User Guide
Table Of Contents About PrintShop Mail ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Contact Information ............................................................................................................................................ 7 Using PrintShop Mail Help ....................................................................................................................................
Layout Basics ......................................................................................................................................................116 Layout Basics ...................................................................................................................................................116 Guide Lines ......................................................................................................................................................
PRINT..............................................................................................................................................................195 SKIP ................................................................................................................................................................196 Logical Functions..............................................................................................................................................
About PrintShop Mail PrintShop Mail User Guide Leverage the real potential of your data by printing variable images and text based upon unique information on each individual recipient! Overview PrintShop Mail is a fast, efficient and very easy to use professional software tool that makes personalized printing quick and easy. It allows you to optimize the process of merging variable database information with a design.
Contact Information PrintShop Mail User Guide To find an Objectif Lune office near you and for more information on our products and services, visit www.objectiflune.com.
Using PrintShop Mail Help Getting Started with PrintShop Mail Here are some tips on how to use this PrintShop Mail on-line Help. About the Help Display You can use several navigation tools in this Help system. The Help is divided into a left-hand and right-hand frame. The right-hand frame shows the actual texts and some navigational aids, the left-hand frame is the mainstay for the navigational aids. You can select four options above the left-hand frame: • Hide/Show :To display or hide the Contents.
4. Click Display. The Help text is displayed in the right-hand frame. The selected keyword is highlighted. Glossary 1. 2. Click the Glossary tab to display PrintShop Mail terms. Click a term in the list to display its definition. Hyperlinks The Help texts contain hyperlinks. These are underlined texts. Click the underlined text to view the Help topic. Related topics The Related Topics buttons provide access to topics that deal with similar subjects. Click the Related Topics button.
Getting Started Installing PrintShop Mail Getting Started with PrintShop Mail Before you start If you are installing PrintShop Mail on a computer with Windows 2000, XP, 2003 or Vista, make sure you are logged in with full administrative rights before running the installation program. To install PrintShop Mail Windows 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Locate the setup.exe file on the CD-ROM. Double click this file to start the installation wizard. Select the language you want to use for the installation. Click OK.
What is New in PrintShop Mail Getting Started with PrintShop Mail Click a heading to display information on these new features: Windows Printing • • • The Print Dialog has been further improved, for example: -It is possible to print a selected range of records and pages. -It is possible to create a PDF file by selecting the SoftProof PDF option.
• • Editing text properties (attributes) of multiple text objects at a time is now possible. You can now store your favorite expressions in PrintShop Mail, making it possible to reuse expressions easily in other documents and export/import your favorites to other computers. User Interface • • The user interface has been further improved, for example: -Text toolbar has been added. -Layout toolbar has been added.
Upgrading PrintShop Mail Getting Started with PrintShop Mail To use certain features in PrintShop Mail, for example automated printing which enables scripting of PrintShop Mail with API, Scripting or DDE , your hardware key must be upgraded before you are allowed to use this feature. When requesting an upgrade, the application will detect the upgrade options available. Single-user licenses as well as multi-user, or Network License are available.
Upgrade If you want to add credits, upgrade the version, add OL CARE or any other option to your hardware key click on the "Upgrade" option. The PrintShop Mail Upgrade page will open. Here you select the options you want and some additional information to confirm the request. Activate dongle If you have receive an Authorization code back from your voucher or upgrade request (by email), you have to copy that code into the Activate dongle screen. Then click "Activate".
Getting Started PrintShop Mail User Guide These are the basic steps to install PrintShop Mail and create PrintShop Mail documents. Click each topic to follow this step by step guide.
Installing a Printer Driver Getting Started with PrintShop Mail To produce PostScript output, PrintShop Mail must communicate with a PostScript printer driver. We recommend that you use either the Adobe or the Microsoft PostScript printer driver. Adobe PostScript Driver Printer installation using the Adobe PostScript driver requires the AdobePS installer and a PPD (PostScript Printer Description) file. The PrintShop Mail CD-ROM includes both the AdobePS installer and a set of commonly used PPD files.
Installing the Hardware Key Getting Started with PrintShop Mail About the hardware key Without a hardware key, also known as "Dongle", PrintShop Mail runs in Designer mode. In this mode, all PrintShop Mail functions are available, but you can only print up to 25 records per session and PrintShop Mail is printed over each layout. If you have a hardware key from older versions of PrintShop Mail, it will need to be upgraded. Otherwise, PrintShop Mail will run in Designer mode.
How to... Create a New Document How to... Windows You can create a new PrintShop Mail document in two ways: • Start with a blank layout • Base the contents and size of your layouts on a PDF or an image file. To start with a blank document On startup, PrintShop Mail always starts out with a blank layout. You can also instruct PrintShop Mail to create a new blank document by selecting New Blank Document from the File menu, or press CTRL+N. The size of this blank layout is set to Fit to Page.
Modifying the template It is possible to modify PrintShop Mail templates to change the document settings or content. 1. From the File menu, select Open Template. 2. Make the desired changes. 3. From the File menu select Save As Template. Note: A template does not save the link to the database you may have used in the designed stage of the PrintShop Mail document. Mac OS On startup, PrintShop Mail always starts out with a blank layout. The size of the blank layout is set to Automatic.
Default Settings How to... Default settings in PrintShop Mail are time savers. If the default settings don't fit the way you work, you may find yourself repeatedly customizing each document individually before you can get started. In PrintShop Mail it is possible to reset the default settings in the Preferences, to do that: 1. 2. 3. Start PrintShop Mail. From the File menu, select Close. On startup, PrintShop Mail always starts out with a blank layout.
Specify the Layout Size How to... Windows A PrintShop Mail document may consist of one or more layouts, which can be of different sizes. PrintShop Mail supports multiple layout sizes within one document. On startup, PrintShop Mail always starts out with a blank layout. The size of this blank layout is set to Fit to Page. The layout size and shape (tall or wide) can be specified per each layout by selecting Size in the Layout menu or by selecting the layout in the Layouts Panel.
Automatic Layout Size You can choose to base your layout size on the currently selected paper size in the Print Setup dialog, by selecting Layout Size Automatic in the Layout menu. This will cause PrintShop Mail to dynamically resize your layouts to fit on the paper, even when you are using layout repetition. Fixed Layout Size You can specify a fixed layout size in the Layout Size dialog. This will force your layout size to stay the same, independent of the currently selected printer and paper size.
Specify Spot Colors How to... Spot Colors Spot Colors are special premixed inks used instead of, or in addition to CMYK inks. Spot Colors are used in offset printing to reduce printing cost or to provide solid colors that can not be exactly reproduced using process colors (such as CMYK). For example to be able to print colors like gold and silver, some printers can accommodate an extra toner or cartridge filled with that dedicated ink.
Spot Colors defined in EPS files are recognized and loaded in the Spot Color dialog as though it is defined in the document itself. If a Spot Color defined in an EPS file has the same name as an already existing Spot Color definition but is in fact a different Separation, a warning will be shown. As a result the used Spot Color will be sent to the printer (unmodified) and depending on the availability of the Spot Color on the printer, the Spot Color or the Alternate color will be printed.
Link a Database to a Document Open a Database How to... For a list of supported database formats, see Support Database Formats. Traditional databases are organized by fields, records and files. A field is a single piece of information, a record is one complete set of fields and a file is a collection of records. Database example ZIP 91335 75038 60173 33351 CAR Mustang Explorer Windstar Explorer CAR TYPE A B C B Where ZIP, CAR, and CAR TYPE are fields and the rest are the records.
To sort the database 1. 2. 3. Select from the menu Database : Sort > Edit. Specify your sort conditions by selecting a database field from the drop down menu and specifying the sort order. Click OK. To filter the database You can set up a filter in the Database by selecting Filter > Edit from the Database menu, for example if you only need to print a certain range of ZIP codes (10000 up to 19999).
Using a Text File as Database The following rules apply when using a text file as database: • The first line in your text file should contain the field names. • Field names should only contain alphanumeric characters and underscores. • The records should be listed on the following lines. • The field separator is either a tab, a comma, a space, a semicolon or a user-defined character (not alphanumeric or underscore) and these separators cannot be used in field contents.
3. 4. It is possible to specify the Sort Order per selected field, which is either Ascending or Descending by selecting a sort key in the list to the right and dragging it up or down, or remove a sort key by selecting it and clicking Clear, or double click the sort key. Press Sort to sort the database and Ready to close the dialog. To Filter the database PrintShop Mail allows you to filter the database to which you wish to link a document.
Connect to SQL Server How to... Before you can connect to an SQL Server, you need to setup an SQL Server ODBC Data Source, as follows. 1. In the Windows Control Panel , select ODBC Data Source Administrator. (In Windows 2000, XP and 2003 this panel is located under Administrative Tools). The ODBC Data Source Administrator window appears. 2. On the User DSN tab, click Add. The Create New Data Source window appears. You are prompted to specify which driver to use for the data source.
3. Double click SQL Server. 4. 5. 6. Type the data source name and description. Specify the SQL server name or IP address. Click Next.
7. 8. 9. Select With SQL Server authentication using a login ID and password entered by the user. Specify the logon ID and the password. Click Client Configuration. 10. On the Add Network Library Configuration window, under Network Libraries, select TCP/IP. Note: Do not change the server name or port number unless otherwise specified by your system administrator. 11. Click OK.
12. Select Change the default database to: and choose SQL Test (or the name you gave the data source). 13. Click Next. 14. Click Finish.
15. On the Microsoft SQL Server Setup window, review the options and click Test Data Source... to test the connection. 16. To begin to use the data source in PrintShop Mail, click OK.
Add Text Add Variable Text How to... About variable text Text objects in PrintShop Mail can contain both static and variable text, separated by delimiters. By default, the @ character delimits variables. Each variable is associated with an expression. An expression is a calculation that is usually based on the contents of your database. To add variable text Note: As an alternative to the steps outlined below, you can also drag and drop directly fields from your database onto your layout.
