My Photo Calendars and
Cards User Guide
Creating a customized calendar
Toolbar buttons – (left to right):
Sending your project to print at
DigiLabs
Printing on your local or network
printer
Printing a single-page format calendar
More about images, colors,
resolution, and printing
My Photo Calendars and Cards is the premier software package for creating and printing personalized calendars, greeting cards, postcards, and more.
This short document provides information on how to use the software.
Installation
Windows Users
Double-click the file MyPhotoCalInstaller.exe to install My Photo Calendars and Cards. After installation, My Photo Calendars and this User Guide will be added to your “Programs” menu.
Mac Users
Simply unstuff the MyPhotoCalInstaller.sit archive.
Product Registration
Your downloaded
version of My Photo Calendars and Cards is a fully functional version of the
software, missing only a home printing capability, commercial use
authorization, and JPEG/PDF file creation capability. To implement these
features you will need to obtain a registration key (Please be sure to obtain
the appropriate license to your needs).
The following
dialog will come up the first few times that you start the non-registered
version of the software, as well as any time you try to perform an action
requiring registration.
Once registered,
this message will no longer appear. To obtain a registration key or to activate
the software using an existing key, click the “Purchase/Activate
Software” button. You will then be given
the opportunity to purchase the software online and receive your key immediately
or to activate the software with an existing key.
Without a registration key, printing functionality will be limited. You
will be able to create calendar and card files and view them later as well. You
will also be able to print using our online printing service. However, you
will not be able to print your projects on your home printer or export your
files in a JPEG or PDF format.
Once you click on
the “Purchase/Activate Software” button. The following dialog will come up:
Clicking the “Activate Software” will open the “Activate Software” dialog. If instead you click the “Buy Key Online” button, the “Activate Software” dialog will open, as well as a web page in a separate window.
On the web page you can select and purchase the appropriate license an. After completing your purchase, you will receive both a confirmation page as well as an e-mail confirmation.
To register your software with a registration key (either immediately after being purchased or at a later time), Copy and Paste your registration key into the provided space and click “OK.”
Shortly, you will receive a message confirming your successful registration.
Getting Started
Upon launching My Photo Calendars and Cards, you will be offered Five options:
- Open Saved File - either a calendar or cards project.
- New Calendar -creating a new calendar project.
- New Card - creating a new cards project.
- FastTrack – a guided semi-automated process to create a calendar or cards project.
- Cancel - Quit
Select the option that fits your need. The next window that will open depends on the selection you make here.
NOTE: If you would like to create cards or calendars quickly and with amazing ease, why not give our new FastTrack feature a try. See the section on FastTrack further on for more information.
Creating a customized calendar
Upon selecting New Calendar… from the “Open or Create Project” dialog, a template selection screen will come up.
Select the desired template by double-clicking on it or by selecting it and pressing the OK button.
Each calendar starts with a template, though once selected, you can customize almost any visual aspect of the calendar. Please note: DigiLabs printing services currently prints only 12” x 18”, 11” x 17” (flat or center bound), 8.5” x 11” size, and desktop calendars. Select one of the aforementioned size templates if you are planning to send it to DigiLabs for printing. If you plan to print your calendar at home, select a template that is designed for a paper size supported by your printer.
Make sure to select the right template size! You can change the template at any point during the design process—just be sure to confirm that your new template is in harmony with the design scheme you have already set. If it isn’t, you can always modify your design scheme to fit the new template.
Templates are designed for specific paper sizes. If you select one template and than change the paper in the printer to a different page size, your calendar will not print correctly.
The software comes with templates in the following sizes:
12” x 18” - Bound
at The Top
Each 12”x18” page is single-side printed and bound at the top. Can be printed by DigiLabs professional printing service.
11” x 17” - Center Fold
Calendar measures
11" x 17" when open, 8.5” x 11” when folded at the center binding.
Each 8.5” x 11” page is printed on both sides. This calendar size fits typical
8.5” x 11” - Bound
at The Top
Each 8.5”x11” page
is single-side printed and bound at the top. This calendar size fits typical
11” x 17” - Bound
at The Top
Each 11”x17” page is single-side printed and bound at the top. Can be printed on printers that accept tabloid-size paper, and can be printed by DigiLabs professional printing service as well (full bleed printing supported).
A3 - Bound at The Top
Each 42 cm x 29.7 cm page is single-side printed and bound at the top. This calendar size fits typical European home printers.
