
Print Artist
Troubleshooting Guide
revised  12/13/95


Sierra Technical Support provides this documentation as a reference to 
Sierra customers using Sierra software products.  Sierra Technical 
Support makes reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained 
in this documentation is accurate.  However, Sierra makes no warranty, 
either express or implied, as to the accuracy, effectiveness, or 
completeness of the information contained in this documentation.

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THAT THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL WORK WITH ANY OR 
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AND ALL DAMAGE TO OR LOST USE OF COMPUTER 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES
SECTION 3 - IMPORTING QUESTIONS
SECTION 4 - THIRD PARTY GRAPHICS, VIRTUAL MEMORY PROBLEMS 
SECTION 5 - COMMON PRINTER PROBLEMS
SECTION 6 - GENERAL PROTECTION FAULS AND ILLEGAL INSTRUCTIONS
SECTION 7 - UPGRADING PRINT ARTIST
SECTION 8 - OBTAINING A SIERRA PATCH DISK
SECTION 9 - DOS AND WINDOWS 3.1 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS
SECTION 10 - WINDOWS 95 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS
SECTION 11 - IF YOU STILL HAVE PROBLEMS



SECTION 1 - HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

FLOPPY DISK (3.5) VERSION:
REQUIRED 
386SX with 4MB RAM
21MB hard drive space  (compressed 42MB)
MS-DOS 5.0 or higher
VGA (256 colors)
Mouse



RECOMMENDED FOR BEST PERFORMANCE
386DX with 8MB RAM
3MB Extended Memory



CD ROM VERSION
REQUIRED
386 or higher with 4 MB RAM
CD ROM drive
Min. Install: MB (compressed 4MB)
Full Install: 20MB (compressed 40MB)
MS-DOS 5.0 or higher
Windows 3.1 or higher
VGA  or SVGA
Microsoft Mouse or 100% compatible
8,000KB Virtual Memory

SUPPORTS
Black/White and color printers
Laser, Inkjet, or Postscript
9-pin and 24-pin dot matrix printers
compatible with Windows 3.1 or higher


SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES

DOS: 
Insert Disk 1 and switch to the floppy disk prompt by typing A: or B:. 
Then type INSTALL to begin the installation program.  Follow the on-
screen prompts to complete the installation.  

WINDOWS 3.1:
Insert  the CD or disk into the appropriate drive.  From Program 
Manager, click on File, then Run.  In the Command Line field, type the 
letter of the drive followed by :\SETUP.EXE, for example:  
D:\SETUP.EXE  Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the 
installation.

WINDOWS 95:
Insert the CD or disk into the appropriate drive. Click on Start, then Run. 
In the Command Line field, type the letter of the drive followed by 
:\SETUP.EXE, for example:  D:\SETUP.EXE  Follow the on-screen 
prompts to complete the installation.

BONUS CD:
To install, use Windows File Manager to copy some or all of the graphics 
from the CD to your Print Artist directory.  The hard drive installation 
allows you to use other CD's while in Print Artist and will allow Print 
Artist to run faster on your system.  To install the Bonus CD do the 
following:

1. Use Windows File Manager or Explorer to open your CD-ROM drive 
and the Graphics subdirectory.  Mark the names of graphics (GFX) 
files that you want to copy and drag the files to the desired location. 
To mark the names individually, click on the first graphic file, hold 
down your Control key (CTRL), and click on the next graphic you 
want to copy.  Continue holding down the Control Key until all your 
selections are highlighted.  If you want to select all the graphics at 
once, highlight the first graphic on the screen,  hold down the Shift 
key.  Click on the last graphic listed.  This will highlight all the 
graphics on the CD. Drag the files to the desired location.
2. On the copy screen type:  C:\PA.  If you installed Print Artist to 
another directory, or drive, substitute those names for the defaults.

To access the Bonus CD without installing:

1. Start Print Artist and open any new document.
2. Double click on FILE, then DIRECTORY SETUP or SET 
DIRECTORIES.
3. For Third Party GFX, type the letter of your CD drive and  the 
\GRAPHICS directory.  For example: D:\GRAPHICS
4. After you press ENTER, Print Artist will update the Graphics 
Grabber list and index the additional graphics.