2. 3. Double click on the database field to which to associate the variable. Click OK to close the window. Note: You can check the result of the expression in the Variables panel, or in the Variables floater (Mac OS). To preview the variables In Preview mode, you can view the result in the text box itself. To toggle between Preview and Design modes, click this button in the View toolbar. Alternatively from the View menu, select Preview or press F2(Windows).
Mac OS The "Remove Empty Lines" feature can be switched on using a checkbox in the Expression Editor Window.
Formatting Variables (Windows Only) How to... About formatting variables Formatting variables allows you to set how numbers, currencies and dates are displayed and printed. You can set this for each variable text object in the document, according to regional preferences. To format variables Choose the Variables panel and select a variable to specify its format settings.
Set this option... Decimal Symbol Decimals Places Digit Grouping Symbol Digit Grouping Negative Symbol Negative Format Leading Zeroes To de this... Specifies the symbol that indicates decimal values. Specifies how many digits appear to the right of the decimal symbol. Specifies the symbol that groups the digits in large values (for example: 1,000,000). Specifies how digits are grouped. Specifies the symbol that indicates a number is negative. Specifies how negative values are formatted.
Text The Text category is the default option a variable is set to. Setting the format to this category will have PrintShop Mail treat variable numeric content as a text string. E-mail Setting the format to this category will have PrintShop Mail to check if there is something missing in the format like "@" and ".
Creating Serial Numbers How to... About serial numbers Serial numbers are linked to the COUNTER function. To create a serial number 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In the Tools toolbar click the Place Variable Text button, or from the Insert menu select Variable Text. Insert a variable in the text box, for example @COUNTER@. (Windows): In the Variables panel, double click the variable you just created, or right click on the variable text box and select Edit Expression to open the Expression Editor.
Note: To create an indefinite COUNTER, simply double click the COUNTER function, after the expression is pasted into the Expression Edit field, click OK; the operator COUNTER() creates a counter that starts with 1 and ends with whatever is set as the maximum number of "Items without Database" as set in the Programs Settings. To view the results, browse the records using the buttons of the Database toolbar. The counter displays 1, 2, 3, and so on as you scroll through the records.
Add Images Add Static and Variable Images How to... In PrintShop Mail, image objects can contain either static or variable images. Using variable images with PrintShop Mail allows you to personalize your documents with pictures. For a list of supported image formats, see Support Image Formats. About static images Static images are not linked to a variable, which means that they are always associated with the same image file.
• • "As is" handling, uses field data to tell the Image Box what the image file name is. "Trigger" handling, uses field data combined with a logic expression to create the image file name result. Both are used regularly for generating variable data. To insert variable images "As is" Database Setup ZIP 91335 75038 60173 33351 CAR Mustang Explorer Windstar Explorer CAR PIC Mustang.jpg Explorer.jpg Windstar.jpg Explorer.
To insert variable images "Trigger" Data Triggers can be alpha, numeric or symbol characters. The simplest way to setup a Trigger field is to use short 1 to 3 digit character strings. Database Setup ZIP 91335 75038 60173 33351 CAR Mustang Explorer Windstar Explorer CAR TYPE A B C B Expression IF([CAR TYPE] = "A", "Mustang.jpg", IF([CAR TYPE] = "B", "Explorer.jpg', IF([CAR TYPE] = "C", "Windstar.jpg",""))) The "CAR TYPE" field is used with a conditional logic formula to generate the image file name.
Note: An image object can be linked to a single PDF file. As PDF files can contain multiple pages you can specify the page(s) to be used in your document through an expression, in this way you can use variable pages within that PDF file. To learn about Color Management in PrintShop Mail, click here. Mac OS 1. 2. 3. In the Tools toolbar, click the Place Variable Image button and drag a rectangle to the desired size on your layout, or from the Insert menu, select Variable Image.
Layout Conditioning How to... About layout conditioning Use layout conditioning to conditionally skip certain pages of your document or to leave them blank during the printing process. The PRINT and BLANK commands will not influence the amount of pages printed. There are three options for applying a condition to a layout: • PRINT: The layout will be printed (default). • BLANK: A BLANK page will be printed instead of the layout. • SKIP : The layout will be skipped.
The expression used is: IF( [GENDER] = "M", Print, Skip) In other words, If the GENDER field equals "M", print the page, otherwise skip the page. Conversely, the expression for the layout that targets the female audience is: IF( [GENDER] = "F", Print, Skip) FreeForm does not fully support layout conditioning. In particular, it does not allow you to conditionally Skip layouts. When SKIP is used, a BLANK page will be printed instead.
When Layout Conditions should be applied? • Output of multiple versioned documents within one PrintShop Mail file. • Layout Condition is an alternative for setting up text heavy variables (multiple variable paragraphs). Creating an expression formula within the Variable text box using 1000s characters can be tedious.
Layout Repetition How to... About layout repetition PrintShop Mail can print multiple layouts on media that has a larger format than the layout. For example, a postcard that is 5.5" x 4.25" can be printed 2 by 2 on letter-size paper (11" x 8.5"). To achieve this result, you can create a layout that is the size of 1 personalized document in this case, a postcard that is 5.5" x 4.25". For a document with multiple layouts, you can print different layouts on the same page.
Note: The maximum number of repetitions is displayed between brackets. This is dependent on the size of the layout and the selected media in the Page Setup. About priorities Priorities affect the order in which your database is going to be printed. Specify the priorities (1,2,3) and direction (Front to Back, Back to Front, Left to Right, Right to Left, Top to Bottom, Bottom to Top) to define the database order.
Select Paper Trays.... How to... About paper tray selection If your printer supports different paper trays and your document consists of multiple layouts, you can send different layouts to different trays. To associate a layout with a paper tray Windows 1. From the File menu select Page Setup, or right click on the layout and choose Page Setup. Alternatively in the Properties panel, select Page Size. 2. 3. From the Tray box, select the desired paper tray.
Another way to associate a layout with a paper tray is by selecting the layout in the Layouts panel, then select the Paper Tray property and choose the desired tray from the drop down menu. Mac OS 1. 2. 3. From the Window menu, select Show Document Layouts. Select the desired layout. From the Layout menu, select Paper Tray. Depending on the selected PPD, a list with the available paper trays will be displayed.
Number of copies (Windows only) How to... PrintShop Mail allows you to print a number of copies per page. The Expression Editor can be used to generated multiple copies of each page in your document. To setup the number of copies 1. 2. Select the Layouts panel. Select the desired layout and click on Number of Copies, to open the Expression Editor. Data fields can be used to specify the number of copies per page.
Non-numerical Text String In this case, the data field does not contain a number string, but it does have a field to be used as "Trigger".
In the expression "IF([TRIGGER]="A",VAL("12"),IF([TRIGGER]="B",VAL("8"),VAL("1"))) ", the field name "TRIGGER" has either an "A" or a "B" in it. The number of copies for "A" would be 12, and the number of copies for "B" would be 8. At the end of the expression, you need to add VAL("1"), because the function must result in a numeric value.
Verify a Document How to... About document verification Before printing your document, you can verify that it is ready to print. Verify document checks the document at two levels: • Layout level: Warnings at layout level will show the layout number in the Warnings panel. • Record level: Warnings at record level will show the layout number and record number in the Warnings panel.
Note: Verify document will be stopped when 1000 warnings are found or when you press the Cancel button on the progress bar.
Save a Document How to... About saving documents When saving a document, it is recommended to use one folder for both the document file and its supporting files that is, the image files and the database. The reason for this is because the supporting files for a PrintShop Mail document are not included in the document file. This file only contains references, stored as paths relative to the document folder. For example: If you save your document in... "C:\My Documents" and it contains an image... "C:\My Docu
Publish to PrintShop Web Publishing Documents How to... PrintShop Web is an easy to use, powerful and open Web to print application that allows for printing over the Web. PrintShop Mail allows to prepare and add documents to PrintShop Web. PrintShop Mail documents are used as the basis for print jobs, meaning that it is possible to reuse the documents by uploading new databases.
Example By selecting a Data Field, you can view and edit its properties: Name: A unique identifier. You can not modify this value here. Default Value: You can set a Default Value here, this will be a string value that will be displayed in PrintShop Web, once the document is published, as a placeholder when no data source is available (yet) for this Data Field. You will find this string value back in PrintShop Web, after the document has been selected (before the stage where a data source is provided).
When publishing documents the first time, you will need to specify the URL and the login account for your company Web Server. 1. Launch PrintShop Mail. 2. From the Edit menu, select Preferences and click the PrintShop Web icon. To tell PrintShop Mail how to log on to your company Web Server, specify: URL: The Web address of your company. Login : The user name and password assigned by the administrator.
2. 3. A dialog Publish to PrintShop Web opens. Select the Publication Type where you want to place the document. In PrintShop Web documents are organized within Publications Types. Publication Types are a way to mark a document as being in a particular category (such as envelop, business cards, invitation etc). Each Company can have a range of Publication Types. Within the Company each Publication Type is unique. Each Publication Type can contain one or multiple documents.
4. 5. Click Next. On the next dialog click the Show Browser button to display the folder containing the image files. Note: Adding files is only necessary when variable images and txt/rtf files are used. If the document does not contain variable images or txt/rft files, the wizard will take you to step 7.
6. Select the additional files for the document and click the Add button. Note: In this dialog, you can choose to add variable image and .txt/.rtf files that belong to the document. The PrintShop Mail document, its used fonts and static images are added automatically.
7. 66 Click Next.
8. 9. Click Finish to publish the document. Once the message Successfully uploaded the new document appears, click OK. It is possible to upload documents made in older versions of PrintShop Mail WE to PrintShop Web through PrintShop Mail 5.2 and higher. If you have enough access privileges you can create a "New Company" and "Publication Type" from the Publish to PrintShop Web dialog in PrintShop Mail. How to create a New Company To create a New Company, do the following: 1.
How to create a New Publication Type To create 1. 2. 3. a New Publication Type, do the following: In the Publish to PrintShop Web dialog, select the company. Click the New Publication Type button. The New publication type dialog appears. Enter the name for the Publication Type. New Publication Type dialog More information about managing uploaded documents, Companies and Publication Types can be found in PrintShop Web Help.
