Contents

It is recommended that you acquaint yourself with Form Pilot by viewing Your first step.

Introduction

System Requirements

Your first step

Form Pilot document

Menu

Main toolbar

Text style bar

Drawing tools

Keyboard

Print options

What should I do if...

How to...

Our developments

Ordering Information

Technical support


Introduction

The Form Pilot program is specially designed for filling out paper forms (of any type) on your computer. It makes typewriters obsolete! You can also fill out your form and send it by fax without printing on paper. Our cartoon character will lead you through using Form Pilot step by step, as Form Pilot works for you. You will love its convenience!

The use of the program consists of the following steps:

1) You scan your paper document in Form Pilot;

2) You enter any text and draw graphic objects in any place of the scanned document;

3) You insert the document into a printer and print the entered text and graphics on this form.

The text and graphics you entered on the form is printed in the same places as you see it on the screen.

In this way you can comfortably fill out even protected forms which have watermarks.

Our contacts: invent@colorpilot.com


System Requirements

- X86-based personal computer (486 minimum)

- Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT

- Mouse

- Printer

- Scanner (optional)

Form Pilot supports the following graphic file formats:

Bitmap

2, 16, 256 colors, TrueColor (24 bit)

Do not use Bitmap OS2 subformat because it does not allow saving a resolution of an image you have scanned.

TIFF 6.0

2, 16, 256 colors, TrueColor, PackBits/Fax G3/Fax G5/Huffman encoding/Tiled images

PCX

2, 16, 256 colors, TrueColor

JPEG

TrueColor

PNG

Portable Network Graphics (all known formats)


Your first step

You can view the Form Pilot page to acquaint yourself with the program in pictures or go directly to the text instructions below.

http://www.colorpilot.com/invention/typewriter.html

Please do the following instructions step by step:

1) Take a paper document, which you usually fill out by typing on the typewriter, and insert it into your scanner.

2) Click File | Select Source to select the TWAIN device you’re using.

3) Click File | Acquire to open the TWAIN driver of your device.

4) Select in the TWAIN driver an area to scan so that it contains the top and left edges of the paper, e.g.:

Otherwise, the program will not know the position of the scanned image relative to the real paper form (see also Base point). Put some black paper under the form to make the upper-left corner visible on the image.

5) Scan your form into Form Pilot and close the TWAIN driver. A new document appears in Form Pilot.

6) If your scanned form looks inclined, e.g.:

you can rotate it. For that:

a) Click the Rotation tool [image] and mark two points on the image that should lie on a horizontal or vertical line.

b) Click the Do transformation command [image] to rotate the image. A new rotated form appears.

c) If your image is not rotated enough, you can undo the rotation using the Undo image transformation command [image] and repeat steps a)-b).

Now you can close your previous document.

7) Form Pilot does not know yet where the upper-left corner of your paper form is on the image. You must point it using the Base point tool [image]. Just position the mouse cursor in the shape of a crosshair on the most upper-left pixel owned by the form and click the left mouse button:

8) If you do not need any longer the black fields to the left and top of the base point, choose the Image | Trim command to remove them from the image.

9) Now click the Text tool [image], position the mouse cursor on the scanned document where you want to fill out some field, click the left mouse button and enter your text.

10) After filling your form out, insert the paper document into your printer and print the entered text on it.

If you have any questions, then after having registered, you will be able to use Technical support via email: form@colorpilot.com


Form Pilot document

A Form Pilot document contains an image (a form you want to fill out), text and graphics.

The image, text and graphics are placed on the page currently selected for your printer (e.g. in File | Print Setup). The image is placed in the top-left corner of the page. The text and graphics can be placed in any part of the page. Text and graphic objects have various settings. Settings for text objects are available in the Text Style Bar). Settings for graphic objects are available in the Drawing tools bar.

The image is stored in a separate graphic file (see System Requirements). The text and graphics are stored in a file with the .fdc extension.

Note: an image file and a Form Pilot document (.fdc) must be in the same folder, otherwise, you’ll not be able to reopen the document.

A printer has an unprintable area. Everything getting to it cannot be printed. This area is marked in Form Pilot with a gray background.


Menu

File

Edit

Options

Image

Window

Help


File

New

The New command creates a new document using a graphic or Form Pilot document file as a template for your new Form Pilot document.

Open

The Open command opens an existing graphic or Form Pilot document file. If you open a graphic file, a new Form Pilot document is created.

Close

The Close command closes the active document.

Save

The Save command saves the active document.

Save As

The Save As command saves the active document with a new name.

Save Image

The Save Image command saves the image of the active document.

