Suetonius

Hi Again, MikeTO First of all, my apologies for taking so long to get back to you. I was off on a few days holiday and ended up so relaxed, I forgot to get back to you. Sorry! Yes, you were quite right. I deleted all my macOS print presets and all was well. I then saved a single preset and the ordure hit the fan again. So onto suggestion 2, where I made an odd discovery. When I went to delete the driver for my HP Laserjet, I discovered multiple copies of the driver listed - three to be precise. How that has happened, I have no idea. I deleted two of them and made the remaining one the default printer, went back to Publisher and it now works - even with a saved copy of the preset. Well done! All is not quite hunky dory, since the saved profile does not retain everything (for example, I work in A4 so have to scale an A5 booklet to 70%. That scaling is not retained, but has to be reset), but hey! It's a darn site better than it was. Thanks for your help. 👍

Hi. MikeTO. Thanks for your reply and suggestion. I shall give it a crack and get back to you, although it may be a couple of days. The idea of deleting the print presets doesn't surprise me. The whole print dialogue is a walking disaster area. If you select a print preset, it doesn't update the dialogue settings. as one might reasonably expect, so at first I used to laboriously re-input them, before I realised what was going (or, again, not going) on. And yet another <Grr> moment ... I often work in A4 size, then want to reduce the scale to 71% to output an A5 booklet. When you change the scaling, it turns out the focus has been shifted to the scale window and the %@$£ thing starts to print if you hit return ... something that I frequently end up doing, even though I know what happens!! I have spoken extremely severely to my 'Return' finger, but it still keeps doing it. As all as being a doubtful software action, it's extremely frustrating. Anyway, one problem at a time.

Publisher 2.6.0. Mac Studio M1. MacOS. 15.3.1 I have been aware of this one for a little while. If I print (in this case, a booklet) all goes well and I get my printed output. If I then go back to print a second copy(ies), when I click Print on the main menu, absolutely nothing happens. No dialogue box, absolutely nothing. Nada. The only way I can get another print going is to close up Publisher, then quit. (if you don't quit, the same thing will happen - or rather, not happen) On opening up again, ir behaves as it should. Has anyone else come across this?

Hah! I'm concluding this post, just in case there's someone else out there saying, "hey! I've got the same problem" and stumbles across this missive. All I can do is say that after a very long time, it seems to be fixed, and fixed quite accidentally. I decided I might try another printer to see if it had the same problem, only didn't get that far. My default printer showed up on the print dialogue box, as it always has and would expect, but when I clicked on it, the system asked if I wanted to allow Publisher to look for it on the network (it is a networked printer). Once it completed the search, all is now sweetness and light. The preset lists now seem to work properly and doesn't drop data as in the past. While I'm quite delighted, the question remains, why on earth didn't Affinity give me a clue as to what was (wasn't) happening? Why did it just let me carry on without objecting? Should it be considered a bug?

Yeah, that's my intention, but I thought I'd see what others thought first. I do feel it's such a huge bug (if that's what it is) to have got this far without comment. I've had this problem since v1, so I guess I'm really amiss in not bringing it up before this. So I shall go ahead if no-one points out I'm being a clot and this is the way you do it. 😜

Hi Joe_l Thanks for that. What versions were you using? I notice you're using a windows version - mine is Mac OS. Does it save preset lists properly? Can you use them reliably? Mine (sad to say) are completely unreliable and for the most part, simply garbage. 🥲

Can someone tell me what Print Presets in the Print Dialogue box presets? It certainly doesn't preset anything to do with printing, that's for sure. When printing labels, in my simple minded way, I expect the presets to do just that. Take all the details of the labels sheet (gaps, margins, no on the sheet, etc. etc.) and save them as a preset. It doesn't and never has in this or any previous version. Is my expectation too high? Even using the same data in two subsequent prints, it's in the lap of the gods what I get. Same with if I save the presets and try to use them later, it's usually rubbish that often comes out. I really am fed up having to re-enter the same data time and time again. Even if it were Beta software, it would be considered terrible. Is it me? Is it my printer (Colour Laserjet Pro M254)? Or ... Sorry. Should've added. Mac Studio, Sequoia, Latest Affinity versions (including Beta)

... I last raised the topic (not for the first time) of being able to insert dimensions on Designer. Perhaps one of you Gods on high might explain, when 90% of the code seems to be there (vide: the measurement icon), one can't yet label Designer objects with their size? Genuinely, I am open to reasonable excuses. I rather thought that Designer was supposed to be engineering orientated (sort of) software? Failing a sensible answer, can anyone help with a workaround if it's going to be another year before I raise this again.