Print a Document Printing Basics Printing your document About printing Print Preview While you are working on your document, it is possible to view an on screen representation of the printed output. In this Print Preview it is possible to browse through pages and view multiple layouts and records at the same time. You can enter the Print Preview mode in two ways: 1. From the File menu, select Print Preview. 2. Click the Print Preview toolbar button in the Standard toolbar.
Print Dialog Options 1. Operating System Default Print Options Printer: The printer you wish to print to. Printer Properties: Controls printer options, for example layouts options and paper quality. Print to File: Instruct the printer driver to print to a file on the disk, instead of the printer. Number of copies: Indicates the number of copies you wish to print of each page. If the value is set to one, only the original page will be printed. The Collation option will be ignored by PrintShop Mail. 2.
To select a print technology 1. 2. 3. (Windows): From the Edit menu (Ctrl+K), select Preferences. (Mac OS): From the PrintShop Mail menu (Command,), select Preferences. In the left pane, click the Print job icon. The Print job settings dialog box appears. Check if your RIP supports one of the RIP type and vendor dependent technologies. If so, you can select that specific technology. If not, it is advisable to select Optimized PostScript. To specify technology specific options 1. 2.
Print Technologies Standard PostScript Print Technologies Standard PostScript does not use any special optimization mechanism, except that you can use OPI to speed up spooling. Use this technology if your system does not support any of the other technologies. Print dialog box settings 1.
Optimized PostScript Print Technologies Optimized PostScript caches image data in reusable PostScript forms. This speeds up the printing process, since each unique image is only sent once. Note:Some printer drivers offer the possibility to change the PostScript Output Options: "Optimize for Speed" or " Optimize for Portability". For a maximum print speed, change the PostScript Output Option to "Optimize for Speed". You can find this property, in the Printer driver/Advance Options.
AHT Print Technologies Select this technology if you have an AHT RIP. AHT uses an optimization mechanism similar to Optimized PostScript. Print dialog box settings 1. 2. 3.
Creo VPS Print Technologies VPS (Variable Print Specifications) is a PostScript language extension, created and maintained by Creo. It allows PrintShop Mail to classify each element on a page as either reusable (occurring more than once) or inline (occurring only once). This distinction allows the VPS RIP to decide when image data can be reused. This avoids unnecessary repeated processing and speeds up the print process.
Fiery FreeForm Print Technologies FreeForm makes use of the fact that the data in your document is divided in two layers, which contain the text and image objects in the document. The master layer in a FreeForm job consists only of "static" objects, but the variable layer can contain a mix of both variable and static objects, depending on the order of the objects on your layout.
Fiery FreeForm 2 Print Technologies FreeForm 2 makes use of the fact that the data in your document is divided in two layers, which contain the text and image objects in the document. The master layer in a FreeForm 2 job consists only of "static" objects, but the variable layer can contain a mix of both variable and static objects, depending on the order of the objects on your layout.
PPML Print Technologies PPML is short for Personalized Printing Markup Language . A PPML file describes the entire personalized printing job and contains all necessary elements to print the contents (layout and variable data). The technology PPML in PrintShop Mail is very similar to PPML/VDX. The difference is that the content (PDF) and page layout description (PPML) are sent separately. Windows Print Technology specific settings 1. 2. 3. 4.
Mac OS For Macintosh there is an option "PPML.zip" in the print dialog (File > Print > PrintShop Mail). This option will include all images. It will make a copy of all the images used in the PrintShop Mail job. If the option "PPM.zip" is unchecked you will output a PPML file that has a reference to the images that are used in the job.
PPML/VDX 7 (Windows only) Print Technologies PPML/VDX is an abbreviation for Personalized Print Markup Language/Variable Data Exchange. The output consists of an optimized PDF in which reusable content elements occur only once. The PDF also contains a block of PPML data that describes the page layout. Note: PPML/VDX 7 requires both Adobe Acrobat(r) and Distiller(r) to be installed on your system.
PrintStreamer (Mac OS only) Print Technologies This printing technology sends two separate files to the RIP, one master file and one with variable data. Print dialog box settings 1. Use OPI, don't spool images Print Technology specific settings 1. 2. 3.
VIPP Print Technologies VIPP is an acronym for Variable data Intelligent PostScript Printware. The output of this technology consists of a PostScript stream in which reusable images occur only once. The main difference between VIPP and Optimized PostScript is that images are cached using a proprietary VIPP specific mechanism instead of PostScript forms. The cached images are stored in print ready format. Print Technology specific settings 1.
Page Setup Printing your document The Page Setup of your document, allows you to specify which printer to print to, the paper size, source, and other characteristics of your print media. The settings in the Print dialog are applied to the current print job only, but the settings in the Page Setup dialog will be stored in your document file. You can specify a different Page Setup for each layout, but you can only send layouts to one printer.
Subset Finishing Printing your document About subset finishing Subset finishing is the process of applying a finishing option (such as stapling or binding) to each subset in a print job. PrintShop Mail defines a subset as a set of pages belonging to the same record. If you are not using layout repetition or layout conditioning, the number of pages in each subset will equal the number of layouts in your document.
Automated Printing Automated Printing Overview Printing a Document About automated printing PrintShop Mail allows you to automate certain tasks, such as opening and printing documents. Windows When you right click on a PrintShop Mail document file in a Windows Explorer window, you will notice that the menu contains the submenu Print. You can print the document without starting PrintShop Mail, and you can drag a PrintShop Mail document to a specific printer.
Command Line Arguments (Windows only) Automated Printing You can order PrintShop Mail to perform certain actions by specifying them on the command line. Supported command line arguments Argument -p -pt -db Description Filename of a PrintShop Mail document. Example: Mailing November.psmd Prints the specified document to the default printer. Example: Mailing November.psmd -p Prints the specified document to a specific printer, enclosed in quotes. Example: Mailing Novembert.
Extended Scripting (Windows only) Automated Printing Extended Scripting is a fast and flexible way of automating your print jobs. This feature allows you to print any PrintShop Mail document, combined with any database to any printer. You can even schedule an Extended Scripting job on a certain date and/or time where your printer is usually idle. You specify a certain action, or a range of actions, in a plain text file and tell PrintShop Mail to use that file by adding it to a shortcut: 1.
Print Technology Standard PostScript Optimized PostScript AHT Creo VPS FreeForm FreeForm2 PPML PPML/VDX VIPP Script Value SetPrintTech Standard SetPrintTech Optimized SetPrintTech AHT SetPrintTech VPS SetPrintTech FreeForm SetPrintTech FreeForm2 SetPrintTech PPML SetPrintTech PPMLVDX SetPrintTech VIPP How do I create an Extended Scripting job? You create an extended scripting job by following the next steps: 1. Create a PrintShop Mail document and save it, for example "ScriptTest.psmd". 2.
DatabaseOpen ThirdDatabase.XLS FilePrintTo Printer2 FileOpen Document2.psmd FilePrint FileExit This opens the PrintShop Mail document "ScriptTest.psmd" and prints records 5 to 10 to the default printer. When this is finished, it opens the database "AnotherDatabase.MDB" and records 10 to 15 are printed to the default printer. Then, the database "ThirdDatabase.XLS" is opened and all records are printed to printer "Printer2". Eventually, the PrintShop Mail document "Document2.
Result: Three records will be printed. Or, you want to print all records where the [GENDER] equals 'F' OR where [CITY] does not equal 'Washington': DatabaseFilter [GENDER] = 'F' OR [CITY] <> 'Washington' Result: Three records will be printed These are just three examples of a database filter. You can create very advanced and powerful database filters. Please refer to your SQL manual or an online resource for advanced examples.
DDE (Windows only) Automated Printing DDE Dynamic Data Exchange is a more flexible way to automate printing than using command line arguments, but it requires knowledge of a programming language that supports DDE, such as Visual Basic or C++. Please refer to the Win32 API documentation to learn how to establish a DDE connection. To connect to the PrintShop Mail DDE Server, make sure PrintShop Mail is running and open a DDE-connection to server "PrintShopMail6". Visual C++ 6.0 // include "ddeml.
HotFolder (Mac OS only) Automated Printing This feature allows more than one user to "drop" their database files and/or documents into the "HotFolder", causing a print job to start without further interaction (and without even needing access to the PrintShop Mail program from their computers). Initializing the HotFolder 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. From the PrintShop Mail menu, select Preferences and click on the options group "HotFolder". In the let pane, click on the HotFolder icon.
Document Fundamentals Item Properties Properties Window Document Fundamentals The Properties Windows The Properties window is the part of the PrintShop Mail screen that shows the properties of the currently selected object. You can hide the Properties window to see more of the layout, by double clicking on "Properties", "Layouts", "Variables", Data Fields", "Warnings", or "Verification Results" panel.
Option Layout Name Layout Size Description Width Height Paper Size Description Width Height Paper Tray Action Number of copies Description Name of the selected layout. Size of the selected layout. More information about this topic , can be found in Specify the Layout Size. Select a standard size: Fit to Page (Default), Fit to Objects, Custom Size, A3, A4, A5, B5, US Letter, US Legal. Enter custom width. This setting is editable if you select "Custom Size". Enter custom height.
Selecting a variable will show the format category in the Properties panel, this can be: • Text • Number • Date • Currency • E-mail Detailed information about how to format variables, can be found in Formatting Variables. Data Fields Panel The Data Fields panel will show the field names , database name of the opened database and the number of records it contains. The entries you will find in the Data Fields panel in PrintShop Mail, represent data fields that occur in the document.
Warnings Panel While you are working, PrintShop Mail will dynamically check for any possible errors on the layout and will display any occurring errors in the Warnings panel. Verification Result Panel When you select from the Layout menu, Verify Document, a progress bar will be displayed, showing the amount of records being checked. The warnings for the whole document will be listed in the Verification Result panel.