Save Image As

The Save Image As command saves the image of the active document with a new name.

(Note: an image file and a Form Pilot document (.fdc) must be in the same folder, otherwise, you’ll not be able to reopen the document.)

Revert Image

The Revert Image command allows you to restore the image to its previously saved version..

Acquire

The Acquire command imports the image from a scanner, a digital camera, or a frame grabber which support TWAIN. If you’re using the TWAIN device for the first time with Form Pilot, choose File | Select Source.

Select Source

The Select Source command selects the TWAIN device you’re using. You do not need to repeat this step for subsequent uses of the TWAIN module.

Print

The Print command starts printing the active document. See also Print options.

Print Preview

The Print Preview command opens a standard preview window, which enables you to preview the printed document.

Print Setup

You use the Print Setup command to change the printer and printing options.

Exit

The Exit command ends your Form Pilot session and prompts to save modified documents.


Edit

Undo

The Undo command undoes the last action made in the active object.

Redo

The Redo command redoes the previously undone action made in the active object.

Cut

The Cut command cuts the active object and puts it on the Clipboard. If the active object is a text object, the command cuts the selected text and puts it on the Clipboard.

Copy

The Copy command copies the active object to the Clipboard. If the active object is a text object, the command copies the selected text.

Paste

The Paste command inserts Clipboard contents into the document. If the active object is a text object, the command inserts text form the Clipboard into the active text object.

Delete

The Delete command deletes the active object.

Insert Picture

This command opens an Open dialog box to select a file name of a graphic picture you want to add to your document. Form Pilot inserts the picture in the upper-left corner of the document window. The program assumes that the white color (R: 255, G: 255. B: 255) of your picture is transparent.


Options

Display the "Welcome" screen at startup

If this box checked, the “Welcome to Form Pilot!” screen with Ron comes up each time at startup.

Warn when clicking in the unprintable area of the printer

If this box checked, the warning comes up each time when you click on the page in the unprintable area of your current printer.

Maximize document after opening

If this box checked, the document window is maximized at opening.

Units

Set units you want to use in Form Pilot.


Image

Undo transformation

This command undoes the last action made with the main image of the active document. It is applicable to the following image transformations: Rotation, Crop and Trim.

Resize

The Resize command opens the Image Resize dialog box in order to change the size of the image of the active document.

Resolution

The Resolution command opens the Image Resolution dialog box in order to change the resolution of the image of the active document.

Rotate

90° CW

Rotates the image to 90° CW (clockwise).

90° CCW

Rotates the image to 90° CCW (counterclockwise).

180°

Rotates the image to 180°.

Convert objects to image

This command enables you to get the image and the objects on it as a single image in a new window. You can send the new image by fax.

Trim

The Trim command removes the black fields to the left and top of the base point from the image.


Window

Cascade

The Cascades command stacks images so that the title bars of hidden images are visible.

Tile

The Tile command arranges images side by side.

Arrange Icons

The Arrange Icons command arranges icons at the bottom of the window.


Help

Your first step

This command starts the Help system and displays the Your first step topic.

Contents

This command starts the Help system and displays its contents.

What should I do if...

This command starts the Help system and displays the What should I do if... topic.

How to...

This command starts the Help system and displays the How to... topic.

Our developments

This command starts the Help system and displays the Our developments topic.

Technical support

This command starts the Help system and displays the Technical Support topic.

Ordering Information

This command starts the Help system and displays the Ordering Information topic.

About

You use this command to display information about the version of Form Pilot that you are using and its release date, as well as any relevant copyright information.


Main toolbar

New command creates a new document using a graphic file or a Form Pilot document file as a template for your new Form Pilot document.

Open command opens an existing graphic or Form Pilot document file. If you open a graphic file, a new Form Pilot document is created.

Save command saves the active document.

Print command starts printing the active document. See also Print options.

Cut command cuts the selected text in the active text object and puts it on the Clipboard.

Copy command copies the selected text in the active text object and puts it on the Clipboard.

Paste command inserts Clipboard contents in the active text object.

Undo command enables you to undo the last action made in the active text object.

Redo command allows you to redo the previously undone action made in the active text object.

   This combo box displays the current view scale of the active document. You may set any scale from the list.

Zoom tool enables you to magnify or reduce your view of the document.

To magnify your view of the document, you may:

1) Click the left mouse button;

2) Click down the left mouse button and drag to select the part of the document you want to magnify.

To reduce your view of the document, press the ALT key and click the left mouse button.

Base point tool

Rotation tool

Crop tool

Do transformation command is used with the Rotation and Crop tools to do rotating or cropping.