With Publisher, as a matter of course, I tend to work in A4 format. (Why? Because I do!) I also am frequently called print a variable no of copies of A5 booklets. So, my Opus Magna is ready and I turn to the Print form. First of all I type in the no of copies and hit return. Arrgh! It's sent the *!%@ thing off to the printer and I haven't set the scaling. Cancel! Cancel! Cancel! Right, back to the form. I'll not get caught again, so I'll set the scaling first this time. Hit return. Arrgh! It's sent the *!%@ thing off to the printer again and I haven't set the no of copies this time. I have lost count of the no of times I've done this. Setting any other parameter doesn't generate an automatic print instruction, why should this? And before you reply, well, don't press return, may I remind you of the old adage, "When you're up to your a**e in alligators, it's difficult to remember you came to drain the swamp". Why should I have to remember not to use return on this occasion? It's a d***'d annoying inconsistency. Anyone agree?

Quite agree about the further idea, but the frustrating thing is that the 'Dimensioning Tool' or whatever you like to call it, is nearly there. It's like an unfinished job. Ah well. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

H'mm. Me too! Looking at it since February 23, eh? Let's face it ... it is a bit of an obvious omission given that the measurement tool actually displays (if only momentarily) what's needed. I hate to highlight the elephant, but, I have, after all, drawn the darn object. I know it's 400mm (or whatever) and I certainly wouldn't use the measurement tool for drawing accuracy. What I want is the ability to tell someone looking at the plan that it's 400mm so they don't have to get their scale out. So, really, I guess the real question is what's the point of the measurement facility? Yours in extreme puzzlement.

Ooh dear! One of these days. In spite of checking and re-checking, when I posted my original question, I had simply mistyped the top margin figure (3mm instead of 13 mm), but, in classical fashion, read what I wanted to see. Sorry chaps - my abject apologies all round. I shall now go to a darkened room. 🙄

With Publisher v.1 I printed successfully labels as required onto A4 sheets on a PC.. Simple enough, I created a "page" the size of a single label, created a coloured bar from edge to edge and vertically centered, with overlayed white text. When it came to printing, I selected N-up and filled in the spacing details for the labels. Since the page size was the same as the label, I also selected 100% scaling. I then printed off the desired labels without any bother. After a time, I needed to print more labels, but now, the print completely ignores the vertical spacing of the bar (along with the space above it) and prints the top of the coloured bar hard against the top of the label. Now we come to the tricky part. Since last printing these labels, I have migrated to v.2 AND converted to a Mac Studio M1 running Ventura. I am running round in circles. Any ideas?

Like the rest, Bit Defender blocked my .exe install. Downloaded straight from Serif. Digital signitures were present. Simpy disabled Bitdefender and they all installed without a problem. Re-enabled Bitdefender and all is now sweetness and light. I hope Serif wil contact Bitdefender over this false positive.

Scale drawings. Absolutely great. Just what I needed. However .... When drawing, there is the measurement button. Click between two points an it gives you the measurement. Except ... 99 times out of 100, I drew it. I already know the measurement. What I need is the measurement not to just disappear, but to allow me to make it part of the drawing, so other people, on a printed diagram, will know what the measruement is, rather than get a ruler out. Otherwise I have to choose a line with arrowheads, carefully draw it in, then add the appropriate length caption. How frustrating is that ... or have I missed something?