Properties Panel Document Fundamentals You can change the properties for any object in the Properties Panel These properties are grouped as follows: Object This item apply to the name of the selected object Option Name Description The unique name that identifies an object. The following limitations apply to "objects name": • No white spaces leading or trailing. • Maximum 255 characters. • Not editable when multiple objects are selected. Content These items describe the properties of the object.
(text box only) Vertical Layout (text box only) "Yes", will remove all those empty lines. The option "Only in variables" removes empty lines that appear in variables, but not empty lines in between variables. This setting is specifically designed for vertical text with Asian characters which need to be printed vertically, other characters will simply be rotated 90°. This feature is supported under Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista.
PDF Page Properties Document Fundamentals To specify PDF page properties Windows 1. 2. Click on the object representing the PDF. In the Properties panel specify the properties.
Mac OS 1. 2. 3. Double click on the object representing the PDF, or from the Item menu select Show Object Properties. Alternatively right click on the object and select from the menu Show Object Properties. Specify the Properties. Click OK. Specify the name of the PDF object. Set this option... Name To specify... The unique name that identifies an object. Specify the PDF image attributes settings in the Content Box Set this option... Filename Page Number 100 To specify...
Specify the position settings in the Bounding Box Set this option... Lock Position To specify... Locks the position, size and rotation attributes of this object. Left (Windows) X-position (Mac OS) Top (Windows) Y-position (Mac OS) Width Height Fill Color The horizontal offset from the top-left corner of your layout to the top-left corner of the object. The vertical offset from the top-left corner of your layout to the top-left corner of the object. The object width. The object height.
Image Properties Document Fundamentals To specify image properties Windows 1. 2. 102 Click on the object representing the image. In the Properties panel specify the properties.
Mac OS 1. 2. 3. Double click on the image object, or from the Item menu, select Show Object Properties. Alternatively right click on the image object and select from the menu Show Object Properties. Specify the properties. Click OK. Object This item apply to the name of the selected object Set this option... Name To specify... The unique name that identifies an object.
The following limitations apply to "objects name": • No white spaces leading or trailing. • Maximum 255 characters. • Not editable when multiple objects are selected. Specify the image attributes settings in the Content Box Set this option... Alignment horizontal Alignment vertical Scale (Windows) Clipping (Mac OS) Image Filename Image Folder Search Subfolders Two Color (Windows only) To specify... Horizontal alignment of the images (Left, Centered, Right).
Specify the appearance settings in the Border Box Set this option... Border Size Border Color Border Style (Windows Only) Fill Color Rotation Anchor To specify... Size of the border around the object frame, in pixels. You can choose from hairline width, or a pixel width (1-12px). You can also create a Custom Size. The color of the border around the object frame. You can choose one of the standard colors, or create your own custom RGB, CMYK, Gray or Spot color for the border.
Text Properties Document Fundamentals To change text properties Windows 1. 2. Click on the text object. In the Properties panel, specify the properties. Mac OS 1. 2. 106 From the Item menu, select Show Object Properties. Alternatively right click on the text object and select from the menu Show Object Properties. Specify the properties.
3. Click OK. Object This item apply to the name of the selected object Set this option... Name To specify... The unique name that identifies an object. The following limitations apply to "objects name": • No white spaces leading or trailing. • Maximum 255 characters. • Not editable when multiple objects are selected.
which need to be printed vertically, other characters will simply be rotated 90°. This feature is supported under Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista. MAC OS The "Remove Empty Lines" feature can be switched on using a checkbox in the Expression Editor Window. Specify position settings in the Bounding Box Set this option... Lock Position Left (Windows) X-position (Mac OS) Top (Windows) Y-position (Mac OS) Width Height Snap Frame to Content (Windows Only) To specify...
Printing Set this option... Print To specify... Specifies whether the object will be printed or previewed only.
Formatting Text Text Style Document Fundamentals About text styles Windows You can change the text style (for example, font name, size, color, and style properties) of any part of the text in a text object. The text style of a variable depends on the style of the first delimiter, the character marking the beginning of a variable.
Mac OS You can use the Text Formatting toolbar or the Font Panel to select the font family and typeface. Other options you can specify from the Text Formatting toolbar or the Font Panel are to add underlining, Strikethrough lines, or apply shadows to text. You can also set the background color and even adjust the spacing and alignment of text documents. To apply a text style to all paragraphs in one of more text objects 1. 2. Select the objects one by one.
Paragraph Style Document Fundamentals About paragraph styles A paragraph is a contiguous range of characters sharing formatting properties such as: • Alignment • Margins • Indentation • Tab stops • Formatting marks • Copy Fitting Paragraphs are separated by carriage returns. To start a new paragraph, press ENTER while you are typing text. To align text To apply alignment to all paragraphs in one or more text objects: 1. Select the objects. 2.
Text direction To apply Right to Left text direction. 1. Double click in the text box to enter in Edit mode. 2. In the Text Formatting toolbar, click on the Right to Left button. Windows About tab stops Tab stops enable you to line up text to the left, right or center. You can select the following tab stops: Left Tab Text extend to the right from the tab stop. Center Tab Text is centered at the tab stop.
Formatting marks PrintShop Mail enables you to control whether formatting marks are hidden or visible in text objects. Formatting marks are newlines, tabs, and spaces. By default, after starting PrintShop Mail, all formatting marks will be hidden. You can tell PrintShop Mail to show formatting marks by selecting from the View menu Formatting Marks, or by using the button "Show or Hide Formatting Marks" on the View toolbar. This works as a toggle for all text objects.
To change default tab stop positions: You can set margins, paragraph indentation, and text tabs by using the ruler in the edit mode of the text box. There are four kinds of tab stops and two types of margins, each indicated by a differently shaped icon: • A right facing triangle indicates a tab stop at which text will be left justified. • A diamond indicates a tab stop at which text will be centered. • A left facing triangle indicates a tab stop at which text will be right justified.
Layout Basics Layout Basics Document Fundamentals About layouts A PrintShop Mail document can consist of multiple layouts. To insert a layout From the Layout menu, select Insert. Now you can insert, remove, move or duplicate layouts. To track the layouts in your current document Windows Select the layout in the Layouts panel, or from the View toolbar browse through the layouts. Mac OS From the Window menu, select Show Document Layouts, or from the document layout toolbar browse through the layouts.
To duplicate a layout Windows 1. 2. Go to the layout which needs to be duplicated. To do this, from the View toolbar select the layout. From the Layout menu, select Duplicate. Alternatively, in the Layouts panel, right click on the layout you want to duplicate and from the submenu select Duplicate. Mac OS 1. 2. Go to the layout which needs to be duplicated. From the Layout menu, select Duplicate.
Guide Lines Document Fundamentals About guide lines Guide lines are non printing grid lines to help you to arrange and position objects. Moving or resizing objects to within a certain distance of a guide line causes the selection to snap to the line. To add a guide line 1. 2. (Windows): From the Insert menu, select Guide line or left click on a ruler. Use the horizontal ruler to add a vertical guide, and the vertical ruler for a horizontal guide.
Folding Lines Document Fundamentals About folding lines You can use folding lines to determine where to fold documents. Folding lines are printed on the visible part of the document (the part that will remain when the document is cut to the right size, for example they are also printed when there is no bleed margin). Unlike guide lines, folding lines are part of the print output, they are printed on either side of the document. To add a folding line 1. 2.
Bleed Margin Document Fundamentals About bleed margins A bleed margin is a part of your layout that is printed to the edge of a finished page. Once a page is reproduced on press, the bleed margin is removed. In PrintShop Mail, your total layout size (as seen in Size in the Layout menu) includes the bleed margin. To add a bleed margin for each layout 1. (Windows): From the Edit menu, select Preferences or press (CTRL+K). (Mac OS): From the PrintShop Mail menu, select Preferences or press (Command,). 2. 3.
• Page Level: To add bleed margin to the page, the bleed will be positioned around a set of layouts, not between the layouts, thus keeping the layout size the same as before. When applying a Custom size to a layout and the bleed margin selected is at Page Level, the bleed is not displayed at the edge of the paper, but around the set of layouts.
Crop Marks Document Fundamentals About crop marks Crop marks are printed lines that make it easier to trim the document to its finished size after the bleed margin is removed. Crop marks are only printed if the layout includes a bleed margin. To add or remove crop marks 1. (Windows): From the Edit menu, select Preferences, or press (CTRL+K). (Mac OS): From the PrintShop Mail menu, select Preferences, or press (Command,). 2. In the left pane, click the Imposition Settings icon.
Manipulating Objects Selecting Objects Document Fundamentals To select objects There are several ways to select objects. You can: Windows • Left click a single object to clear any active selection and select the new object. • Press SHIFT or CTRL and left click to select multiple objects on the layout or drag a selection box (lasso) around them. • From the Edit menu, choose Select All or press CTRL+A. Mac OS • Press SHIFT and click the objects on the layout. • Drag a selection box (lasso) around them.
Moving and Resizing Objects Document Fundamentals To move objects using the mouse Windows 1. Select one or more objects. 2. Left click on the selection and drag it to the new location. Note: While dragging, the objects will be snapped to any nearby guide line. Mac OS 1. 2. Select one or more objects. Click on the selection, hold down the mouse and drag it to the new location. To move objects using the keyboard Windows 1. 2. Select one or more objects.
Copying Objects Document Fundamentals Windows To copy objects using the mouse 1. 2. 3. Right click and drag one or more selected objects to another location. Release the mouse button. On the menu, choose Copy Here to create duplicates of the selected objects. To copy objects using the clipboard 1. Select one or more objects. 2. From the Edit menu, select Copy or press CTRL+C. Note: You can paste the contents of the clipboard to any layout, even in a separate instance of PrintShop Mail .
Aligning Objects Document Fundamentals To align objects Windows Note: You align the edges of the objects in the selection to the object LAST selected. You can align to the left, right, top or bottom edges of the object. 1. Select the objects which are to be aligned. 2. Select one of the alignment buttons on the Objects toolbar. You can also right click on the selection and select an option from the submenu under Align Edges, or from the Object menu, select Align Edges.