Undo image transformation command undoes the last image transformation.

Fit to window command fits the document to the window.

This command opens the Image Resolution dialog box to change the resolution of the image of the active document.


Text Style Bar

This toolbar contains settings for text objects. It always displays the settings of the current or last active text object.

Text tool enables you to add, edit and move your text.

Font

This list contains fonts available in your system. Select a font for your text from the list.

Font Size

This list contains standard values of font sizes available in Form Pilot. Select a font size for your text from the list.

Press the Bold (B) button to select the bold font.

Press the Italic (I) button to select the italic font.

Press the Underline (U) button to select the underlined font.

Font Color

This list contains standard text colors. Select a font color for your text from the list.

Press the Pitch (P) button to select character spacing for the text. In this style each character of the text is output with a pitch (see below). This style is useful when you need to enter some text in cells arranged with a pitch.

Character pitch. It is available only if the character pitch style is set. You specify the character pitch in units set in Options.


Drawing tools

You can draw your own custom graphic objects on your form. Form Pilot includes standard drawing tools available on the toolbar:

All graphic objects are drawn by lines. You can set a color and width for those in the toolbar above. Line width is given in inches. The width 0.00’’ is equal to one pixel of the output device (monitor, printer, fax machine etc.).

Form Pilot enables you to draw the following graphic objects: check mark, rectangle, circle, ellipse (oval), polygon, line and freehand line.

 Check mark

Drawing a check mark:

1) On the toolbar, click [image].

2) Position the cursor on the document and click the left mouse button. The check mark appears.

 Rectangle

Drawing a rectangle:

1) On the toolbar, click [image].

2) Click at the desired start point and hold the left mouse button down.

3) Drag the pointer to outline the rectangle.

4) Release the mouse button. The rectangle appears.

4) Release the mouse button. The ellipse appears.

 Circle

Drawing a circle:

1) On the toolbar, click [image].

2) Click at the desired center point and hold the left mouse button down.

3) Drag the pointer to outline the circle.

4) Release the mouse button. The circle appears.

 Ellipse

Drawing an ellipse:

1) On the toolbar, click [image].

2) Click at the desired start point and hold the left mouse button down.

3) Drag the pointer to outline the ellipse.

 Polygon

Drawing a polygon:

1) On the toolbar, click [image].

2) Click at the desired start point.

3) Drag the mouse to outline the first side of the polygon. Click at the desired end point of the first segment.

4) Drag the mouse to outline the second side of the polygon and click at the desired end point of second segment.

5) Repeat step 4 for each side of the polygon you want to draw.

6) When you have completed all sides of the polygon, double click. The end point of the last segment automatically connects to the start point of the first segment to close the polygon.

 Line

Drawing a line:

1) On the toolbar, click [image].

2) Click at the desired start point and hold the left mouse button down.

3) Drag the pointer across the page to the desired end point of the line.

4) Release the mouse button. The line appears.

 Freehand line

Drawing a freehand line:

1) On the toolbar, click [image].

2) Click at the desired start point and hold the left mouse button down.

3) Drag the pointer to draw the shape.

4) Release the mouse button. The freehand line or shape appears.


Keyboard

TAB	Activate another object in the document window and scroll it if the object is invisible.
Ctrl+Alt+Arrows	Move the active object on the document.
Ctrl + Left Mouse Button	Copy the active object in the document.
Del	Delete the active object.


Base point
 Base point tool

Initially your form is printed on a sheet of paper. Before scanning the form, you select some area on it to scan in the TWAIN driver. This area can contain any part of the real paper form. The program does not know a real position of the scanned image relative to the real paper form and assumes that the upper-left corner of the image is the upper-left corner of the paper form. If it is not so, position of the scanned image will be wrong on the page and you will have to use Output offset to print the text and graphic objects you added in their right positions on the paper form.

To avoid this problem, you can:

1) Scan the image precisely along the top and left edges of the paper form. You must do it in your TWAIN driver.

2) Scan the image including the top and left edges of the paper form and point the upper-left corner of the form on the image (Base point). You can do it using the Base point tool.

Before using the Base point tool, rotate your image if it looks inclined using the Rotation tool.

To use the Base point tool:

1) Scan your form in the TWAIN driver so as the scanned image contains the top and left edges of the paper, e.g.:

2) Click [image] on the toolbar.

3) Find the upper-left corner of your paper form on the image and position the mouse cursor in the shape of an aim on the most upper-left pixel owned by the form:

4) Click the left mouse button. Now you set the upper-left corner of the form. The program will position the image on the page relative to the base point.

