Copyright: Copyright ©1999 RyTech Software


Contents


Overview

EB-Card Maker is a very simple, yet very powerful way to get your business card into prospective clients hands.  The exchanging of business cards has been around for quite some time, but until now, exchanging business information electronically has been rather lifeless.  Although many email programs do have options for attaching business information, they lack in their professionalism and ability to relay the true style of your business.  We know you have put the effort forth to make sure your business card gives an accurate representation of your company, and the pride you take in giving your card to prospective clients or other business people.  Now, with EB-Card Maker, you can attach that same business card to emails, post it on your web page for visitors to save, etc.  On top of showing off your business card, you allow those who receive your business card to quickly use hyperlinks attached to your EB-Card to send you an email, or visit your web site.  These recipients will be able to save your business card to their hard drive and view it whenever they wish.

How does this work?  It's simple.  You use the EB-Card Maker to create your EB-Card.  You can use a scanned image of your business card, or graphically design one from scratch using another software program.  You then import this image into your EB-Card Maker (as either a JPEG or PNG file), and supply your information in a text format also.  By doing so, you can include things which normally don't appear on a business card, such as your email address, company website URL, and even a special section for general notes for the recipietnt that can be used to explain a little bit about your business.

Once this is done, save the Electronic Business Card (.EBC file) to your hard drive and attach it to your emails.

How do people view the Electronic Business Cards?

As with most things on the web, they have to download the latest EB-Card Viewer (which is fairly compact).  This viewer is absolutely FREE.  People shouldn't have to pay view business cards.  I doubt if you have ever heard of giving somebody your business card, then asking them for $.20 to cover the cost of it.  For this reason, we feel it is to both your benefit, as well as ours, to offer the viewer at no charge.  All you have to do is be sure your recipients know where they can download it from (www.rytechsoftware.com).  Once the viewer is installed, the user can view any EB-Card they receive.

About the Free Viewer

With the viewer, recipients of EB-Cards are able to view all the information on the EB-Card, as well as use the efficient hyperlinks to send you and email or visit the website.  Upon installation, the .ebc file extension is registered as an Electronic Business Card file, and the viewer will be launched automatically if one of these files is double-clicked on or opened from within an email or your Windows Explorer.  In this way, recipients of your EB-Card can quickly get to your information.  As an example, from your start menu, choose the Sample.ebc file installed with this software. You will see the sample pop up into the viewer the same way the user would if they double-clicked it from inside their email.

If you are using the unregistered version of the software, you must not distribute your business cards.  If you do, the viewer will display a message indicating that the card was created with unlicensed software.  This is an evaluation version to be used for trial and testing purposes only.

Remember, to effectively use EB-Cards, you must tell the recipients where they can download the free viewer:  www.rytechsoftware.com


Create a New EB-Card

Use this command to create a new Electronic Business Card.  Any information currently entered into the EB-Card form will be cleared to allow for new information to be entered.


Open an Existing EB-Card

This command will open an existing EB-Card.  All the data for the EB-Card will be entered into the EB-Card forms.  You can then make and save changes to the EB-Card.


Save the Current EB-Card

This command will allow you to save changes made to the current EB-Card.  The first time a new EB-Card is saved, you will be prompted to select a name and location of the EB-Card.  EB-Cards should always be saved with the default .ebc file extension.


Save the Current EB-Card As...

This command allows you to save the current EB-Card information as a different filename.  This option may be desired if you are setting up multiple business cards with similar information, or if you simply desire to save a backup copy of your EB-Card to another location.


Import Graphic

This command allows you to import the graphical representation of your Electronic Business Card.  This can be any JPEG or PNG image which you have previously saved to disk.  Many users choose to import an electronically scanned image of their actual business card.  Although this is its intended use, you can import any graphic, such as your picture, or a merely a company logo.

Important: While EB-Card Maker does not place strict requirements of file size, dimensions, or colors, it is highly recommended that your graphic does not exceed 35KB.  The reason for this is simple...you don't want to burden those you send your card to with a lengthy email download.  The suggested size for a graphic is 10-15K.  If you import a graphic over 35K, you will see a warning message popup to notify you your image is considerably large.  In the end, it is up to you to monitor the size of your image.  Also, it is recommended to use a maximum 256 colors for your images, as there is no guarantee your recipients will have a high-color display setting.  This also gives more bang for the size of the image.


About EB-Card Maker

This command displays current version information as well as provides a link to the Rytech Software WEB site, where you should frequently check for any EB-Card Maker/Viewer file updates.


Registereing EB-Card Maker
Registering EB-Card Maker

Registration Information

Registration fee of $17.95 US per user.

Product #3577

You asked for it, you got it. Registration has never been easier or more convenient for you. For your convenience we have contracted another company, NorthStar Solutions, to process any orders you may wish to place with your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover card.  Please be sure to mention you would like to order Product # 3577 when placing your order:  North Star Solutions will then provide you with the registration code needed to access the registered version of the software. Please write this code down and save it in the event you change machines, etc. You must enter this code exactly into the box which pops up with the "Register EB-Card Maker" command. Please do not contact North Star with any support questions.  Support should be submitted ONLY to ebcard@rytechsoftware.com.  Due to the low price of registering this software, under normal curcumstances, we do not mail disks to registered users.  Thank you for registering the product and keeping the shareware concept alive and strong. Also, remember to visit our website (www.rytechsoftware.com) often for all the latest updates and information!

Please provide (or be prepared to provide) the following information:

* The program you are registering - Product #3577.

* Your mailing address.

* Your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover # and its expiration date (if using credit card).

* Your E-Mail address (so NorthStar Solutions can send you an E-Mail confirming your order and/or your registration code,  and so RyTech Software can contact you easily with any important follow-up information, upgrade announcements, etc.).

*** INTERNET ORDERS ***

http://www.rytechsoftware.com

or

http://www.nstarsolutions.com

Just fill out the online order form--fast, easy and secure!

*** PHONED ORDERS ***

Calls are taken 9am-7pm, CST, Monday-Friday

800 699-6395 (U.S. only.)

785 539-3731

Ask for Product #3577

*** FAXED ORDERS ***

Available 24 hours.

785 539-3743

*** E-MAILED ORDERS ***

CompuServe: starmail

America Online: starmail

Internet: starmail@nstarsolutions.com


Image Tab

This tab displays the image you have selected to represent your Electronic Business Card.  Under the image on the left side, the Actual Image Size is displayed in pixels.  On the right side is a button with a Red X which will remove the image from the EB-Card.


Register EB-Card Maker Command

This command will pop up a dialog box allowing you to enter the registration code you recieved upon registering the software.  Simply type in the registration code exactly as you received it an press the OK button to accept.  Also in this dialog box are options to register the software over the WEB, or to view the registration information contained in this help file.