A4 - Bound at The
Top
Each 21 cm x 29.7 cm page is single-side printed and bound at the top. This calendar size fits typical European home printers.
A4 - Center Fold
Calendar measures 29.7 cm x 42 cm when open, 21 cm x 29.7 cm when folded at the center binding. Each 21 cm x 29.7 cm page is printed on both sides. This calendar size fits typical European home printers.
Desktop CD
Calendar
CD jewel case opens as a 5” x 5.9” (142mm x127mm) calendar that can sit on a desktop or on any flat surface. Full bleed printing is supported. Can be printed at home or by DigiLabs professional printing service
After double-clicking (or clicking OK), you will be presented with a calendar customization screen:
Here you can specify a starting month & year, a week start day, as well as the sets of holidays that you would like to have printed on your calendar. Note: You can always come back later and modify any of these selections.
After clicking OK, the calendar main project screen will open with the first month displayed:
Navigation
There are two ways to move from front cover to last calendar month. The fastest way is to use the forward/backward arrows in the Management Control Center located at the upper left-hand corner just under the toolbar.
Clicking the blue right/left arrow buttons will change the calendar page displayed on-screen. You can also use the drop-down arrow to display a list of calendar pages from which to choose.
The second way to move from month to month is by using the navigation column located along the left side of the screen. Here you have a thumbnail view of each calendar page. Just click a month and the month will appear on-screen.
Customization
An assortment of customization options is right at your fingertips, allowing you to:
q Add images.
q Add graphic elements.
q Add text.
q Add & edit cell contents.
Each of these options allows customization in a variety of ways:
Images – The quickest way to add the digital photos that you would like have appear on your calendar is to simply drag them from your desktop and onto each month. You can also drag them to the Images tab of the navigation column (just below the Management Control Center) to use later (you also have the option of using the Add Image & Add Folder buttons located on the Images tab). And of course, you have the option of using the Menu to add pictures (PersonalizeàAdd New Picture…) as well.
Once you have added an image, you can now manipulate it in a variety of ways. First click the image to select it. The Image Management Controls appear:
Using the Image Management Controls (located to the right of
the
q Add borders to an image.
q
Rotate an image. Don’t worry about making
mistakes here – the “reset rotation” button 
will always undo any undesired rotation of an image.
q Round the corners of an image.
q Fade an image.
q Crop an image. A cropping box will appear over your image. Resize the image as you’d like and click outside of the cropped area to complete the cropping.
q Resize an image to fill the page.
Graphic Objects – You can add a square/rectangular object to customize your design scheme. Just create or select an existing object and the Objects Management Controls appear:
Selected objects:
q Can have their borders adjusted.
q Can have their fill adjusted.
q
Can have their borders rounded.
Text – You can add text to your calendar and customize it in all of the standard ways. Using the Text Management Controls, additional customizations become available. You can:
q Add borders and fill.
q Round the corners of borders and/or fill.
q Rotate text. Don’t worry about making mistakes here – the reset rotation button will always undo undesired rotation of text.
Cell Contents – Every aspect of the actual calendar grid can be customized: text, images (you can drag an image to any spot on the grid), cell shape – even the grid itself! Click on any text on the calendar grid and the following Cell Management Controls appear:
Events can be added & edited to the day cells by using the PersonalizeàEvents menu items or by double-clicking on a day cell. You also have the option of adding clip-art:
That’s really all there is to designing a calendar. If it seems all too complicated don’t worry; this version of My Photo Calendars and Cards includes FastTrack, our new speedy calendar & card creation tool. See the FastTrack section further on for more information
There are still some things left to discuss, such as what do you do with your calendar after you’ve finished the design process. We’ll get to that, but first we will discuss some basics. Feel free to skip ahead if you come upon information that you already know.
Toolbar and menu commands
As with all software applications, My Photo Calendars and Cards.has a fairly standard Toolbar and menu arrangement, as well as aspects that are unique to this application. For the sake of brevity, we will discuss in detail only those toolbar buttons items and menus commands that are unique to My Photo Calendars and Cards.
Toolbar buttons – (left to right):
[New] [Open] [Save], [Print] [Undo] [Zoom In] [Zoom out] [Send To DigiLabs] [FastTrack]
Send to DigiLabs – This will send your calendar project to our facilities for professional printing and finishing. When printing at DigiLabs, your calendar will be printed on high quality image quality paper. We use the latest in digital printing technology to produce professional quality results. The calendar will be bound and shipped to your address within a few days, hassle free!
