom Laser Label window, go to the Define Custom Laser Label window by clicking on the Customize button.  The label customizing  window will open, allowing you to create a custom label.

Whenever you select Ok and Save from the Define Custom Label window, a new copy of the custom label you have created will appear in the Label Selection box.  You may find that you want to go back and delete original copies of labels you have modified.  To delete a label, highlight the label in the selection box and press delete.  The only label that can't be deleted is the first one in the list.

You can customize any label, even those listed in the Laser Label window.  When a label is customized the original is unchanged.  A new copy of the customized label is created, and added to the selection list in this window. (The Select Custom Laser Label window.)  Since you can start a custom label from the settings of an already existing label, you may wish to first select an existing MySoftware or Avery label to work from.

Label Display and Detail Boxes

The top half of the Window gives you all the details about the currently highlighted label type, including a large picture of the label page to help you decide if that is the correct label type.

Label Description and Selection Box

Highlight the desired label and see its statistics appear in the Display and Detail boxes at the top of the Window.  When you have found the label type you are going to use, either double click on the label description line or press OK.

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See Also

  Laser Labels , Printing Labels


Customizing Laser Labels

Selecting this option allows you to create the size and positioning of a set of labels.  In the Define Custom Laser Printer Label Window, you will see the label specifications entered for the label that was highlighted in the previous window.  Simply overwrite any of the entries for height, width, margins, horizontal spacing, vertical spacing and number of labels across.  The number of labels down will be calculated automatically depending on the page size selected in the printer setup menu.  Click on "Apply" to see your entries reflected in the display box.  When your specifications are set, type in the size and description you want to see in the selection menu and press Ok and Save.  If the labels you have entered won't fit on the page size currently selected in Printer Setup menu , the computer will beep and not change to the new settings.  Clicking on Ok and Save will save the new label design into the Custom Laser Label menu .  Note: If you start with label specifications selected from the Laser Label or Custom Laser Label lists do not worry, the original specifications are not overwritten, your changes are saved into a new custom label which will appear in the Custom Laser Label window.

Note on Non-Printable Regions: Laser printers have printable and non-printable sections of a page.  The non-printable section extends approximately 1/3", all around the edge of the page.  The width of the non-printable region varies between printers.  The default position of the borders have been set so that any text or images placed within the borders should be within the printable region.  Therefore, if some of your printed area is being clipped by your printer, go back to the Design Window  and, at least temporarily, place a border in the label as a guideline for where to place your other design elements.

Size

This is a text field where you can enter in the new size of the labels you have created.  Whatever you type here will be displayed in the label selection box.

Description

This is a text field where you can enter a name for the new custom labels you have created.  Whatever you type here will be displayed in the label selection box.

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See Also

  Laser Labels , Printing Labels


Custom Impact Labels

If you need a label size which isn't listed, in the Select Custom Impact Label window, go to the Define Custom Impact Label window by clicking on the Customize button.  The Customizing Impact Labels  window will open, allowing you to create a custom label.

Whenever you select Ok and Save from the Define Custom Label window, a new copy of the custom label you have created will appear in the Label Selection box.  You may find that you want to go back and delete original copies of labels you have modified into new custom sizes.  To delete a label highlight the label in the selection box and press delete.  The only label that can't be deleted is the first one in the list.

You can customize any label, even those listed in the Impact Label window.  When a label is customized the original is unchanged.  A new copy of the customized label is created, and added to the selection list in this window. (The Select Custom Impact Label window.)  Since you can start a custom label from the settings of an already existing label you may wish to first select an existing MySoftware or Avery label to work from.

Note: selecting to customize one of the listed sizes will not change the label you select.  A copy of the specifications will be made in the new customized settings.  Your new custom size will appear in the custom impact list from which you can select to use it.

Label Description and Selection Box

Highlight the desired label and see its statistics appear in the Display and Detail boxes at the top of the Window.  When you have found the label type you are going to use, either double click on the label description line or press OK.