5) If you set the base point in a wrong position, you can cancel it:

a) Click the arrow button [image] next to [image].

b) Select the Reset base point command in the drop-down menu.

6) After you have pointed the upper-left corner of the form, you can remove the black fields to the left and top of the base point from the image using the Image | Trim command.


Rotation tool

If your scanned form looks inclined

you can rotate it using the Rotation tool. This tool allows you to rotate your image to any angle in the range of ±90º. Rotating the image should be your first step after scanning.

To use the Rotation tool:

1) Click [image] on the toolbar.

2) Find a line on the image that must be horizontal or vertical but looks inclined (for instance, it can be an edge of the paper).

3) Mark two reference points on the line: just click the left mouse button. The reference point looks like a cross enclosed in a circle: .

4) To move the reference point, position the cursor inside of it, press the left mouse button and drag it. After moving, release the mouse button.

5) To rotate the image, click the Do transformation button [image].

6) If the image is not enough rotated, you can undo the rotation using the Undo image transformation command [image] and repeat steps 2)-4).


 Crop tool

Cropping eliminates areas of an image. If the image contains unwanted areas, you can remove them having cropped. If you rotated the image, cropping it is necessary to remove black edges, which appear after rotating it. Cropping the image should be your third step after Rotation and Base point.

To use the Crop tool:

1) Click [image] on the toolbar.

2) Place the cursor over the image at a corner of the area you want to keep.

3) Press the left mouse button and drag. A rectangle appears. The area inside the rectangle will be saved; the area outside the rectangle will be cropped.

4) When the rectangle encloses the area you want to keep, release the mouse button.

5) To change the area the rectangle encloses, click one of the rectangle’s sides and drag to move it.

6) To crop the image, click the Do transformation button [image].

7) To cancel cropping the image, click the Undo image transformation button [image].


Print options

Before printing the active document, the Print option dialog comes up.

Print

All except image: when selected, the objects are printed only without printing the main image.

All: when selected, the whole document with the objects and main image is printed.

Image only: when selected, the main image is printed only without printing the text and graphic objects.

Output offset

Left: offset of the objects from the left in the current units set in Options (inches or mm);

Top: offset of the objects from the top in the current units set in Options (inches or mm).

Output offset is unique for each document.

The Output offset is available only if you print All except image.

If the objects you printed are displaced on the paper, one can advise the following:

1) use the Base point tool;

2) print a draft of your document, measure the offset of the objects and set Output offset to this value.


What should I do if...

After scanning a form I get a message that the image has no resolution?

Please be sure that the resolution in your scanner driver is not zero or enter the image resolution manually in the opened dialog.

After opening an image file I get a message that the image has no resolution?

Please be sure that you did not save the image in the Bitmap OS2 format or enter the image resolution manually in the opened dialog.

When trying to open an existing From Pilot document I get an error message that the program can’t open the document?

Please make sure that your Form Pilot document (.fdc) and form image it uses are in the same folder.

The text printed on the paper is not in the right places as you see it on the screen.

To solve this problem, you may:

1) Use the Base point tool.

2) When you click [image], the Print options dialog comes up. This dialog allows you to specify the output offset. This offset can be both positive and negative. Use this offset to get your text and other objects to be printed in the right place.

My image is not displayed entirely.

1) Make sure that the size of the form you scanned does not exceed the size of the paper currently selected for your printer.

2) You probably set a wrong resolution for your image that is less than the resolution you used while scanning your form.

If you have some other problems with Form Pilot and noting else helps, please contact technical support staff at: form@colorpilot.com


How to…
How to...

How to save the form with the text as an image?

1) Fill out your form in Form Pilot.

2) Select the Image | Convert objects to image menu command. A new window with the image and the text represented as an image appears.

3) Select the File | Save Image As menu command and save the new image in any graphic file format supported in Form Pilot.

How to send the filled-in form by fax?

1) You can represent your text and image as a single image using the Image | Convert objects to image command, save the new image in a graphical file using the File | Save Image As command and send it by fax using your Fax software.

2) Select the File | Printer Setup menu command and set your fax machine as the active device. Then “print” your filled-in form using the File | Print command.


Our developments

Software for color correction

Color Pilot™      $29.95

Color Pilot is designed for making color corrections of images originating from a digital camera or scanner in an easy and quick way. The principle of the program operation is based on using reference colors. The sense of this approach can be expressed by the following: “If you do not like the color, tell to the program what it should be”. We believe this approach is natural and can be adopted by both a professional and a novice in color correction. Color Pilot has the Panorama function, which enables to stitch images. It allows creating panoramic images. More detailed...