Menu commands:
File Menu
New…
à New Calendar Project…
This will start you on your way to create a new calendar project.
à New Cards Project…
This will start you on your way to create a new cards project (more about this in the Cards section).
à
New Playing Cards Project…
This will start you on your way to create a new playing cards project (more about this in the Cards section).
à
Page Setup…
Each calendar is designed for a specific paper size. Thus, post-design changes to the page setup may negatively impact your calendar. The following is the message that will come up if you decide to alter the page setup:
Print Locally…
This
allows you to print your project on a home or office printer connected directly
or via a network to your computer. There may be restrictions on what you are
able to print based on your current DigiLabs license. Learn more about printing at the special printing section at
the end of this guide
. 
Send To Print At DigiLabs…
This will send your calendar project to our facilities for professional printing and finishing. When printing at DigiLabs, your calendar will be printed on deluxe image quality paper. We use the latest in digital printing technology to produce the finest professional results. The calendar will be bound and shipped to your address within a few days, hassle free!
Export…
à
Export as PDF…
This will export the project file as a multi-page PDF file. PDF files can be opened with Adobe Acrobat Reader. To use the export feature, you must own a commercial-use license.
à
Export as JPEG Files…
This will export the file as a set of JPEG files. This feature is only available if you own a commercial-use license.
Preflight/Preview…
This will check to see if your calendar photos are of adequate resolution. Photos whose resolution is considered to be too low (less than 300 DPI) will be listed on a resolution status screen that will come up. This screen will only come up if at least one photo has a resolution below 300 DPI.
Edit Menu
Global Font Change
This allows you to change the font, size, color & style of any or all calendar text at once.
Layout
This allows you to re-order the elements on the page (photos, graphic objects, text). The options are: Bring Forward, Bring To front, Send Backward, Send To Back
Grid
à
Define Grid
This allows you to place a (non-printing) grid over the calendar to help facilitate the design process.
à
Show Grid
Displays the design grid as an overlay on the calendar.
à
Snap To Grid
This will cause dragged or resized images, objects, and text to align with the nearest grid line. Great for achieving uniform alignment of multiple objects.
Printer Options
This allows you to define the printer resolution so as to improve printing speed, as well as to print large images using lower printer and computer memory.
Personalize Menu
Select Template…
This brings up the template selection screen, on which you have the option to switch from your currently selected calendar template. NOTE: If you decide to switch templates mid-or post-design, please carefully review your calendar to be sure that your design scheme and new template choice are in harmony with each other.
Calendar & Holidays…
The will bring up a screen where you can specify a starting month & year, a week start day, as well as the sets of holidays that you would like to have appear on your printed calendar.
Events…
à Manage Events…
This brings up the Events management screen where you can edit and delete existing events.
à Insert Events…
This brings up the Insert Events screen where new events (with images & clip-art included) can be easily added to your calendar.
NOTE: You cannot delete predefined events (such as national holidays). If you do not want an event to appear on your calendar, use the “Visible” checkbox to hide it. You can also go back to the Calendar & Holidays customization screen (Personalizeà Calendar & Holidays…) and remove an entire set of holidays.
Insert Month Thumbnail
This allows you to add a thumbnail-size calendar to a previous, current, or next calendar month – or any combination of the three. These can be added to specific months or to all months at one time. You can also resize the month thumbnails, and they can be dragged to any location on the calendar page. Even more modifications are possible using the Month Thumbnail Settings screen (just double-click on the thumbnail to bring it up). Below are the menu items that you will see under Insert Month Thumbnail:
à Add To All Months
à Previous Month
à Current Month
à Next Month
Calendar Look
à Lock/Unlock Date Grid
This allows you to fix the calendar grid in place, or allow it to be moved around on the page.
à Date Location…
This allows you to set the location & size of the date cells as they appear on your calendar with pinpoint accuracy. NOTE: You can also use the mouse to relocate and resize the date cells. To enable dragging and resizing using the mouse:
1. Click-select the date grid.
2. Click the “Unlock Date Grid” icon in the Cell Management Controls. You will now be able to move and resize the date grid manually. Be sure to Lock the date grid (by clicking the “Lock Date Grid” icon) when you are finished.