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See Also

  Impact Labels , Printing Labels


Customizing Impact Labels

Selecting this option allows you to create the size and positioning of a set of labels.

In the Define Custom Impact Printer Label Window, you will see the label specifications entered for the label that was highlighted in the previous window.

-  Overwrite any of the entries for height, width, horizontal spacing, vertical spacing and number of labels across.  The number of labels down will be calculated automatically depending on the page size selected in the printer setup menu.

-  Click on "Apply" to see your entries reflected in the display box.  When your specifications are set, type in the size and description you want to see in the selection menu and press Ok and Save.  If the labels you have entered won't fit on the page size currently selected in Printer Setup menu , the computer will beep and not change to the new settings.

-  Clicking on Ok and Save will save the new label design into the Select Custom Impact Label window .

Note: If you start with label specifications selected from the Laser Label or Custom Laser Label lists do not worry, the original specifications are not overwritten, your changes are saved into a new custom label which will appear in the Custom Laser Label window.

Size

This is a text field where you can enter in the new size of the labels you have created.  Whatever you type here will be displayed in the label selection box.

Description

This is a text field where you can enter a name for the new custom labels you have created.  Whatever you type here will be displayed in the label selection box.

In the Define Custom Label box:

Enter the size, width and gap between labels.  The radius refers to the rounding of the corners of the custom label.

Press Apply to view the changes you've made.  Note: You can not apply values that will make the labels wider that 8 1/2".

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See Also

  Impact Labels , Printing Labels


Zoom commands

The Zoom command is used to change the way you view the label in the Design Window.  There are five settings ranging from magnifying a particular part of the label or shrinking the label so that you can see the entire label.

Zoom ...

to Real Size displays the label as close to actual size, in the work space, as possible.  The Real Size view is, however, controlled by your current video, printer and windows fonts settings.  MyLabelDesigner will attempt to make the display as close to Real Size as possible within the bounds of your current system settings.

to Fit in Window adjusts the display size of the label such that the entire label will be visible in the work area.

to Area changes the cursor to a magnifying glass so that you can click on a section of the label and get an closeup of the area.

In/Out changes the size of how the label is displayed a little at a time so that you can select the display size that is easiest for you.

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See Also

  Design Window


Pack command

The Pack command will group a number of dynamic and/or static fields together, with the following benefits.

-  The dynamic fields will be re-arranged into a neat group of prompts.  Please refer to example one .

-  When a group of fields are packed, each packed field will be surrounded by a red border.  This border will not print, it is there so that it is easy to identify what fields are packed.

-  When you print a label with a group of packed fields, the trailing and leading spaces will be trimmed.  Please refer to example two .

-  When you print a label with a group of packed fields, any lines with blank data fields will be skipped.  Please refer to example three .

To use the Pack command in the Design Window you must first select the dynamic fields you would like to pack.  Use the Arrow button , or the Select All  command to mark the dynamic fields you want to pack.  Then click on the Pack button.

-  If there are no fields selected, Pack will automatically pack all of the dynamic fields.

Packed status (everything you always wanted to know about pack but were afraid to ask)

When you pack a group of items it is important to remember that they are not permanently packed (Unpack ).  (When packed, a field has a red rectangle around it.)

-  If you move one field in a packed group it is no longer a member of the packed group, however, the rest of the fields will remain packed.  When you move a field out of a packed group the rest of the group, since they remain packed, will re-align themselves, possibly even moving under/over the field you just moved.  Note: Because of the way packed fields will re-align themselves it may be easier to not pack groups of fields until you are in the final stage of your label design.

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See Also

Unpack , Design Window , Printing Labels , Print Preview Button , Helpful Hints


Pack Example One

Packing a group of dynamic fields will align all the prompts neatly and remove any excess space.  For example, here is a group of dynamic fields before and after being packed.

