Thank you for purchasing quality software from the Microsoft Picture It! line of products. This file contains suggestions for handling common problems and offers late-breaking news that will help you get the most out of the program.
You can print this file by opening it in any Windows word-processing program, and then clicking the Print command on the File menu. To read this file on the screen, scroll up or down using the Page Up and Page Down keys on your keyboard.
This program requires a Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, or Windows XP operating system. This program cannot install or run on Windows 95 or Windows NT.
It is best to shut down other programs, including virus checkers running in the background, before running Setup. Setup installs system files that may be shared with other programs.
Some virus-checking programs will prevent this program from being properly installed. To avoid problems during installation, turn off the virus-checking program. To turn off a virus-checking program, perform one of the following procedures:
If you have Hewlett-Packard OfficeJet devices installed on your system, you might have trouble installing this program. Turning off the OfficeJet software before installing should solve this problem. To turn off the OfficeJet software, on the Microsoft Windows operating system taskbar, right-click the OfficeJet Software icon, and then click Close OfficeJet Software.
This program will not install correctly on Windows 2000 or Windows XP when you are logged on as a user without administrative privileges. To ensure correct installation, log on as an administrator before running Setup.
You must have Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later installed on your machine to run this program successfully. Parts of this program also require Outlook Express 6.0. Setup will install Internet Explorer 6.0 and Outlook Express 6.0 if you do not have them on your computer. This installation will not replace your primary browser.
You have two choices when installing this program:
Removing Office 95 or later will remove some shared components that this program requires. If you uninstall Office 95 or later, be sure to remove and then reinstall this program before using it again.
Setup will upgrade Internet Explorer and Outlook Express if you have an older version on your computer. If you wish to have a language of Internet Explorer 6.0 or later that is different than the language of this program, you should upgrade Internet Explorer to version 6.0 or later before you run setup.
If you have an earlier version of a Picture It! product installed on your computer, Setup will allow the two versions coexist. After installing Picture It! 7.0 you will be able to use both the previous and new versions.
The templates in this program have been designed to look best with the small fonts display setting. Using the large fonts display setting may change how text and graphics appear in relation to each other. As a rule, use small fonts for optimal appearance. Or, reformat the text in the templates to look good with large fonts.
If you do not have a default printer selected, you may encounter problems with graphics and layouts. To add a new printer, click the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers. Double-click Add Printers, and then follow the on-screen instructions.
This program requires you to set your display to at least 256 colors to run. A resolution of at least 800 x 600 is recommended. If your video driver supports it, 16-bit or 24-bit color is recommended for optimal on-screen display of the color templates and other content. Refer to your Windows documentation for instructions on setting your display to a higher color mode.
If you are having display problems, try the following:
If you chose a Typical install: To access the designs and other content for your projects, you must keep a CD from this program in the CD-ROM drive while running the program. The program will tell you if you need to switch this program's CDs to locate different content.
If you encounter a CD problem, first make sure that the CD-ROM drive is working. Insert a different CD that you have used before in the drive and make sure that it works. If other CDs also do not work in your CD-ROM drive, try the following:
If your CD-ROM drive works, try the following:
If you get a "Missing File" error message after you start this program, or if you get an error message that says, "The application could not be initialized. The session has been terminated," you will need to reinstall this program.
This program may quit unexpectedly when used with the Microsoft Camcorder program included with Office 97.
Printers differ in their ability to print fonts, colors, graphics, and various text attributes, such as spacing, alignment, and character formats. Therefore, the appearance of your printed project may vary from printer to printer. If you encounter problems while printing from this program, such as no printout, low print quality, or missing text, there are several ways to troubleshoot the problem. Refer to the printer guide for information. For example, if you check the printer and the printer displays a message or an error indicator, the printer guide may provide information on how to correct the problem.
If a printer is installed while the program is running, printouts may be blank. It is recommended that you close the program before adding a new printer. (Make sure to save your work before closing the program.) After you add the printer, restart the program and then print.
When a printer does not print at all, the cause is often mechanical:
All printers have special software, called drivers, that translate the information between your computer and your printer. For best results, make sure that you have the most current drivers for your printer. Also be sure that the printer drivers are designed specifically for your operating system. The most current printer drivers can usually be downloaded from the printer manufacturer's Web site.
Some printer drivers have difficulty printing some graphics. An updated printer driver often corrects the problem. Contact the printer manufacturer to obtain the latest printer drivers for your printer.
Canon printers may "clip" graphics (only printing part of the graphic). If you are using a Canon printer, using the latest printer driver may help correct the problem.