2. 3. From the Item menu, select Align. Select one of the available options from the submenu. Alignment Option Left Edges Right Edges Top Edges Bottom Edges Horizontal Centers Vertical Centers Description To To To To To To align align align align align align the the the the the the selected selected selected selected selected selected objects along their left edges. objects along their right edges. objects along their top edges. objects along their bottom edges. objects along their horizontal edges.
Arranging Objects Document Fundamentals To rearrange objects You can move objects in front or behind each other. 1. Select the object. 2. From the Object menu, select Arrange. You can also right click on the selection and select an option from the submenu under Arrange. 3. Select the appropriate option: • Bring to Front: To move the object in front of all other objects. • Bring Forward: To move the object one position forward. • Send Backward: To move the object one position backward.
Locking Objects Document Fundamentals About locking objects Locking an object, protects it from accidental changes in size or position. The text in a text box remains editable, however. Windows To lock an object 1. 2. Select the object. From the Object menu, select Lock Position. Alternately, right click the object and choose Lock, or from the Properties panel change Lock Position to Yes. To unlock an object 1. 2. Select the locked object. From the Object menu, select Unlock Position.
Linking Text Objects Document Fundamentals About linking text objects Multiple text object can be linked together in order to have text overflow between them. Text objects can be linked within a page, but they can also be linked between pages (Page Overflow). To link text objects 1. 2. 3. 4. Make sure the destination text object(s) to which you want your text to flow towards already exists. Select the first text object.
Anchored Objects Document Fundamentals Anchoring Defines the dynamic relationship between the position and size of two objects. Anchored objects are items, such as images or text boxes that are connected to each other in such a way that a change in position or size of an anchor Master will affect the position and size of any number of anchor Child's.
2. Through the Properties panel -Select the object to be anchored (anchor Child). -In the Properties panel, click on the Anchor property, to expand the Master Object property. -Select the name of the anchor Master object. Note: It is possible to select an anchor Master for one object at the time. When anchoring objects, the object will be highlighted in green if it is a valid anchor Master or in red if it is not. To remove anchoring This can be done in two ways: 1.
Toolbar Reference Toolbars Overview Toolbar Reference Database Toolbar Objects Toolbar Standard Toolbar Text Formatting Toolbar Text Link Toolbar Tools Toolbar View Toolbar 133
Database Toolbar (Windows only) Document Fundamentals About the Database toolbar Click this button... To do this... Go to the first record. Go to the previous record. Go to the next record. Go to the last record. Go to the current record. Display the total number of records in the database. The Total number of records edit box is read-only when a database is open. When no database is open, you can change the total number of records, in the Database toolbar.
Objects Toolbar (Windows only) Document Fundamentals About the Objects toolbar Click this button... To do this... Add or Remove anchor. Align left edges to the left edge of the last selected object. Align right edges to the right edge of the last selected object. Align top edges to the top edge of the last selected object. Align bottom edges to the bottom edge of the last selected object. Rotate the object 90 degrees counter-clockwise. Rotate the object 90 degrees clockwise. Select the fill color.
Standard Toolbar (Windows only) Document Fundamentals About the Standard toolbar Click this button... To do this... Create a new document, based on a blank layout. Open an existing document. Save your current document. Preview the current document. Print the current document. Publish templates to PrintShop Web. Cut the selected object(s). Copy the selected object(s). Paste the selected object(s). Undo the last action. Redo the last action.
Text Formatting Toolbar Document Fundamentals About the Text formatting toolbar Click this button... To do this... Select the font name. Select the font size. Make the selection bold. Make the selection italic. Underline the selection. Select the font color. Left align text. Center text. Right align text. Justify text. Switch the text direction from Left to Right (default) to Right to Left.
Text Link Toolbar (Windows only) Document Fundamentals About the Text Link Toolbar Click this button... To do this... Create Forward Text Link. Break Forward Text Link. Select Previous Text Box. Select Next Text Box. Note: Multiple text boxes can be linked together, with text flowing between them. Text boxes can be linked within a page, but they can also be linked between pages.
Tools Toolbar Document Fundamentals About the Tools toolbar Windows Click this button... To do this... Select the tool. Select the edit text tool. Select the zoom tool left click to zoom in, right click or hold down CTRL to zoom out. Pick a Fill, Text, or Border color based on the RGB values of any pixel on the screen. Place a PDF file. Place a static image. Select the place text tool. Select the place variable image tool. Rotate the selected object to any angle by dragging the mouse cursor.
View Toolbar (Windows only) Document Fundamentals About the View toolbar Click this button... To do this... Go to the first layout. Go to the previous layout. Go to the next layout. Go to the last layout. Specify the zoom level. Show or hide Formatting Marks. Toggle Preview mode. Show or hide the rulers. Show or hide a specific toolbar.
Supported File Formats Supported Database Formats Supported Files Formats These are the supported database formats and associated file name extensions: Database Format dBase Extensible Markup Language Microsoft FoxPro Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Paradox Text Oracle/SQL File Name Extension DBF XML DBF MDB XLS DB TXT or CSV Through ODBC connection (Windows Only) (Windows Only) (Windows Only) 141
Supported Image Formats Supported Files Formats Windows These are the supported graphical formats and associated file name extensions: Graphics Format Encapsulated PostScript Icon GIF JPEG File Interchange Format Tagged Image File Format Windows Bitmap Portable Document Format File name extension EPS ICO GIF JPG, JPE or JPEG TIF or TIFF BMP PDF Note: PrintShop Mail supports LZW-compressed images, including LZW-compressed TIFF previews in EPS files.
Preferences Settings Program Settings Preferences To specify program preference settings 1. 2. (Windows): From the Edit menu (CTRL+K), select Preferences. (Mac OS): From the PrintShop Mail menu (Command,), select Preferences . In the left pane, click the Program Settings icon.
About general preferences Set this option... Variable Markers Measurement in Items without database Interface language (Windows Only) Interface theme (Windows Only) Panels fade out (Mac OS Only) To do this... Specify the characters that delimit (enclose) the variables in your text objects. Select the unit of measurement for PrintShop Mail. Specify the total number of records when no database is open. Specify which language you want to use. Specify the appearance of the application user interface.
Color Management (Windows only) Preferences PrintShop Mail Color Management Color Management compares the color space in which a color was created to the color space in which the same color will be outputted, and makes the necessary adjustments to represent the color as consistently as possible. PrintShop Mail Color Management is designed to accurately display the same on-screen color as the color on the printed output.
The default working space color profiles settings are: RGB: sRGB CMYK: U.S Web Coated (SWOP) v2 Gray: Gamma 1.8 Rendering: Absolute colorimetric For example Suppose you have a colored text box with the following CMYK values: • Cyan: 100 % • Magenta: 0% • Yellow: 0% • Black: 0% These values are an indication of the color intended to be printed, but because of the different monitors, printers, inks, types of paper these values may yield a different color on the printed output.
The colored object will change slightly depending on the chosen color profile, but in the Properties panel the CMYK values for that color will stay the same. Rendering Rendering is the process of converting one color space to another color space. The result of choosing a rendering intent depends on the content of documents and on the profiles used to specify color spaces. Some profiles produce identical results for different rendering intents.
Print Job Settings Preferences To specify print job preference settings 1. 2. 148 (Windows): From the Edit menu (CTRL+K), select Preferences. (Mac OS): From the PrintShop Mail menu (Command,), select Preferences . In the left pane, click the Print Job Settings icon.
About print job preferences Set this option... Print Margins Technology Print report page Send custom error handler (Windows only) To do this... Print Margins are empty spaces all around the page. The margin (top, bottom, left, right) is usually the empty space between where the page is cut and the layout area of the page. PrintShop Mail allows you to make changes to the print margin for all layouts in the document.
Repetition Settings Preferences Note: Use these settings bellow for Multi-up printing. See How to Use Layout Repetition for more information. To specify repetition preference settings 1. 2. 150 (Windows): From the Edit menu (CTRL+K), select Preferences . (Mac OS): From the PrintShop Mail menu, select Preferences . In the left pane, click the Repetition Settings icon.
About repetition preferences Set this option... To do this... Layout Repetition Specify how the actual multi-up is done. The number between brackets indicates the maximum number of repetitions possible with the current layout and print settings. Horizontal repetition: Specify the amount of layouts positioned in the horizontal direction (number of columns). Vertical repetition: Specify the amount of layouts positioned in the vertical direction (number of rows).
Imposition Settings Preferences To specify imposition preference settings 1. 2. 152 (Windows): From the Edit menu (CTRL+K), select Preferences. (Mac OS): From the PrintShop Mail menu (Command,), select Preferences . In the left pane, click the Imposition Settings icon.
About imposition preferences Set this option... Bleed Margin Crop Marks Folding Lines Center layouts on paper (Mac OS) To do this... Specify bleed margin information as follows: None: No bleed margin will be used. Add to Job: To add the bleed margin to your layout, the bleed is positioned around each layout, thus increasing your layout size. Include in Job: To subtract the bleed margin from your layout, the bleed is positioned around each layout, thus keeping your layout size the same as before.
PrintShop Web Settings (Windows only) Preferences Note: Use the settings bellow to fill in the URL and the login account for your company Web Server. See Publishing Documents, for more information about creating and publishing PrintShop Mail documents to PrintShop Web. To specify PrintShop Web Preference settings 1. 2. 154 From the Edit menu (CTRL+K), select Preferences. In the left pane, click the Publish to Web icon.
About PrintShop Web preferences Set this option... Server address (URL) Login (Username and Password) Test Connection... Also publish database To do this... Specify the company Web Server. Specify the username and password assigned by the administrator to log in the company Web Server. If you do not have an account, please contact your Web server's administrator. To establish a connection with the publication server. To add the opened database to the published document.
PlanetPress Suite (Windows only) Preferences PlanetPress Watch is a powerful printing software for transforming and distributing print jobs from virtually any host. Transforming and distributing print jobs allows for automated local and remote printing, integrated PDF generation for archiving, emailing and faxing.
