SigsCreations

So far I've just used publisher for single page flyers and editing PDF files. But now I need to make a trifold brochure from scratch and I seem to be missing some info. I didn't spot any "templates", I don't see how to make a table with only 3 columns (not really what I want anyway). I just need a way to quickly and easily divide my page in 3 even sections. Each section having independent text but having one graphic that will stretch across the top and another that will stretch across the bottom. So the graphic will go from page edge to page edge.

I hadn't thought of locking the template. That is a good idea. I lock things in Designer all the time but just hadn't thought of doing it in publisher.

Yes, I am aware that they are not quite equal, but with a margin on each panel it usually is fine as a guide. I can use the guides to set it up, I just figured that this is such a common thing that there would be a template or an option to set up for tri fold.

ok thanks. I just thought that since trifold brochures are pretty common, Serif would have a built in method. Sig

Since we don't yet have the ability to edit in Designer, I have been exporting the logo part of a pdf as an eps file. Several companies have sent me their logos to use in a new design but instead of sending me the raw vector, they are sending a pdf document that has the logo in it. So far this has worked great. until today. For some reason even though I tried several times to export selected both with and without background as an eps, only half the logo would be in the eps file when reopened in Designer. yes, I downloaded the newest version and retried . Same results I finally tried exporting selection only/without background as an SVG file and that opened perfectly in designer. Not sure what happened. If this is a bug, a glitch or what. But passing on what I saw. Sig

I installed 192 and tried again. Same result. Here is what I got when I did a select/export/eps/selected without background and what it should look like. (screen shots) Is there a way for me to send you the original pdf without putting it anyone can get it? It is after all my clients logo.

I checked and it was in 174. I'll install the new one and try again and let you know. Thanks Sig

I've been working all day on a project when I opened another eps file. I wanted to see if I could grab a part of that design to add to mine in progress. Before I started to alter it, I hit save. For some reason, it did not save but instead crashed and shut down the whole program. I figured I wouldn't lose much and it would recover when it reopened. That is the way almost all of my other graphics programs work. But it didn't offer a recover option. In fact, after it didn't I looked around to see what the save interval was set to. It looks like there is a save set to 300 seconds. So if it is auto saving. Where is my file? Why didn't the program offer to recover it? I got a white text box just before the program shut itself down that said it got an exception error and it would give me something - details? But it didn't do that either. So I don't know what made it crash or if I am going to have to give up on the project I was doing since it would take me too long to recreate it all. Yes, I did save a part way done version but the last bit I did was really fiddly and not sure it is worth my time to redo at this point.

I'm working on a monogram for a client and converted the text to curves so I could change the shapes. This is what I ended up with. But I would really like to combine these into just one object. It's not working. Combine and add fills in the loops. I know I can group these and keep them together that way and is what I will do now because of the deadline. But can anyone show me how to combine separate text converted to curves, into one object without filling in all the centers? This is something I do fairly often, especially when using text for an SVG cutting file. I also do it so I can bring into a raster program and flood fill with a pattern or texture. Makes it a bit easier if it is just one shape.

firstdefense. thanks. I'll try that. Like I say, this is something that I need to do fairly often. Normally I just deal with it but figured that there had to be a way to combine them into one shape. Sig

I can't rasterize without losing quality when resized also for cutting files, it has to be vector only. When they are fonts, some times it works and some times it doesn't. I've never figured out why it only works with some. But this is no longer a font. I converted to curves and then reshaped the letters.

<p> HVDB Photography, Sorry I am using Designer not Photo. I can't seem to get the hang of photo. I can never do what I want so usually give up and use another program. I will ocassionally use the "edit in Photo" from Designer for a quick fix on something but usually the results are so awful I end up saving out parts of my design as PNG files and then edit in another program and bring it all back into Designer and reassemble.</P>

You're right. It doesn't use the word autosave but it says "file recovery interval" and then lets you pick an amount of time. No, it isn't saving my work for me by overwriting my file. But it is periodically saving my work. Microsoft Word calls it autorecover and I guess that is what this is, which is fine. But in Word I tell it where to put those files on my computer and after a crash the very next time I open the program, it automatically asks me if I want to recover my file. AD did not do that. It wasn't until I went to explorer and double clicked on the file name that Designer asked if I wanted to use the recovered version. And yes, I have had work lost over the years when a program crashed, and I do usually save pretty often, but I guess as the programs have gotten more sophisticated and most now have an autosave, I've gotten a little bit lacks on how often I stop and save. So hopefully they will make the program auto ask me when I restart it and not have to click on the file itself before it asks. And an autosave would be nice too.

I think the program could handle this better. And most of my programs with autosave let me tell it where to put the recovery files. Thanks Sig

ok, guess I panicked too soon. I did get the program to recover but not the way I expected or think it should. When I restarted the program, I got NO indication that it had saved a backup copy or how to get to it. It wasn't until I double clicked on it in file explorer that the program popped up a message asking me if I would like to open the recovered version. Seems to me the program should ask that on the next restart after a crash, not only when I try to reopen my original file. I almost didn't even try and was going to let someone else work on the project instead. How long would the program have kept that backup copy? If I restarted the computer would it still have been accessible? Also how come I am not given the ability to tell the program WHERE I would like my recovery files to be stored? Sig

I started a new document and had no issue with the text wrap. I was able to turn it off and it was truly off.

I was trying to save time buy just duplicating the text boxes and then pasting in the new text. The first several, I needed to turn on text wrap around the rectangle I needed in the top corner. All was fine. But then another box, I wanted to put a rectangle under the text and have it extend above it so I could add in a title. No matter how many times I hit no wrap in the box that I used to turn it on, it still shoved the text down. I finally had to make a new text box that had never had the wrap turned on in order to do it.

I'll make another file today and see if it does the same thing. I'll get back to you. Sig

This is the first document I've needed to make that has a lot of small text boxes with titles for these on a colored rectangle. I find I am having a terrible time trying to figure out if I have my design balanced since the outline of the text boxes always shows. I need a "print preview" like in the old MS Word versions, or a way to turn off all guides, grids, and outlines easily. Please let me know if I just missed how to do this.

Dave - thanks that is not intuitive at all. I figured if I turned that off, then I wouldn't see text auto flow into the columns. Not that it would turn off the boundary box

thanks

ok that did it. wish I could use a vector though. Seems nuts to have to turn my vector into a bmp first when I'm in Designer. Feels like I should be able to use all vectors in a vector program. thanks Sig

ok, you have to pull on the tool. That isn't what I want at all, it just put one image in - as big as I pulled. It didn't flood the area with it repeating.

ok, I saved out the tile as a PNG. then took my original that was still open in Designer and did an edit in Photo. Got the BMP to work BUT the PNG was light yellow on a transparent background and when it flood filled the layer, it is solid yellow. We can't use a tile with transparency? that would be a pain because then I would have to go back and select all the color I didn't want and delete it. Which never seems to turn out as well (at least in other programs I've used) Sig

"type" is grayed out for me. Is this because my pattern is a vector? I wanted to do this in Designer, but there doesn't seem to be a flood fill with pattern in Designer. Since I can't seem to find a way to copy a layer or group and then paste as new image in designer either, I opened both the image I wanted to fill and the image with the design (both vectors) and then did a file/edit in photo. but still can't seem to fill an area with a seamless tile. Sig