If you have a problem with graphics getting clipped (only printing partially), or if the spooler crashes when you try to print, try changing the settings of your printer by doing the following (does not apply to Windows XP):
This change reduces the chance of a spooler crash. If you encounter this crash even after making these changes, turn off your computer, and then start the computer again. Doing this should further reduce the chance of a spooler crash.
Some printers print light-colored text, lines, and shapes as white, thus causing the objects to "disappear." If this happens, try using a darker color in your project, and then print again.
Some printers may be set to print at a quality, or mode, that is not well suited for photographs. To adjust the print quality:
A better setting to use is Photo, or Graphic if Photo is not offered.
The Canon BJC 6000 defaults to Text mode. It is recommended that you change this to Photo or SuperPhoto before printing.
You may experience problems printing transparent GIF images on HP DeskJet 600 and 900 series printers. The problems may include dark horizontal streaks in the graphic, unusual patterns, and sections of the image printing blank. To remedy this problem, update to the latest printer driver for your printer. The supported driver versions are:
For all image types from this program to print properly, HP DeskJet 600 Series printers require updated drivers. The drivers can be downloaded from the printer manufacturer's Web site.
If you have trouble running the printer characterization test, then you may need an updated printer driver. Go to the HP website and download an updated driver for this printer.
This problem occurs specifically with the version 7.0 printer driver. If you are using an HP DeskJet 660C printer, you must have the latest printer driver from Hewlett Packard to correctly print projects containing rotated text.
HP Photosmart 100 printer may produce lines in printed images
If images printed from your HP Photosmart 100 printer contain lines or bands, you may need to download a patch. To download the patch, visit the HP Web site at http://www.hp.com/cposupport/pc_photography/support_doc/bpy20784.html.
This program paints any borders in your project after painting the background, leaving a one-pixel gap between the interior edge of the border and the outer edge of the background. With most projects, this gap is not noticeable. If this gap is noticeable, you can reduce the visual effect of the gap by selecting backgrounds and borders that are similar in color.
Some older dot matrix printers with non-square pixels (for example, Epson FX-80 and Panasonic KX-P2180) will cause printing and display problems with rotated text and graphics. Text may be clipped by the frame edges. Pictures may be clipped or significantly reduced in size. If you can change your printer's resolution to a square pixel resolution, this should fix the printing and display problems.
In some cases, a printer is able to print a normal image but not a flipped image for a T-shirt transfer. To correct the problem, make sure that you have the most current drivers for your printer and that the printer drivers are designed specifically for your operating system. The most current printer drivers can usually be downloaded from the printer manufacturer's Web site.
Some image formats (for example, .jpeg, .gif, .bmp, and .pcx) may not print properly on Epson Stylus Color ESC/P2 printers, especially if they are rotated or flipped. If this happens, try converting the images to another format, such as .wmf, and then reinserting them in your project.
If you are printing white text on an object with a black background to a PCL printer in Vector Graphics mode, the text may not appear in your printout. If this problem occurs, try switching to Raster Graphics mode in your printer's Properties dialog box, or change your background or text to a different color.
If you are using a Lexmark 5700 or 7000 printer, and you are using printer driver 1.0.1.3, you may get discoloring around text boxes in some projects. To resolve this problem, download the latest drivers for your printer from the Lexmark Web site (http://www.lexmark.com).
When printing multiple pictures with the template for Kodak paper size EK-PH-007, some printer models will not format the pictures properly on the page. If you are not satisfied with the printing results with this template and your printer, try another paper size and template.
This program demonstrates how to print on both sides of the paper, even if your printer does not support duplex printing. The instructions for double-sided printing vary depending on the project type and type of printer. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully each time you print a double-sided project.
The animation showing the process of printing on both sides of the paper displays a graphic at the top of the diagram. This represents the front page of your project. Always follow the animation to get the optimal printed results.
You may have to run a print test if this program is not familiar with your printer. Once you have followed all of the instructions, this program will know which set of double-sided printing instructions to show you.
Before you print labels using a laser printer, be sure to check that the labels are designed for laser printers. Using non-laser printable labels in a laser printer may cause damage to the printer. Please read your laser printer's documentation on label printing carefully. Be certain that you do not feed the same sheet of label paper into a laser printer more than once, or you may void your printer's warranty.
Printers using HP PCL language will print graphics better if you set the printer to Raster Graphics mode. To set the Raster Graphics mode, on the Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers. Right-click the printer icon, and then select Properties. Look through the dialog box to get to the tab for setting Raster Graphics mode.