Before

After


Pack Example Two

A good example of printing packed fields are name tags.  When creating name tags you want name fields big enough to hold people's names, but without leaving large gaps between the first and last name.  Packing the fields eliminates this problem.

For example, if you have the fields

[First Name][Last Name]________________

and these names

John Doe

Elizabeth Doe

and you printed these, but did not have them packed, they would look like this:

John           Doe

Elizabeth     Doe

but if you packed the first and last name fields they would print like this:

John Doe

Elizabeth Doe


Pack Example Three

A good example of printing packed fields with blank lines are address labels.  For example, if you have a label that looks like this:

[First Name][Last Name]____________

[Address1]_______________________

[Address2]_______________________

[City]__________[State][Zip]________

and this data:

John Doe

12345 AnyStreet

Anytown SomeState 95000

if the fields weren't packed it would print like this:

John           Doe

12345 AnyStreet

Anytown             SomeState 95000

however, if the fields were packed it would look like this:

John Doe

12345 AnyStreet

Anytown SomeState 95008


Align command

The alignment command allows you to tell MyLabelDesigner how to position the objects you have selected within the label.  The animated display in the alignment window gives you an approximate idea of how the objects you have selected will be arranged.  The animation uses three objects to demonstrate how your objects will move.

The different alignment selections are:

Horizontal options:

Left or Right will align the objects with the leftmost or rightmost object, respectively.

Center will center all the selected objects, horizontally, on the centermost object.

Space Equally will equally space all selected objects between the leftmost and rightmost objects.

Center in Label will keep all the selected objects positions relative to each other and center the entire block of slected objects within the label.

Vertical options:

Top or Bottom will align the objects with the topmost or bottommost object, respectively.

Center will center all the selected objects, vertically, on the centermost object.

Space Equally will equally space all selected objects between the topmost and bottommost objects.

Center in Label will keep all the selected objects positions relative to each other and center the entire block of selected objects within the label.

Baselines will line up all the selected text objects baselines (or if not text their bottoms) with the upper leftmost object.

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See also

  Design Window


Grid command

The Grid command allows you to turn on a grid which will appear on the label you are designing, to help you position your objects.  The grid will not print, it is there to help you place objects in your label.

-  By selecting snap to grid you can tell MyLabelDesigner that whenever you place an object in the label you want it moved to the nearest grid coordinates.  This is a great way to keep all your objects aligned with a minimal effort on your part.

-  If you don't want to see the grid but you do want snap to grid you can make the grid invisible.

-  Another useful tool is to set the grid coordinates to match the ruler.  This will help you visually picture where the objects you are placing, actually are.

-  You can also set the dimensions of the grid to whatever you would find useful.  The grid is measured in English or Metric depending on what you have set as the standard of measurement.  To set to English or Metric see Preferences .

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See Also

  Design Window , Rulers


Rulers command

The Rulers command turns the rulers in the Design Window on or off.  If you would like your data to stick to the ruler coordinates see Snap to Grid .

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See Also

  Design Window , Grid command


Quick Address command

The Quick Address command is a quick way of creating an address label.  When you click on the Quick Address button a group of packed dynamic fields  will be placed in the upper left corner of the label.  You can delete, add, or edit fields as normal.

After the quick address fields are placed you would move to the Data Entry Window  to enter the addresses.  The quick address fields are applied to all the labels in the label file, so you only have to place quick address fields once in each file.

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See Also

  Design Window , Dynamic command , Pack command


Preferences...

The preferences allow you to modify a number of ways the program works.

Units

Selecting English or Metric will change how the rulers and custom label specs are measured.  It is important to remember that if you are using metric you need to select metric labels.  This option changes the rulers but does not change pre-set label specifications from english to metric.

Data Entry

If you find that the labels in the Data Entry Window are taking too much time to scroll:

- you can de-select the scrolling feature to speed up entering data.

