The preferences (found under the Edit menu) allow you to control some features of Iconographer. Below is a description of each one of them.

Default zoom level: This setting determines the magnification level at which editors will be opened. You can still change the zoom level for each editor individually, but if you find yourself zoomed in a lot for all of the icons you open, you might want to bump up this setting.

Default icon format: This setting determines the format of newly created icons, as well as the default selection in the open and save dialogs.

Show pixel grid: Enabling this option (it is off by default) shows a thin grid between the magnified pixels. It is useful when you are counting pixels, since the separation makes it much easier to see where pixels (even of the same color) start and end.

Check sync between 8-bit and 1-bit masks: If enabled, this option makes sure that the 8-bit and 1-bit masks match up. If they don't, a kind of "pixel build-up" can occur when an icon is selected.

Dither when copying down to lower depths: This option dithers images when they are copied down to lower bit depths (for example, for 32-bits to 8-bits). Dithering is the use of a pattern to simulate colors.

Anti-alias drawing tools: When enabled, this option uses intermediate values for the drawing of primities (ovals, lines, and polygons) so that visual "jaggies" are removed.

Startup Options: This set of radio buttons allows you to determine what action Iconographer will perform on start-up. By default it creates a new, empty, icon, but it can also be made to automatically select an icon to open, or simply stay open and do nothing.