Set this option... Fax Email PDF Bookmark Archive To do this... Number: Specify the fax number from the data fields of the currently opened database or the variable you created. Description: Specify the description from the data fields of the currently opened database or the variable you created. Number: Specify the email address from the data fields of the currently opened database or the variable you created.
Using Expressions Expressions Overview PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide About expressions in PrintShop Mail Expressions allow you to manipulate text and data from the database. They also allow you to add conditions to database fields for example, to create a salutation based on a "Gender" field. Here is a valid example of an expression, made up of functions: IF(UPPER([GENDER]) = "M", "Dear Mr" & PROPER([LAST_NM]), "Dear Mrs" & PROPER([LAST_NM] )) The functions used in the example are: 1.
1- Expression Edit field: Allows adding, deleting and modifying the expressions. 2- Expression result: Checks the expression and shows the result if the expression is valid. 3- Favorites: Allows saving the favorites expressions. 4- Components: Shows the functions type by group (string, number, barcode, logical) and the functions that belongs to the group. 5- Functions: Shows the functions list. 6- Open Assistant button: Opens a new Expression Assistant window for that function.
• • • • Green text: String Purple text: Database fields Red text: Logical Dark red text: Variables When the syntax of an expression is represented in italic+bold, this suggests that you need to review the expression. This happens for example when a database field is not recognized. Creating Expressions Once the Expression Editor is open, you can add expressions: Manually: When you create expressions manually, you can start typing keywords which will cause a pop up menu to appear.
In the Expression Edit field you can enter the expression yourself without the help of the Expression Assistant, but if you are not sure about which functions arguments you need to enter, click on the icon next to the function (in this example the PROPER function) to open the Expression Assistant. Another way to open the Expression Assistant is to select the function in the Expression Edit field and double click on it.
To help you to add the correct names of database fields, variables or functions, you can select those items from the pop up menu on the right hand side of the edit box. The result of the function you created here, will be pasted into the Expression Edit field. For example: PROPER ([First name]).
You can see the result of this expression directly on the screen. You can use a function within a function. Selecting a function in the Expression Assistant will open a new Expression Assistant for that function. Finishing the second function will paste the resulting expression into the edit box of the function. For more information about some frequently used functions, go to Favorite Expressions Overview. Variable dependencies PrintShop Mail introduces a concept called "variable dependencies".
2. TRIM(LEFT(@Address@, 5)) Note that the first expression in these two examples looks compact and easy to understand, even though the expression of variable "Title" can be quite complex, perhaps containing nested IF statements. Using variable references in expressions may improve readability. If a referenced variable does not exist, PrintShop Mail will automatically create a new variable with the appropriate name and an empty expression. This new variable is not yet linked to an object.
Favorite Expressions Favorite Expressions Overview PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide Here are the most frequently used expressions: • Capitalizing Names • Inserting a Salutation • Creating a Custom Serial Number 166
Favorite Expressions- Capitalizing names PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide If you encounter a database with incorrectly entered data, the fields may appear like this: First Name john theREsa William Last Name abrahams Johnson fremont You want the names to print with the first letter capitalized in every document. Use the PROPER function to achieve this result. For every word, this function capitalizes the first letter and changes the rest of the word to lowercase.
Favorite Expressions- Salutations PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide You can generate salutations with a conditional IF statement. If you have a field in your database that specifies the gender of the person, you can use it to add 'Mr.' or 'Mrs.' to the name. Example First Name John Theresa William Last Name Gender Abrahams Johnson Fremont M F M This example uses the IF function in combination with the "&" operator, which allows you to combine text strings. IF([Gender]="M", "Dear Mr.
Favorite Expressions- Custom Serial Numbers PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide About customized serial numbers PrintShop Mail allows you to create customized serial numbers. You can use these numbers to serialize such items as raffle tickets, coupons or self-mailers. In combination with the barcode functions, you can create serially numbered barcodes. You do not need to have a database to create serial numbers.
Functions and Operators Functions Overview PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide You can use the following functions in PrintShop Mail: Operator ABS AND ASC BLANK CHR CODABAR CODE128 CODE39 CONTAINS COUNTER DATE DIV EAN13 EAN8 FALSE FILE_EXIST IF INT ITF JAN13 JAN8 KIX LAYOUT_COUNT LAYOUT_NR LEFT LEN LOWER LTRIM MID MOD MSI NOT NW7 OBJECT_EMPTY ONECODE OR PAGE_COUNT 170 Function Converts the leading character in to its numeric ASCII value.
PAGE_NR POS POSTNET PRINT PROPER RECORD_COUNT RECORD_NR REPLACE RIGHT ROUND RTRIM SGN SKIP STR TEXT_FILE TODAY TRIM TRUE UPCA UPCE UPPER VAL YuBar Returns the page number at printing. Returns the character position of a searched string in text. Returns 0 if not found. Converts a 5 digit (zip code), 9 digit (zip+4 code), or an 11 digit (delivery point barcode) to a valid POSTNET barcode. Layout action constant. Convert the first letter of each word to an uppercase character, and the rest to lowercase.
Expressions Operators PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide You can use the following expression operators in PrintShop Mail: Operators + * / ( ) < <= <> > >= = "" , .
Barcode Functions Barcode Functions Overview PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide Barcode Basics A barcode can best be described as an "optical Morse code". Series of black bars and white spaces of varying widths are printed on labels to uniquely identify items. The barcode labels are read with a scanner, which measures reflected light and interprets the code into numbers and letters that are passed on to a computer. You must have a reader to read the barcode into the computer.
Code 39 Code 39 is a widely used industrial barcode and is mandated for some automotive industry and Department of Defense labels, because of its ability to represent alphanumeric data. Code 39 is a bidirectional, self-checking, discrete and variable length code. EAN/UPC The EAN (European Article Numbering) and UPC (Universal Product Code) is used through the world to mark physical goods in retail shops.
The PSMFimCodesTt font, used to generate POSTNET barcode, is a special font used by the US Post Office to separate business reply mail from other mail. The FIM font consist of four unique barcodes, each barcode represents a unique reply mail classification. Font Information • Each font name starts with the letters “PSM”. • Some fonts come in human readable versions. • Each font has different densities (thicknesses) depending on printer capability.
7. 8. 176 Select the variable @Barcode@, and pick the barcode font, that is specified for use with the chosen barcode generator. From the Text Formatting toolbar or from the Text menu, select the desired PrintShop Mail font. Adjust the font size to show the barcode at the specified or desired size.
CODABAR Syntax Description Example Result CODABAR(Text, Start character, Stop character, Check digit) Computes a CODABAR barcode. CODABAR("123456", "A", "B", True) Parameter description Text Start character Stop chararcter Check digit The value represented by the barcode.Codabar barcodes can include numeric characters, special characters (-$:/.+) and spaces. One of four special start/stop characters A,B,C and D. One of four special start/stop characters A,B,C and D. True or False.
CODE128 Syntax Description Example Result CODE128(Text) Computes a Code128 barcode CODE128("123456") Parameter description Text The string to be represented as barcode. The full (128-character)ASCII character set can be encoded. This symbology is a very compact barcode for all alphanumeric applications. The full (128-character) ASCII character set can be encoded in this symbology without the double characters found in extended Code 39.
CODE39 Syntax Description Example Result CODE39 (Text[,Check digit]) Computes a Code39 barcode. CODE39("Example", True) Parameter description Text [,Check digit] The string to be represented as barcode. The full (128-character)ASCII character set can be encoded. Optional,True or False. Default value is False. Code 39 (or Code 3 of 9) is the most common barcode in use for custom applications. It is popular because it: • Supports both text and numbers (A-Z, 0-9, +, -, ., and ).
EAN13 Syntax Description Example Result EAN13(Text) Computes an EAN13 barcode EAN13("978123456789") Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. EAN (European Article Number) This function prints the variable barcode for the string using the EAN13 standard, which consists of an 12 digit numeric code. To print the barcodes, a special barcode font is needed.
EAN8 Syntax Description Example Result EAN8(Text) Computes an EAN8 barcode. EAN8("9712345") Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. EAN (European Article Number) This function prints the variable barcode for the string using the EAN8 standard, which consists of an 7 digit numeric code. To print the barcodes, a special barcode font is needed. The EAN8 code is similar to the EAN13 barcode.
ITF (Interleaved 2 of 5) Syntax Description Example Result ITF(Text [,Check digit) Computes an ITF barcode .ITF has the flexibility to encode any even number of digits. If you have an odd number of digits, a leading zero will be added. ITF("1234567890") Parameter description Text Check digit Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. Interleaved 2 of 5 is prone to substitution errors, it is advised to use a check digit.
JAN13 Syntax Description Example Result JAN13(Text) Computes JAN13 barcode JAN13 ("123456789012") Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. JAN (Japanese Article Number) JAN code is most popular barcode for products in the shop. JAN13 is called as standard code. JAN13 represents fixed length 13 digits number. It requires fixed length 12 digits of numeric characters for input. MOD10 check digit is automatically calculated and added.
JAN8 Syntax Description Example Result JAN8(Text) Computes JAN8 barcode. JAN8 ("1234567") Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. JAN (Japanese Article Number) JAN code is most popular barcode. JAN8 is called simplified code. JAN8 represents fixed length 8 digits number. It requires fixed length 7 digits of numeric characters for input. MOD10 check digit is automatically calculated and added.
KIX Syntax Description Example Result KIX(Postcode, Street address number,Country code) Computes a KIX barcode. KIX barcode are used by the Dutch post office for bulk mail addressing. KIX("3842BX", "Daltonstraat 42-44", "NL") NL3842BX Parameter description Postcode Street address number Country code Any text expression or data field containing a text. Any text expression or data field containing a text. Any text expression or data field containing a text.
MSI Plessey Syntax Description Example Result MSI(Text) Computes a MSI Plessey barcode. MSI("1234567890") Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text. Numbers must be provided as text. The MSI Plessey barcode was designed in the 1970s by the Plessey Company in England and is used primarily in libraries and retail applications. This is a numeric only code that stands up well to frequent use. This code is not self checking, a checksum is highly recommended.