- you can de-select using printer widths for text.  This means that your labels will be displayed on screen using screen fonts as opposed to using fonts contained within your printer driver (printer fonts).

Printing Issues

- You can speed up your printing time by selecting Fast Print for Pictures.  If your images do not work using this option just de-select it.

- For information regarding Override Custom Page Size please refer to the Impact Printing  section.

User Data...

In the User Data dialog you can modify the name of the User and Organization that this product is registered to.

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See Also

  Data Entry Window , Printing


Default command (Window menu)

The Default command will return the Work Windows to their original default position.  The default position for the windows is: the Index Window on the left, the Data Entry Window on the right, and the Design window opened on top of both.

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See Also

  Work Windows , Tile command


Tile command (Window menu)

The Tile command will neatly arrange MyLabelDesigners Work Windows within the MyLabelDesigner window.  Any closed windows icons will be positioned in the bottom left corner while any open windows will be placed side by side in the remaining space.

-  This is a good command to use if you can't find a window/icon, or just need the window organized more clearly.

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See Also

  Default command , Work Windows


Cascade command (Window menu)

The Cascade command will cascade any of the open MyLabelDesigner Work Windows in the upper left corner of the window.

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See Also

  Default command , Work Windows , Tile command


Arrange Icons command (Window menu)

The Arrange Icons command will align any icons, of the closed work windows, neatly in the bottom left corner of the MyLabelDesigner window.

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See Also

  Default command , Windows ,Tile command


Close All command (Window menu)

The Close All command will close MyLabelDesigner's three work windows.

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See Also

  Default command , Windows


Skip Labels dialog

The Skip Labels dialog window allows you to reuse sheets of labels that you have partially used in previous label printing.

-  To define a label position to skip, position the mouse cursor in the appropriate label and click the mouse.  The label in that position will be crossed out.

-  Labels you define to be skipped are only for the first page.  MyLabelDesigner assumes that you have only one partially used sheet and that any more labels should be printed as normal.  i.e. skipping labels works only on the first sheet of a label printing.

For example, lets say that you printed three shipping labels so your label sheet looks like this:

Now you want to continue printing, by using the same sheet in order to save labels.  So, while in the Skip Labels window, you would just click in, and thereby cross off, the three used label positions.

The Skip Label functions is only available for Laser labels.

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See Also

  Printing Labels


Serializing

The serialize function allows you to set a field to increment with each time you print the label out.  This allows you to print out a number of copies of the same label but to have a sequential number print on each one.

To set a field to be a serializing field you must click on the Serialize button.  Then type into the field the number to start serializing from.  If you do not select the Set # option, the number will be incremented by one for each label.  If you click on Set # you can define the number to increment by and the direction (increment/decrement).  There are two ways in which your labels could be serialized.

Static Serialization: Static Serialization occurs when you have a label designed but are not using any data in the Data Entry Window.  For example, assume you are going to make a backup of your hard disk so you create a BACKUP DISK label with a serializing field starting at 1.  Now when you print and select to make 40 copies of this label the labels will come out numbered from 1 to 40.

Dynamic Serialization: A serializing field is always a static field, however, you can set the # being incremented to change with each label entered in the Data Entry Window.  For example, if you had created name tags, and entered a large database of names, and also wanted the tags numbered you could add a serializing field in the design window.  Assuming you selected it to start at 1, the field would increment the number and print it with each name , numbering the first tag printed as 1, the second tag printed as 2, etc..., thus it is incrementing with each label created as opposed to the number of copies.

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See Also

  Static fields


File Naming Conventions

A filename can contain up to eight characters followed by a three letter extension.  The extension of MyLabelDesigner files is .lbl


Static
Static Text

When the term static is used in MyLabelDesigner it refers to unchanging.  Any static text that you place in a label will appear the same on every copy of that label design printed.  In comparison, Dynamic fields use the data you have entered in the Data Entry window, so they can change as the data changes from label to label.