Color Pilot Plug-in™      $25.95

Color Pilot Plug-in is designed for making color corrections of images directly within Adobe Photoshop, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, Corel PHOTO-PAINT or Paint Shop Pro in an easy and quick way. The plug-in uses the Technology of color correction with a reference color™. The plug-in is easily mastered, and includes built-in color correction examples. More detailed...

Unregistered versions of Color Pilot™ and Color Pilot Plug-in™ can be successfully used for preparing images toward publishing them in Internet.

Software for document preparation

Form Pilot™      $29.99

Specially designed for filling out paper forms (of any type) on your computer. It makes typewriters obsolete! Our cartoon character will lead you through Form Pilot step by step, as Form Pilot works for you. You will love its convenience!

Fax Pilot™      $27.95

Specially designed for filling out faxes (of any type) on your computer. It allows you to spare a lot of paper rolls. You just open your fax in Fax Pilot, fill it out the easiest and natural way and send it from your computer! You will love simplicity and convenience of Fax Pilot!

We also can develop software for you using our technologies and experience: invent@colorpilot.com

You can find the latest news on our developments on our web-site: http://www.colorpilot.com/

Please send your comments, suggestions and bug reports to invent@colorpilot.com


What is Color Pilot™

Color Pilot is specifically designed for the easy and quick enhancement of digital camera or scanned photo images. An image can be improved by simply selecting a color to be changed, and then selecting a reference color (from the same or a different image) to correct it. Reference color choice palettes can be saved for easy retrieval and later use, also allowing for color matching of multiple image sets. The Panorama function allows you to glue your images containing, e.g., various parts of some landscape. The software is easily mastered, and includes built-in color correction examples.

Color Pilot functions:

- Reference black, gray, white and “colored” color.

- Collection of reference colors for correction with a reference color.

- Layer color correction.

- Layer filling, transfer, replacement.

- Repeated processing.

- The program can demonstrate itself.

- You can print all loaded images at once on a single sheet of paper.

- Panorama for stitching any number of images.

- Cropping.

- Image rotation.

- Image resize.

- Image resolution.

- Conversion of a 24 bit image to grayscale.


What is Color Pilot Plug-in™

Color Pilot Plug-in is specifically designed for the quick and easy color correction of images directly within Adobe Photoshop, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, Corel PHOTO-PAINT or Paint Shop Pro. The plug-in’s intuitive interface allows color correction using the natural language of color. The user is freed from the complex study of color systems and freed from having to match the characteristics of "color channels". Color Pilot Plug-in can help anyone attain excellent results using a user-created collection of reference colors. Color Pilot Plug-in gives multiple image sets chromatic consistency by processing with a single, user-created color style. The plug-in is easily mastered, and includes built-in color correction examples.

Color Pilot Plug-in functions:

- Reference black, gray, white and “colored” color.

- Collection of reference colors for correction with a reference color.

- Multi-level Undo/Redo function.

- You can store and use your color correction experience.

- The plug-in can show itself.


Use of demo versions
Use of unregistered versions for Internet

A size of images published in Internet does not usually exceed the limitations in the unregistered versions of our programs.

Unregistered versions of Color Pilot™ and Color Pilot Plug-in™ have the image size limitations of 512x512 pixels.


Ordering Information

Form Pilot

You can register your copy of Form Pilot via RegNow registration service using your credit card. The registration fee is $29.99 only. You can register on-line, using fax, toll-free phone or by check. Money orders are also accepted.

On the Internet, go to the order page:

https://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?item=2038-4

If you don't have convenient Web access the next best way to order Form Pilot is by fax (also using the credit card) or phone (toll-free). In addition, you can send us the check. The order form template, fax & phone numbers, and mailing address are in the file order.frm.

Be sure to give us the correct e-mail address when filling the order form; if you’ll make a mistake when typing it, we’ll be unable to send you your registration code.

On payment approval, we'll send you the registration code, which will enable to enter text on the whole image. If you do not receive the registration code within 1-2 business days after paying, please do not hesitate to contact us at form@colorpilot.com!!!


Technical support

If you have a problem with Form Pilot and noting else helps, please contact technical support staff at: form@colorpilot.com

Please inform us about the following:

• Form Pilot version (from the About dialog).

• Where did you get Form Pilot (http or ftp site).

• Windows 95/98/NT version (including service packs and other fixes installed), US or international, OEM or not.

• Description of your problem (as much information as possible to retrieve the problem).

We’ll try to help you as fast as possible, usually in one or two business days.

If you have any comments or suggestions for the next releases, please feel free to post them to us.