NW7 Syntax Description Example Result NW7 (Text, Start character, Stop character, Check digit) Any expression which results in a logical value, example: True or False. NW7 ("123456", "A", "B", True) Parameter description Text Start character Stop Character Check digit Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. Start character. Stop character. Optional, True or False. Default value is False.
ONECODE Syntax Description Example Result ONECODE(Barcode ID, Special services, Customer ID, Sequence no.[,Zipcode]) Computes a ONECODE solution barcode. ONECODE("10","042","123456","123456789",[""]) Parameter description Barcode ID Special services Customer ID Sequence no. Zipcode ID String of exactly 2 characters containing only numeric digits. String of exactly 3 characters containing only numeric digits. String of either 5 or 6 characters containing only numeric digits.
POSTNET Syntax Description Example Result POSTNET(Text[,Street address number]) Converts a 5 digit (zip code), 9 digit (zip+4 code), or an 11 digit (delivery point barcode) to a valid POSTNET barcode. POSTNET("12345-6534","152 Oxford Street") Parameter description Text Street address number Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode.
UPCA Syntax Description Example Result UPCA(Text, System number) Computes a UPCA barcode UPCA("123456789", 0) Parameter description Text System number Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. Numeric expression or data field containing a number which results in a one digit system number (0-9). UPC is the standard barcode for items for sale to the public. It is the code seen on items at the local supermarket. UPCA is a fixed length, numeric only barcode.
UPCE Syntax Description Example Result UPCE(Text) Calculates an UPCE barcode UPCE("123456") Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text to be represented by the barcode. UPCE is ideal for small packages, because it is the smallest barcode available. This symbology contains the same information as UPCA, except that at least four zeros are suppressed. The position and value of the digits is standardized by a grocery industry committee.
Rolan Barcode Function YUBAR Rolan barcode consists of YUBAR. YUBAR is for Japanese postage barcode defined by Postal Services Agency. Syntax Description Example Result YUBAR(Address code, Postal code) Computes a YUBAR barcode YUBAR("1-1-11", "1030013") Parameter description Address code Postal code Any expression or text field to represent the address code. Any expression or text field to represent the address code. YUBAR is Japanese postal barcode named Yusei Customer Barcode.
Layout Functions Layout Functions Overview PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide About layout functions You can use the following layout functions in PrintShop Mail: • Blank • Print • Skip Use these functions to specify which layout should be printed, left blank, or skipped. PRINT and BLANK commands won't influence the amount of printed pages. To edit layout conditions 1. 2. 3. Go to the layout for which you want to change the expression.
BLANK Syntax Description Example 194 BLANK Layout action constant. If your layout condition evaluates to Blank, then the layout will be left blank when the document is printed.
PRINT Syntax Description Example PRINT Layout action constant. If your layout condition evaluates to Print, then the layout will be printed. IF([SALES_REP] = "John", Print, Blank) In this example, the layout is printed when PrintShop Mail finds the name "John" in the "SALES_REP" field of the database.
SKIP Syntax Description Example SKIP Layout action constant. If your layout condition evaluates to Skip, then the layout will be skipped. IF([SALES_REP] = "John", Print, Skip) In this example, the layout is skipped when PrintShop Mail finds anything else but the name "John" in the "SALES_REP" field of the database.
Logical Functions Logical Functions Overview PrinShop Mail Expressions Guide You can use the following logical operators to define conditions in PrintShop Mail: • AND • FALSE • FILE_EXIST • IF • NOT • OBJECT_EMPTY • OR • TRUE 197
AND Syntax Description Example (Logical value 1) AND (Logical value 2) Returns True if both and are True. False AND True => False Parameter description Logical value 1 Logical value 2 198 Logical expression. Logical expression.
FALSE Syntax Description Example False Logical constant False (1<10) = False => False The result of the example is "False", "1<10", which is True, does not equal "False".
FILE_EXIST Syntax Description Example FILE_EXIST (Filename) Returns True if the exist on disk. FILE_EXIST([Image]) Checks whether a resource, for example an image file exists on your computer. This function returns "True", if the image exist on disk. Parameter description Filename 200 Filename of file to check the existence of. Any text expression or data field containing a text.
IF This function manipulates the database output without changing the content. Its purpose is to make a conditional selection from the database. Syntax Description Example IF(Logical test, Value if True, Value if False) Gives one of two results depending on a condition you specify. Returns when is True, and otherwise. IF([GENDER]="M", "Mr.", "Mrs.
NOT Syntax Description Example NOT(Logical value) Returns True if is False, and False otherwise. NOT(True)=>False Parameter description Logical value 202 Any expression which results in a logical value, example: True or False.
OBJECT_EMPTY (Windows only) Syntax Description Example OBJECT_EMPTY(Object name) Determines whether an object with the specified name is empty. Returns True or False. OBJECT_EMPTY("Text1") Parameter description Object name Name of the object to check. Checks whether the name of an object exist, even when moving objects backward or forward on the same layout or to another layout. This function can also be called upon via the menu Layout>Skip if Object is Empty.
OR Syntax Description Example Logical value 1 OR Logical value 2 Returns True if either or is True. True OR False => True False OR True => True True OR True => True False OR False => False Parameter description Logical value 1 Logical value 2 204 Logical expression. Logical expression.
TRUE Syntax Description Example True Logical constant True (1<10) = True =>True This example returns "True", because the logical test (1<10) is true.
Number Functions Number Functions Overview PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide You can use the following functions to manipulate numbers and values in PrintShop Mail: • ABS • CHR • COUNTER • DIV • INT • LAYOUT_COUNT • LAYOUT_NR • MOD • PAGE_COUNT • PAGE_NR • RECORD_COUNT • RECORD_NR • ROUND • SGN • VAL 206
ABS Syntax Description Example ABS(Number) Returns the absolute value of . ABS(-2.3) => 2.3 Parameter description Number Numeric expression or data field containing a Number.
CHR Syntax Description Example CHR(Number) Returns the character represented by ASCII index . CHR (97) => "a" Parameter description Number 208 ASCII index of character to represent.
COUNTER Syntax Description Example COUNTER([Start value][,End value] [,Step size] [,Number of positions] [,Leading zeroes]) A counter which by default counts from the first to the last record. Arguments are optional. COUNTER (1,100) COUNTER (1,100, 5, 3, True) COUNTER (1, 100, 0.5, 3, False) COUNTER() Parameter description Start value End value Step size Number of positions Leading zeroes The start value of the counter. Default 1 . The end value of the counter. Default 10000000000.
DIV Syntax Description Example DIV(Number,Divider) Returns the integer quotient from dividing by. DIV (25, 3) => 8 Both may be a floating point number, and an integer result is returned. Parameter description Number Divider 210 Numeric expression or data field containing a number. Numeric expression or data field containing a number.
INT Syntax Description Example INT(Number) Returns the integral part of floating point number . INT(2.78) => 2 Parameter description Number Numeric expression or data field containing a number.
LAYOUT_COUNT Syntax Description Example 212 LAYOUT_COUNT() Returns the total numbers of layouts for the current record of the database.
LAYOUT_NR Syntax Description Example LAYOUT_NR() Returns the current layout number. LAYOUT_NR()=>3 When using layout conditions, the function LAYOUT_NR will respect the SKIP argument. When using PRINT and BLANK, the LAYOUT_NR function will return the number for those layouts.
MOD Syntax Description Example MOD(Input number value, Modulus numeric value) Returns the remainder after the specified number is divided by a divisor. MOD (20, 9) => 2 Parameter description Input number value Modulus numeric value 214 Numeric expression or data field containing a number. Numeric expression or data field containing a number.
PAGE_COUNT Syntax Description Example PAGE_COUNT() Returns the total numbers of pages at printing for this document.
PAGE_NR Syntax Description Example PAGE_NR ([Reset after each record]) Returns the page number at printing. If equals TRUE, the page number will be reset to "1" after each record. PAGE_NR()=>10 Parameter description Input number value True to reset to 1 after each record. Leave empty to increment the page number continuously throughout all printed records.
RECORD_COUNT Syntax Description Example RECORD_COUNT() Returns the total number of records of the database.
RECORD_NR Syntax Description Example RECORD_NR() Returns the current record number of the database. RECORD_NR()=>10 The function RECORD_NR() yields the current record number. It has no arguments and it does not perform any calculations. When no records are filtered out and no BLANK is used as a layout expression, it simply increases 1 at a time.
ROUND Syntax Description Example ROUND(Number, Precision) Returns the supplied number rounded off to the specified number of decimal places. ROUND (1.678,2) => 1.68 Parameter description Number Precision Numeric expression or data field containing a number. Number of decimal places. Numeric expression or field containing a numeric expression.
SGN Syntax Description Example SGN(Number) Returns one of three possible values (-1,0 or 1), depending whether the number is negative, zero, or positive. SGN (-345) => -1 Parameter description Number 220 Numeric expression or data field containing a number.
VAL Syntax Description Example VAL(Text) Returns number in text as data type Number, for use with formulas involving numbers or numeric functions. VAL ("123") => 123 Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text to be converted to a numeric value. You can use this function to convert text fields to fields that hold a value. If you have a text field that holds number characters, you can convert that field so you can do calculations with it.
String Functions String Functions Overview PrintShop Mail Expressions Guide You can use the following functions to manipulate strings in PrintShop Mail: • ASC • CONTAINS • DATE • LEFT • LEN • LOWER • LTRIM • MID • POS • PROPER • REPLACE • RIGHT • RTRIM • STR • TEXT_FILE • TODAY • TRIM • UPPER 222
ASC Syntax Description Example ASC(Text) Converts the leading character in to its numeric ASCII value. ASC ("abc") => 97 Parameter description Text String from which to get ASCII code from first character.
CONTAINS Syntax Description Example CONTAINS(text,Text to find) Returns True if contains, returns False otherwise. CONTAINS("PrintShop", "Mail")=>False Parameter description text Text to find Any text expression or data field containing a text. Any text expression or data field containing a set of characters you want to verify the existence of. Searches for a given text in another given text.