Examples of Static Text vs Dynamic Fields

1 A price tag might have the static text SALE on it and a dynamic field named "price".  Every price tag will read SALE, while different prices can be entered on each individual label for the different sale items.

2 Your return address on a shipping label might be created with a group of static text fields, since this text would not change from label to label.  The "send to" address would be dynamic fields.

Note:  If you are only interested in printing a one-of-a-kind label, you would only need to use static text fields.  Since there are no dynamic fields, there is no reason to use the Data  Entry Window.  This label could be printed right from the Design Window.


Dynamic
Dynamic Text

When the term dynamic is used in MyLabelDesigner it is refering to fields that can change from label to label.  A static (unchanging) field in a label will appear the same in every label printed.  A dynamic field, however, will print with data you have entered in the data entry window.  For example, if you were making name tags you could design a label with a dynamic field called NAME.  Then in the data entry window you would enter in this field the list of names you would like on the tags.  When printing a range of labels, each time a label is printed NAME will be replaced with the next name in the data entry window for this field.


Default Printer

The default printer is the printer that is currently active in the windows environment.  To select a different default printer or install more printer drivers go through the Windows Control Panel.


Installing Printer Drivers

MyLabelDesigner can only use printers for which you have installed a driver.  To install other printer drivers and configure printer ports go to the Windows Control Panel.


WYSIWYG

What-you-see-is-what-you-get.  MyLabelDesigner will display, on screen, everything in proportion to each other, as they will appear when you actually print them out.


Object

Each item in a label is an object.  Each object can be manipulated separately or they can be gathered into groups of objects.  The types of objects in MyLabelDesigner are Static Text Fields, Dynamic Text Fields, Pictures, Rectangles, Horizontal and Vertical Lines.


Clipboard

The clipboard is a temporary storage area for cut or copied objects or groups of objects.  Objects in the clipbaord can be pasted back into a label.  You can also use the clipboard to transfer objects between label files or between applications.


Handles

When an object is selected it is marked by a box.  The box has a number of small black boxes around it, these boxes are its handles.

You can use the handles to change the size of their object.  To use a handle, position the mouse cursor over the desired handle and press down the left button.  To expand and/or shrink the current object drag the handle to a new position and release the button.


Pictures

A picture in MyLabelDesigner is an image brought into MyLabelDesigner from an external program in one of the standard image file formats.

The formats which MyLabelDesigner recognizes are:

.BMP  .DIB  .PS  .EPS  .WMF  .TIF  .GIF  .PCX


Non-Printable Region

Laser printers have printable and non-printable sections of a page.  The non-printable section extends approximately 1/3"  in, all around the edge of the page.  The width of the non-printable region varies between printers.  The default position of the borders have been set so that any text or images placed within the borders should be within the printable region.  Therefore ,if some of your printed area is being clipped by your printer, go back to the Design Window  and at least temporarily place a border in the label as a guideline for where to place your other design elements.


How to Format Text

When you place a Dynamic field or Static text controls for the attributes of the text will appear along the top of the Design Window .

Font, Style, Size

Select the Font, Style, and Size of the text for the selected text field.  If you would like to see how the different fonts, styles, and sizes will look, click on the Font button to be able to select different combinations and have a sample displayed on the screen.  If a font size is not available in the pulldown it is because your current printer driver does not support that size.

Underline

Select this button to add underlines to all the selected text.

Color

Use the Color button to apply color to text.  There are two ways to color your text.

-  After you have selected either Static or Dynamic text you can click the Color button and a palette of available colors will open.  Select the desired color and then use the Static or Dynamic text button to place text.

If you have fields already placed on a label:

-  Select a field with the pointer tool.  Press the Color button to open your palette and select the desired color for the selected text.

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See Also

Static text  , Dynamic text


Print Multiple Copies of a Label

You can print multiple copies of specific labels, or you can print multiple copies of a set of labels.  When you select the Print command  use the Copies: option from the Print dialog box to specifiy the number of labels or sets of labels you wish to print.

-  Of Each Label will print a number of copies of each label, one label at a time.  For example, if you had three labels and wanted two copies of each label they would come out in this order 1,1,2,2,3,3.

-  Of Sets of Labels will copy the range of labels the entire range at a time.  For example, if you had three labels and wanted two sets of labels copied they would come out in this order 1,2,3,1,2,3.  Each set would also start printing on a new sheet of labels.

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See Also

Print command


Un-Pack command
Unpack command

The Unpack command will Unpack the selected packed field(s).  This will have no obvious effect on the label in the design window.  Any packed fields will still appear grouped, as shown in Pack example one , until the Unpacked fields are moved.

Unpacked fields will no longer:

- have the trailing and leading spaces trimmed as illustrated in Pack example two .

- have blank lines skipped as illustrated in Pack example three .

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See Also

Pack


Importing a File

You can transfer data entered into the MyLabelMaker (DOS) program by using the Import command.  You can also Import data from other programs if the data is in an ASCII  delimited text file.  To add a picture to the label use the Picture command .

To Import a file:

- Click on the File menu and then click on "Import..."

- Use the "Import File" window to select the file you wish to Import (if you are importing from MyLabelMaker (DOS) the file name will be MYLABEL.DAT).

- In the next window you will be asked to select the Import file type.  The Import file types we support are; MyLabelMaker (DOS), comma, quote, double quote, and custom delimited ASCII  text files.  The first record of the file you will Import is displayed at the bottom of this dialog box to help you select the appropriate Import file type.

If you select custom delimited:

- Another dialog box will open asking for the custom delimiter.  This box will show the delimiter if it is printable, and its ASCII character (in hex) number.

If you select to use the first record as header information:

- The information in that first record will be used to create dynamic text fields on the design record.

Once you have chosen the appropriate options in the Import dialog window, click OK to begin Importing.

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See Also

Import command  , Export command


ASCII text files

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (pronounced "ask-ee") is a file format that most Database programs, Word Processing programs and Spread Sheet programs can understand.

An ASCII delimited file is a file with:

- Delimiters between each field of information

- One complete record per line

For example:

John,Smith,ABC Company          is a comma (,) delimited text file

"John""Smith""ABC Company"      is a quote (") delimited text file

"John","Smith","ABC Company"    is a quote (") and comma (,) delimited text file

John!Smith!ABC Company         is a custom delimited text file, using (!) as the delimiter

Creating a ASCII delimited text file:

Many programs have the ability to convert data to an ASCII format.  Please consult the documentation for the program you wish to Import data from to determine how to convert your data to an ASCII delimited text file format.


Pack

The Pack command will group a number of dynamic fields together, with the following benefits.

-  The dynamic fields will be re-arranged into a neat group of prompts.

-  When a group of fields are packed, each packed field will be surrounded by a red border.  This border will not print, it is there so that it is easy to identify what fields are packed.

-  When you print a label with a group of packed fields, the trailing and leading spaces will be trimmed.

-  When you print a label with a group of packed fields, any lines with blank data fields will be skipped.

Please refer to the Pack command for more detailed information on this function.


Nothing print: Solution
Nothing prints: Solution

You may have entered dynamic text only on the Design Window.  Make sure that if you have dynamic fields on the label, you have entered text into those fields in the Data Entry Window.


Templates

MyLabelDesigner includes 6 label templates.  These are pre-designed label files that you can use as they are or edit for your particular labeling needs.  The following templates are included:

Return Address Labels

Shipping Labels

Backup Diskette Labels

Audio Casette Labels

Raffle Ticket Labels

Rolodex Cards

To open a template use the File menu, Open command  and go into the Template directory.  Select a templatename-i.lbl file if using a impact or select templatename-l.lbl if using a laser printer.