WIA-compliant scanners can have compatibility issues with TWAIN drivers and Windows Millennium Edition (Me). If your scanner is WIA compliant, be sure to scan using WIA drivers and not TWAIN drivers. You can tell that both WIA and TWAIN scanner drivers have been installed on your computer if you see that the scanner is listed twice in the scanner list box of the Scan task. If you experience difficulty scanning, try selecting the other listing of the scanner from the list box.
In some cases, this program will not be able to distinguish between camera software and scanner software installed on your computer. If you are no longer using the camera or scanner, you can uninstall the software associated with that device.
The Epson PhotoPC 800 camera does not support the Automatic Download feature. To transfer pictures from an Epson PhotoPC 800 to your computer, use the software provided with the camera. Once the pictures are saved on your computer, you can open the pictures with this program.
The Epson Perfection 636 scanner may not work correctly with the scanner driver installed with Windows. If you have trouble scanning pictures from this scanner, remove the scanner's software from your computer, and then install the scanner software that came with the scanner. Refer to the scanner's user guide for information.
The scanner software included with the HP Photo Scanner 1000 is not compatible with this program. To scan an image for use in Picture It!, insert a photo into the scanner, close the lid, and then click the button on the side of the scanner. Then, use the Picture It! photo browser (File | Open) to access the image in the "removable drive" created by the HP Photo Scanner.
The Kodak DC240 Zoom camera does not support the Automatic Download feature. To transfer pictures from a Kodak DC240 Zoom camera to your computer, use the software provided with the camera. Once the pictures are saved on your computer, you can open the pictures with this program.
If you are having trouble opening pictures from this camera, you may need to update your firmware. In order to open pictures in this program you need Kodak PTP-enabled 4800 firmware. Contact the manufacturer for firmware information.
If your computer is running Windows Me, it will not support a Microtek ScanMaker X6 scanner connected by a parallel (EPP) port. Check the scanner manufacturer's Web site to see if updated drivers are available that will make this scanner compatible with Windows Me.
The Casio QV-7000SX camera is compatible with this program, but may need updated drivers. If you have trouble downloading pictures from this camera, contact the manufacturer for updated TWAIN drivers.
The Visioneer OneTouch 5300 USB scanner has some compatibility issues with computers running Windows Me. If you are using the scanner software, it is necessary to click the Preview button each time before clicking the Scan button. The scanner manufacturer may offer updated drivers that may eliminate the need to always preview before scanning. For updated drivers, check the scanner manufacturer's Web site.
If you intend to save your project to a floppy disk, make sure that there is sufficient space available on it.
Once you have saved your project onto a floppy disk, do not remove the floppy disk from the disk drive until after you have quit this program, opened a different project, or saved the project onto your hard disk.
You may be experiencing network connectivity problems. If you experience such problems, continue trying to connect. If you are able to connect to other sites, try connecting to MSN Photos again at a later time.
If you encounter problems connecting to the Picture It! Web site using a modem, try using the Modem Troubleshooter in Windows online Help. It provides step-by-step instructions about how to solve modem problems.
If you have installed AOL 4.0 Client that was included with Windows 98, you may encounter problems running it after you install this program. For details about how to handle this issue, visit the AOL Web site or contact AOL technical support.
If you created your Geocities account before June 25, 1999, you may not be able to log on to Geocities from this program. You must first go to the Geocities Web site and update your logon information.
Note that Geocities and TalkCity now require a paid membership to use FTP posting. Picture It! uses FTP posting to publish pictures to a Web site. If you want to publish pictures to Geocities or TalkCity, you will need to upgrade to a paid membership.
This program can co-exist with older versions of Picture It! products. However, once you have opened an older project in this new version of Picture It!, you will not be able to open it again in the older product.
You cannot open projects from Greetings Workshop Deluxe 2.0 in this program.
If you created an MHP file in any version of Picture It! Publishing, you will not be able to open this file in this program.
If you have Picture It! Express installed, you will not be able to open MIX files, even those created in older versions of Picture It! products.
The Microsoft Product Support Services team has provided additional information and tools to help you resolve problems that you might encounter with this program. From the Help Menu, select About Microsoft, and then, choose Technical Support.
You can also find support information in the PIP folder on the setup CD. Open the support.txt file.
Additional information can be found on the Microsoft Support Web site (http://support.microsoft.com/support/search).
© Copyright 2002 Microsoft Corporation