DATE Windows Syntax Description Example DATE(Input date string[,Date string format]) Returns the current date, formatted according to (optional) or the system regional settings. DATE(database field, "DD MMMM YYYY") or DATE("19740227", ""). Parameter description Input date string Date string format Date in "YYYYMMDD" format (Example: 20070206). Enter the output date format. Use the D, M and Y symbols to represent the date.
%M %p %S %w %x %X %y %Y %Z %z Minute as a decimal number (00-59) AM/PM designation for the locale Second as a decimal number (00-59) Weekday as a decimal number (0-6), where Sunday is 0 Date using the date representation for the locale, including the time zone (produces different results from strftime()) Time using the time representation for the locale (produces different results from strftime()) Year without century (00-99) Year with century (such as 1990) Time zone name (such as Pacific Daylight Time;
LEFT Syntax Description Example LEFT(Text, Number of characters) Returns the specified number of characters in the supplied text, counting from the left. LEFT ("Personalized Printing", 6) => Person Parameter description Text Number of characters Any text expression or data field containing a text. Numeric expression or data field containing the number of characters to get. This function allows you to print a number of characters, counting from the left side of the value in the defined database field.
LEN Syntax Description Example LEN(Text) Returns the number of characters in . LEN ("Personalized Printing") => 21 Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text. You can use this function to calculate the length (the number of characters) of the database field. For example, certain ZIP codes or barcodes might need to have a specific number of characters to print correctly.
LOWER Syntax Description Example LOWER(Text) Returns all letters in the given text as lowercase. LOWER ("Personalized Printing") => personalized printing Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text. This function allows you to print the selected database fields in lowercase. For example, if your database is filled out with information in capitals, you could use this expression to amend this.
LTRIM Syntax Description Example LTRIM(Text) Returns the supplied text, stripped of all leading spaces, tabs and newline characters. LTRIM (" 12") => "12" Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text. This function removes extra spacing (at the left side of the word) in a combination of variables (for example, when the database has set a defined number of characters for each particular database field or when a database field is left empty).
MID Syntax Description Example MID(Text, Start position,Size) Extracts characters from the supplied text, starting at the character position specified by start position and containing the number of characters specified by size. MID ("Personalized Printing", 5, 4) => onal Parameter description Text Start position Size Any text expression or data field containing a text. Any numeric expression or data field containing a number (start position to get characters from).
POS Syntax Description Example POS(Text, String to find, Start position) Returns the character position of a searched string in text. Returns 0 if not found. POS("Personalized Printing", " ", 1) => 13 Parameter description Text String to find Start position Any text expression or data field containing a text. String to search for. Position to start search from. This function allows you to search for certain character in the value of a database field.
PROPER Syntax Description Example PROPER(Text) Converts the first letter of each word to an uppercase character, and the rest to lowercase. PROPER ("PERSONALIZED printing") => Personalized Printing Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text. This function allows you to clean up improperly filled out databases or to amend all lowercase or all uppercase information.
REPLACE Syntax Description Example REPLACE(Text, Text to find, Replace with text) Looks for in and replaces every occurrence with . REPLACE("PrintShop Mail", " ", "") => PrintShopMail Parameter description Text Text to find Replace with text 234 Any text expression or data field containing a text. Any text expression or data field containing a text. String to replace occurrences of . Any text expression or data field containing a text.
RIGHT Syntax Description Example RIGHT(Text, Number of characters) Returns the specified number of characters in the supplied text, counting from the right. RIGHT ("Personalized Printing", 8) => Printing Parameter description Text Number of characters Any text expression or data field containing a text. Numeric expression or data field containing the number of characters to get. Use this function to separate field content or create a unique code with parts of someone's name.
RTRIM Syntax Description Example RTRIM(Text) Returns the supplied text, stripped of all trailing spaces, tabs and newline characters. RTRIM ("12 ") => 12 Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text. This function removes extra spacing (at the right side of the word) in a combination of variables. For example, you can use this function when the database sets a defined number of characters for each particular database field or when a database field is left empty.
STR Syntax Description Example STR(Number) Returns the supplied number as data type Text, for use with formulas involving text or text functions. STR (123.55) => 123.55 Parameter description Number Numeric expression or data field containing a number.
TEXT_FILE (Windows only) Creating variable text blocks, such as paragraphs and bodies of letters is easier with the TEXT_FILE function. The ability to read .RTF (Rich Text Format) and .TXT files eliminates the need to copy and paste text strings into Expression logic formulas. Syntax Description Example TEXT_FILE(Filename) Returns the contents of the TXT or RTF file TEXT_FILE("TEST.
TODAY Syntax Description Example TODAY([Number]) Returns the current date, according to the computers internal calender, formatted according to the system regional settings. TODAY() => 20070208 Parameter description Number The amount of days added to the current date. Numeric expression or field containing a number. This function takes no arguments. It returns the current system date (at the time the current record is printed). The date format depends on the preferences defined in regional settings.
TRIM Syntax Description Example TRIM(Text) Returns the supplied text, stripped of all leading and training spaces, tabs and newline characters. TRIM (" 12 ") => 12 Parameter description Text String to remove leading and trailing spaces, tabs and newline characters from. This function removes extra spacing in a combination of variables (for example, when the database has set a defined number of characters for each particular database field or when a database field is left empty).
UPPER Syntax Description Example UPPER(Text) Returns all letters in the given text as uppercase. Use the UPPER function to ensure consistent data entry of such things as state abbreviations or postal codes. UPPER ("Personalized Printing") => PERSONALIZED PRINTING Parameter description Text Any text expression or data field containing a text. You can use this function to print the selected database field in capital letters.
Plugins PrintShop Mail plugins Plugins provide a way to define new types of objects that can be used in PrintShop Mail documents. When PrintShop Mail startup, it will load the plugins. Plugins are located in a folder called "Plugins" in the PrintShop Mail installation folder. When PrintShop Mail is started up, it will check for existing plugins in that folder and if present load them. If the plugins folder is not found, PrintShop Mail will startup without the plugins.
Windows Shortcuts Shortcuts Overview Windows Shortcuts Overview • File Menu Menu New Blank Document New PDF Based Document Open Close Save Save As...
• Database Menu Menu Open Close First Record Previous Record Next Record Last Record • Windows Menu Menu Layouts Variables Database Warnings Verification Results Properties • Action Ctrl + 1 Ctrl + 2 Ctrl + 3 Ctrl + 4 Ctrl + 5 Ctrl + Enter Help Menu Menu Help Topics 246 Action Ctrl + D Ctrl + Shift + D Alt + Up Alt + Left Alt + Right Alt + Down Action F1
Macintosh Shortcuts Shortcuts Overview Macintosh Shortcuts Overview • PrintShop Mail Menu Menu Preferences Hide PrintShop Mail Hide Others Quit PrintShop Mail • File Menu Menu New New PDF based Document.. Open Close Save Save As... Page Setup Print...
• Insert Menu Menu Image File Variable Text Variable Image • Item Menu Menu Lock Position Unlock Position Show Object Properties • Action Alt + Command + O Alt + Command + W Alt + Left Command + Right Command + Left Alt + Right Window Menu Menu Minimize Show Database Show Variables Show Layout Conditions Show Fonts Show Document Layouts Show Warnings 248 Action Alt + Shift + Command + Left Shift + Command + Right Shift + Command + Left Alt + Shift + Command + Right Command + J Database Menu Menu Op
• Help Menu Menu PrintShop Mail Help Action Command + ? 249
License Agreement PrintShop Mail User Guide ELECTRONIC END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR PRINTSHOP MAIL NOTICE TO USER: THIS IS A CONTRACT. BY INSTALLING THIS SOFTWARE YOU ACCEPT ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT. This Objectif Lune End User License Agreement accompanies the PrintShop Mail product and related explanatory materials ("Software"). The term "Software" also shall include any upgrades, modified versions or updates of the Software licensed to you by Objectif Lune.
Objectif Lune Inc. 2030 Pie IX, Suite 500 Montréal, QC Canada H1V 2C8 www.objectiflune.com YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE FOREGOING AGREEMENT WAS INDICATED DURING INSTALLATION.
Trademarks PrintShop Mail All trademarks referenced in this user's guide and the PrintShop Mail application, are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holder. • Adobe,Acrobat, PostScript and all related products are registered trademark of Adobe System Incorporated. • The included Adobe ICC Profiles are copyright of Adobe System Incorporated. • LibTIFF : Copyright (c) 1988-1997 Sam Leffler; Copyright (c) 1991-1997 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
Glossary A Anchoring: Defines the dynamic relationship between the position and size of two objects. Anchored objects are items, such as images or text boxes that are connected to each other in such a way that a change in position or size of an anchor Master will affect the position and size of any number of anchor Childs. It is possible to add more objects (Childs) and make their position relative to the first object (Master) by using the corresponding Top, Left, Width, and Height properties.
L Layout conditioning: Specifying which page should be printed, according to database information. Leading: Leading is the measurement of space occupied by a line of text measured from one baseline to the next baseline. A leading value includes the font size plus the space between lines. O Offset Printing: The most common commercial printing technology in use today. Offset printing applies layers of ink on the page. For each layer, a reverse image of the page is placed on a roller in the printing press.
Index A ABS...............................................................172, 208 Access.................................................................. 143 Acrobat .............................................................. 8, 77 Add Printer ............................................................. 13 Administrative Tools ................................................ 22 Administrator .................................................... 26, 57 Adobe .............................................
KIX ...............................................................172, 175 L Layout Basics........................................................ 117 Layout Conditioning ................................................ 44 Layout Functions.................................... 196, 197, 198 Layout menu .................................................... 49, 54 Layout Repetition .............................................47, 152 LAYOUT_CONUNT.................................................
Specify Spot Colors ................................................. 20 Specify Text color ................................................. 106 Spelling ................................................................ 110 SQL.................................................................. 26, 84 Standard ................................................................ 10 Standard PostScript........................................... 66, 69 Standard Toolbar ...........................................