Changing the date location will change the date location on all pages!
à
Days Header…
This allows you to change the size & style of the day of the week headers.
à Colors & Fonts…
This allows you to change the color scheme, font size & style for Empty, Holiday, and Default calendar day cells.
à
Day Contents…
This allows you to customize the location of every aspect of the date cell contents. Just left-mouse button click and relocate any of the various cell aspects for every cell on your calendar at once.
à Day Style…
This allows you to customize the day cell border & background color and shape (rounded corners or diamond shaped, in addition to the default square shape). NOTE: The terms “border” and “frame” are used interchangeably with regard to calendar projects.
Localize
This allows you to set the
language of static calendar elements to the language of your choice as long
as the language is supported by your computer’s operating system.
Add New Picture…
This brings up an Open File dialog from which you can select an image. Acceptable image file types are: JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, and GIF.
Replace Selected Picture…
Insert Object
à Picture…
This brings up an Open File dialog from which you can select a image. Acceptable image file types are: JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, and GIF.
à Text…
This adds a text object (default text: “Your Text Here…”) to your calendar page. Please see the Text Management Controls section above for information on editing text.
à Graphic Object…
This adds a graphic object (default: square, frame only) to your calendar page. Please see the Object Management Controls section above for information on customizing graphic objects.
à Clip Art…
This brings up a clip art selection dialog where you have the option of choosing from an array of clip art images. The clip art that you select will be added to your calendar page, and can be resized & relocated.
Image Commands
à Load Picture…
This allows you to replace a selected image or clip art object with an image from your computer. Acceptable image file types are: JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG, PICT, and GIF.
à Resize Picture To Fill.
This allows you to enlarge a selected image or clip art object so that it fills the entire calendar page, side-to-side & top to bottom.
Helpful Information
Mouse Right-button-Click
Placing the mouse over an object - or anywhere on a calendar page - and clicking the right-mouse button will bring up a context sensitive menu. This menu will include those commands that are relevant to the object/area. These menu commands have the same functionality as the like commands previously described. They also include Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, and Duplicate, as applicable.
Dragging & Resizing
You can move any object on the page by selecting the Arrow curser in the Management Control Center, clicking the left-mouse button over the object, and dragging.
You can resize a graphic object by selecting it, and placing the mouse at the border or corner of the object until the curser becomes a resizing tool. For example:
NOTE: Pictures may also be resized, but they always retain their original width/height proportion regardless of how large or small they appear on screen.
Creating personalized cards
Upon selecting New Card… from the “Open or Create Project” dialog, a card size/style selection screen will come up. To begin creating a set of cards, a size/style must be specified. Once this is done, nearly every visual aspect of the cards can be customized to suit your needs.
You will see two columns of templates:
For Printing at DigiLabs: If you plan to print your cards using DigiLabs printing services, you must select one of these card sizes. They may also be printed at home.
For Home Printing: For home printing only.
Basically, there are three kinds of cards: Folding cards (greeting cards), Postcards (including wallet cards), and playing cards (which are standard 52 card playing card sets). Folding cards have three customizable surfaces – front, inside, and back. Postcards have two customizable surfaces – front and back, and playing cards have one customizable surface – back.
Make sure to select the right card size! You can change a card size/style at any point during the customization process, but doing so may create problems with the design scheme you have been working on.
Select the desired card size/style and click the “Continue” button.
Card Types
My Photo Calendars and Cards allows you to create four different types of cards: postcards, folding greeting cards, Trading Cards, and playing cards. The card image that appears in the main application window will reflect the type of card you have chosen:
Postcards and Trading Cards have two sides: front and back. To switch between the sides, use the “Front” & “Back” buttons at the left of the window, or simply click the desired side in the Pages column (directly under the “Front” & “Back” buttons).
A Folding Greeting Card has three sides: front, back, and card inside. To switch between sides, use the “Front, Back, and Card Inside buttons at the left of the window, or simply click the desired side in the Pages column (directly under the Front, Back, and Card Inside buttons).
Playing Cards have only one side (the back of the card) that can be edited. The image that appears in the Pages column at the left of the window reflects the card suite, not the customized back.
Customizing a Card
An assortment of customization options is right at your fingertips, allowing you to:
q Add images.
q Add graphic elements.
q Add text.
Each of these options allows customization in a variety of ways: