About Contact Sheet and Print Contact Sheet
Welcome to the Contact Sheet and Print Contact Sheet Plug-ins

The Contact Sheet and Print Contact Sheet plug-ins are command extension plug-ins for ACD digital imaging products.

The Contact Sheet plug-in allows the creation of highly customizable image contact sheets, and HTML image maps.  Print Contact Sheet was specifically designed for the printing of contact sheets.


How to Use This Help File

The following are some tips to assist you with the use of this help file.

The help file dialog

Depressing the Help Topics button opens the Table of Contents on the left side of the help file dialog. This is the default setting when you open this help file, as seen below…

To close the Table of Contents to allow for more topic viewing room, click on the button once.

The help file dialog size can be expanded and reduced as needed.  Simply move your mouse pointer to the frame of the dialog, and when the pointer turns into a [image], click your primary mouse button and drag the frame.

Context sensitive help (what’s this?)

With certain application windows, you have the option of clicking on the [image] button located in the top-right corner of the window.

This will change your mouse to the [What’s this?] [image] cursor.  Place the cursor on the area in question to access a brief explanation of the field.


Contact Sheet main window
Contact Sheet: Main Window

An overview of the Contact Sheet main window:

Tabs

In the top left corner of the window there are four option tabs.  These are as follows:

Page

Thumbnails

Labels

Output

Output path

The [Output path] field can be seen below the option tabs.  This field allows you to specify a path and file name for your contact sheet.  The [Output path] field also has a drop down box.  You can press the drop down arrow to see a list of file names of previous contact sheets you have made.  You can also type in a path and a file name here.

The [Browse...] button next to the [Output path] will open a standard Browse dialog and can be used to browse for a location to store your contact sheet.  After you locate the area to store your contact sheet, press [Save].

Note:	If you choose not to specify an extension, then Contact Sheet will add one for you when you click the OK button.

Preview window

The top right section of the dialog contains the Preview window.  Just below this there is a [Page box] field that specifies the current page being previewed.  You can change which page is being displayed in the preview window (when more than one is available), by using the arrow buttons.


Page options tab
Page Tab – Contact Sheet

The Page tab allows you to set options related to page layout:

Size options:

Page size: These fields allow you to specify the image dimensions in pixels.

Margins: These fields allow you to specify the depth of the page margins in pixels.

Thumbnail size: These slider bars allow you to specify the number of thumbnails in each column and row.

Thumbnail spacing: These fields allow you to specify in pixels how far each thumbnail should be spaced, horizontally and vertically, from the next.

Background options:

Use a solid fill color:  Select this checkbox to fill the background of your contact sheet.  Select a color using the [image] button.

Use a tiled image: Select this checkbox to tile an image across the background of your contact sheet.  Select an image using the [Browse...] button.


Thumbnails options tab
Thumbnails Tab – Contact Sheet and Print Contact Sheet

The Thumbnails tab allows you to set thumbnail specific options:

Thumbnail frame:

Surround the thumbnails in a frame: This option allows each thumbnail to be surrounded by a frame whose color is specified by the [Frame color] button.

Width and Height: These two fields allow you to specify the width and height of the thumbnail frame in pixels.

Solid color: Select this checkbox to use a solid background color for your thumbnail frames.

Tiled image: Select this checkbox to tile an image across the background of each thumbnail frame. Select an image using the [Browse...] button.

Thumbnail transforms:

Colored drop shadow: This option places a drop shadow effect to the right and bottom of each thumbnail using the color specified by the Colored drop shadow [image] button.

Bevel edges: This option places a bevel effect around each thumbnail.

Colored edge fade: This option places an edge fade effect around each thumbnail using the color specified by the Colored edge fade [image] button.

Thumbnail matte options:

Colored matte: This option fills any part of the thumbnail area that isn’t covered by the actual thumbnail using the color specified by the Matte color [image] button.


Labels options tab
Labels Tab – Contact Sheet and Print Contact Sheet

The Labels tab allows you to add labels to your contact sheet:

Page header options:

Use header: This option places a header of your choice at the top of each page of your contact sheet.

Edit header text…: This button allows you to specify what text you would like to use for your header.  For special formatting options please refer to Inserting Page Numbers

Header placement drop down box: You can use this drop down box to justify your header to the right, left or center.

Choose font…: This button allows you to specify the color, size, and typeface of the font used for the header.

Page footer options:

Use footer: This option places a footer of your choice at the bottom of each page of your contact sheet.

Edit footer text…: This button allows you to specify what text you’d like to use for your footer.  For special formatting options please refer to Inserting Page Numbers

Footer placement drop down box: You can use this drop down box to justify your footer to the right, left or center.

Choose font…: This button allows you to specify the color, size, and typeface of the font used for the footer.

Thumbnail caption options:

Use caption: This option places a caption under each thumbnail.

Edit caption text…: This button allows you to specify what text you’d like to use for your thumbnail captions. For special formatting options please refer to: Inserting Image Information into Thumbnail Captions

Horizontal caption placement drop down box: You can use this drop down box to justify each thumbnail caption to the right, left or center.

Vertical caption placement drop down box: You can use this drop down box to place each caption at the top or bottom of the thumbnail it accompanies.

Choose font…: This button allows you to specify the color, size, and typeface of the font used for the each thumbnail caption.


Output options tab
Output Tab – Contact Sheet

The Output tab allows you to specify output options for your contact sheet:

Image map options:

Output an HTML image map: This option lets Contact Sheet know that you’d like an HTML image map created that corresponds to your contact sheet.  Use the Image map path box to specify the path where you’d like the HTML file to be placed after creation.

Path: This field allows you to specify the path where you’d like the HTML image map created.

Browse...: This button allows you to browse for a path to save an HTML image map file.

File format options:

Output format drop down box: You can use this combo box to specify an image format to use when creating your contact sheet.

Settings: If this button is selected, it will save your currently chosen output format.

Settings options:

Save settings: If this option is selected when you create your contact sheet, the currently chosen settings will be used the next time you run the Contact Sheet plug-in.

Reset to defaults: This button resets all settings to their factory defaults.


Print Contact Sheet main window
Print Contact Sheet: Main Window

A main overview of the Print Contact Sheet main window:

Tabs

In the top left corner of the window above there are four option tabs.  These tabs are as follows:

Page

Thumbnails

Labels

Output

Note:	The Page tab and the Output tab are different then the corresponding Contact Sheet tabs.

Printer

The currently selected Printer can be seen below the option tabs.  When you first start the Print Contact Sheet plug-in, it will use your default Windows printer.  You can change the currently selected printer by clicking on the [Settings…] button.  This button allows you to select which printer to use to print your contact sheet as well as to configure various other printer settings.

Preview window

In the top right section is the Preview window.  Just below this there is a [Page box] field that specifies the current page being previewed.  You can change which page is displayed in the preview window (when more than one is available), by using the arrow buttons.  There is also a [Measurement units] field that allows you to specify whether you want all measurements in inches or centimeters.


Page options tab
Page Tab – Print Contact Sheet

The Page tab allows you to set layout specific options:

Margin settings:

Margins: These fields allow you to specify the size of the page margins in inches or centimeters.

Thumbnail settings:

Thumbnail size: These slider bars allow you to specify the number of thumbnails in each column and row.

Thumbnail spacing: These fields allow you to specify how far each thumbnail should be spaced horizontally and vertically, in inches or centimeters.

Background options:

Use a solid fill color: Select this option to fill the background of your contact sheet with the color specified in the [image] button.

Use a tiled image: Select this option to tile an image across the background of your contact sheet. Select an image to use buy clicking on the [Browse…] button


Output options tab
Output Options Tab – Print Contact Sheet

The Output tab allows you to specify output options for your contact sheet:

Save settings: If this option is selected when you click OK to print your contact sheet, the currently chosen settings will be used the next time you run Print Contact Sheet.

Reset to defaults: This button resets all settings to their factory defaults.


Getting started
Invoking the Plug-in

To create contact sheets, select the desired images in the ACDSee Browser:

1.    Select [Plug-ins | Create a contact sheet] or [Plug-ins | Create and print a contact sheet], or click on the appropriate button…	or
2.	A dialog box like the one shown below will be displayed.  Make the necessary configurations.

3.	Be sure to specify the output path of where you would like the contact sheet to be saved (or, for Print Contact Sheet, the destination printer).

4.	Press OK.


Insert page numbers
Inserting Page Numbers

Inserting page numbers at the top or bottom of each page is easy with both Contact Sheet and Print Contact Sheet.

As an example, suppose you want to insert the text: “Picture Set - XXXX” (where XXXX is the page number, at the top of each page).

Simply:

1.	Click on the Labels tab

2.	Check the [Use header] check box

3.	Click on the [Edit header text…] button and enter the text: “Picture Set - %p”

If you wanted text to appear at the bottom of each page, you would follow the same steps but would do everything in the [Page footer options] control box.

You can also choose the font used by clicking on the [Choose font…] button.

You can set the justification of the page or foot header by changing the values in the placement drop down boxes.


Insert image information into thumbnail captions
Inserting Image Information into the Thumbnail Captions

Inserting image information at the top or bottom of each page is easy with both Contact Sheet and Print Contact Sheet.

As an example, suppose you want to insert the text: “Jill’s vacation picture - XXXX” (where XXXX is image information that is listed in the table below).

Simply:

1.	Click on the Labels tab

2.	Check the [Use caption] check box

3.	Click on the [Edit header text…] button and enter the text: “Jill’s vacation picture - %XXXX”

The following escape characters will insert information into a thumbnail caption:

%n	- Thumbnail number

%f	- Filename (without extension)

%e	- Filename (with extension)

%x	- Image horizontal resolution

%y	- Image vertical resolution

%p	- Number of pages in the image

%c	- Number of  colors in the image

Note:	You can add extended data by alternate mouse clicking on an image in ACDSee and selecting [Properties].

Image files that include extended data only support the following escape characters:

%d	- Date of creation of the image

%t	- Time of the image

%q	- Caption (description)

%a	- Author

%o	- Notes

%k	- Keywords


Troubleshooting

The first thing you should do, if you encounter problems with either Contact Sheet or Print Contact Sheet is to use the context sensitive help.  If problems persist, reset all values to their defaults.  To do this simply:

1.	Click on the Output tab.

2.	Click the [Reset to defaults] button.

If the problem is still occurring:

See: Technical Support


Technical Support

For more assistance with the Contact Sheet or Print Contact Sheet plug-ins, please e-mail us at: acdtech@acdsystems.com.

If you do not have e-mail access, you may telephone us at 1 (250) 544-6701.  Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm PST.

For up-to-date information on the Contact Sheet or Print Contact Sheet plug-ins and other products from ACD Systems, please go to http://www.ACDSYSTEMS.com/.


Specifies the contact sheet’s filename.


Browse... for a filename.


Create the contact sheet.


Print the contact sheet.


Close the dialog box without doing anything.


Use this combo box to specify the units to use in all measurements.


Preview any page of the contact sheet.


Preview any page of the contact sheet.


Shows a preview of the contact sheet.


Specifies the contact sheet width.


Specifies the contact sheet width.


Specifies the contact sheet height.


Specifies the contact sheet height.


Specifies the left and right margin sizes.


Specifies the left and right margin sizes.


Specifies the top and bottom margin sizes.


Specifies the top and bottom margin sizes.


Specifies the number of thumbnail columns.


Specifies the number of thumbnail rows.


Specifies the number of horizontal spaces between thumbnails.


Specifies the number of horizontal spaces between thumbnails.


Specifies the number of vertical spaces between thumbnails.


Specifies the number of vertical spaces between thumbnails.


Use a solid background color, which can be selected with the choose-color button.


Use a tiled background image.


Select a color for the background.


Browse... for an image to use for the background.


Clicking this button will toggle the measurement units between centimeters and inches.


This box displays the name of the currently selected printer.


Click on this button to change the currently selected printer settings, or change the currently selected printer.


Surround the thumbnails in a frame.


The width of the thumbnail frame.


The width of the thumbnail frame.


The height of the thumbnail frame.


The height of the thumbnail frame.


Color the thumbnail frame with a solid color.


Use a tiled image to color the thumbnail frame.


Choose a solid color to fill the thumbnail frame with.


Browse... for an image to color the thumbnail frame with.


Use a drop shadow effect to give the thumbnails depth.


Choose a color for the drop shadow.


Use a bevel effect on the thumbnails, making them look slightly raised.


Use an edge fade effect on the thumbnails, blending them with the background.


Choose a color for the edge fade.


Use a thumbnail matte, so that if any thumbnail does not fill the specified space completely, the matte will be shown underneath.


Choose a color for the thumbnail matte.


Use a header for each page of the contact sheet.


Opens a dialog box that will allow you to enter a header for your contact sheet.


Specifies the justification of the header.


Choose the font size, type, and color of the header.


Use a footer for each page of the contact sheet.


Opens a dialog box that will allow you to enter a footer for your contact sheet.


Specifies the justification of the footer.


Choose the font size, type, and color of the footer.


Insert a caption for each thumbnail in the contact sheet.


Opens a dialog box that will allow you to enter thumbnail captions.


The horizontal justification of the thumbnail caption.


The vertical justification of the thumbnail caption.


Choose the font size, type, and color of the thumbnail captions.


Output an HTML image map to the specified directory.


Specifies the path and file name of the HTML image map.


Browse... for an image map filename.


Specifies the output image format of the contact sheet.


Change the settings for a particular output image format.

*Note: Some formats do not have adjustable settings.


Saves the current settings of every dialog box, for the next time the plug-in is run.


Reset all settings to the factory defaults.