Thanks for the information, all ... much appreciated. I'm afraid I was originally of the opinion that a plug-in was a plug-in and should work. Since then, I've done a bit of digging and realise my thoughts were naïve in the extreme. In fact there are three files involved with my problem - an 8bf (the 'standard' filter plug-in ... but with 'Automation' in the title), an 8li Automation file and an 8be Export file, so I can now understand the problem. I well appreciate that the Affinity suite of programs is still coming up to speed as far as matching the likes of PS and I think they are doing a pretty darn good job. I hope that, in the fulness of time and devlopment, these problems might be addressed and overcome, but, in the meantime, I shall be using PZ in its stand alone mode ... a small inconvenience. Thanks again for all your help and thoughts.

Yup. Already dropped them a line, but no reply so far ... although it only was this am. 😁

H'mm! Have to say, thought that might be the answer. PZ advertises its plugins as being compatible with 'most' programs that use PS plugins, but I really don't see that. Thanks for your input, anyway.

Ooops! Sorry. Further to my question, I should have said I'm using Windows 10 (and likely to do so for some time )

Good morning All When using Photoshop, I used PhotoZoom Pro as a plugin; worked very well. It was unusual in that, instead of behaving like other plugins, it used to appear as a menu item under File>Automate. When I tried to get A. Photo interested in it, it completely ignored it, even though I placed it in the default plugin folder. Didn't list it at all, even as "Unknown". I can use it as a stand-alone program, but it's a lot more convenient as a plug-in. Does anyone have any ideas?

Just to say thanks to Walt. I (in my naivity) thought that setting spelling checker to UK English in Preferences would mean the spell checker would spell check in UK English, but the darned thing kept on presenting me with Americanisms. Sure enought, when I looked at the text style set (placed from Word), there was US English. When I changed that, all was sweetness and light (well, sort of). Thanks again for saving my sanity 🤪

Hi Joachim The problem is (or at least My problem is) that the darned thing seems so intermittent. It's a technique that, once discovered, I use frequently. It happens with any document, not just one. The only thing I didn't mention, and I can't see why it should make any difference, is that the text is usually imported via cut and paste from other media ... usually Word. The one thing is that the larger the number of lines selected, the more likely the crash becomes. I still use it, but have got into the habit of saving just before I do.

Ah! You spotted my deliberate mistake. You must've read it before I amemnded it later. I actually meant to say the </Ctl> key. and NOT </Ctl>C Sorry for the confusion. Truth be told, I didn't realise you could do that either until I discovered you could in Word and tried it on Publisher ... and Sapristi! It worked. Well, sort of. 😉

I've been aware of this one for sometime, through quite a few versions. Me culpa for not reporting it earlier. Unfortunately, it's intermittent, but, even so, appears recently to have got worse. If I am reproducing, say, lines of poetry, it is easier to read if you indent each alternate line. Having pasted in the block of verses, I then go back and highlight alternate lines, swiping the text holding down the </ctl> key. That allows me to indent the selected lines - or not. Sometimes it worked fine ... but always if you kept down the no of selected lines to about five or six. Even then, quite frequently and without any warning, Publisher utterly collapses and I am left facing the desktop. There are no error messages. No fond farewells. Nothing. Any one else notice this? Publisher Version: 1.9.2.1035 Windows 10: 20H2 Build: 19042.1083

Further to my remarks about flood fill, I hesitate to crticise the people at Serif who do such a good job ... but I will !! 😉 Under certain circumstances it can be alnmost unusable, unless you have a huge amount of time and patience. As I said prviously, on one accasion, it took over 7 minutes to complete ... and that was wrong because I'd selected the wrong layer (but there's not much you can do about that) 😁 I generated a pixel layer, with an irregular shape bounded by various objects on multiple layers, then tried to flood fill it subject to surrounding objects. I have discovered that the higher up the 'heap' of layers you put the pixel layer to be coloured, the faster it seems to work. Put it near the bottom of, say, hundreds of layers, you can go off for a coffee and be wiping your lips before it finishes. I have also found that the 'Flood Fill' notification dialogue does not always appear, and never does when I select the wrong layer. The whole screen simply grays out when I try to cancel, indicating the software is up to something which does not allow interruption. PS. The first line was a jest. Designer (as with the others) is shaping up to be a great program. Thanks.