SECTION 3 - COMMON IMPORTING QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS

PROBLEM:  When you import an EPS, TIF, or other graphic file type, you 
see a box with a blue X instead of the picture.
SOLUTION:  You should be able to preview the graphic and see it correctly 
both in the Graphics Grabber and on the Print Artist screen.  If you 
cannot, you need to install the Print Artist Patch disk version 2.52 or 
higher.  This upgrade fixes problems with the correct display of imported 
graphics.  Note that Print Artist can import graphics with up to 256 
colors;  16 million color graphics, true color graphics, and 24 bit graphics 
cannot be imported.  EPS and WMF graphics that are too complex also 
cannot be imported.  If Print Artist cannot import a graphic you will 
receive the message that "This graphic contains information that cannot 
be used by Print Artist."

PROBLEM:  When you try to import a graphic file you receive the message 
"Print Artist does not support some data in this graphic file."
SOLUTION:  This message occurs when you try to import 16 million color 
graphics, true color graphics, and 24 bit graphics.  Print Artist cannot 
import graphics that contain more than 256 colors.  Use a drawing 
program or conversion utility to reduce the number of colors in the palette 
of the graphic file to 256 colors.  

This message may also occur if the graphic file uses an unusual form of 
file compression.  Use a conversion utility to save the original graphic file 
without compression so that Print Artist can read it correctly.

PROBLEM:  When you try to import an EPS or WMF graphic file, you get 
the message "Graphic is too complex to be imported into Print Artist."
SOLUTION:   Scaleable graphics composed of objects like EPS and WMF 
graphics cannot be imported if they are too complex.  Complexity refers 
to the file size or the composition of the objects in the file itself.  The 
maximum file size for scaleable graphics is about 60k.  When Print Artist 
imports a scaleable graphic, odd shaped curves and some ellipses are 
converted to polylines with many points. This process may result in a 
scaleable graphic file that is too large for Print Artist to process.  Check 
the size of the problem graphic file.  If it is too big, there are two options. 
Either edit the graphic in a drawing program and make it smaller; or 
export the original graphic from a drawing program in a bitmap format 
such as TIF, PCX, or BMP and import the bitmap file instead.

PROBLEM:  When you export a Print Artist GFX graphic as a WMF 
graphic file and then try to import it back into Print Artist, you receive the 
message...  "Graphic is too complex to be imported into Print Artist."
SOLUTION:  When Print Artist exports a scaleable graphic in the Windows 
Metafile (WMF) format, it must convert bezier curves and ellipses to the 
polygons and polylines used by the WMF format.  Print Artist also 
converts text fonts to complex polygons.  The resulting file can easily be 
much larger or more complex than the original GFX graphic or text and 
cannot be imported back into Print Artist.  You can export a scaleable 
WMF file from Print Artist so it can be re-imported.  Reduce the size of 
the original GFX graphic so it's smaller on the Print Artist page BEFORE 
you export the file.  If you want to export several Print Artist graphics to 
be used together in a single composition, try exporting them separately.  
The last option is to export the original GFX graphic as a TIF or BMP 
file instead.  

PROBLEM:  "Graphics too complex" or "serious problem" messages when 
using Corel scaleable graphics in Print Artist.
SOLUTION:  Some of Corel WMF graphics are  larger than the 64k limit 
that Print Artist uses for processing special effects.  You can export a 
scaleable WMF file from Print Artist so it can be re-imported.  Reduce the 
size of  the original GFX graphic so its smaller on the Print Artist page 
before you export it.  This reduces the amount of detail (or number of 
points) that Print Artist includes in the exported file.  If you want to 
export several Print Artist graphics to be used together in a single 
composition, try exporting them separately.  The last option is to export 
the orignal GFX grahic as a TIF or BMP file instead.


SECTION 4 - COMMON PROBLEMS WITH THIRD PARTY GRAPHICS 

PROBLEM:  Third Party Graphics directory setup takes too long to update. 
SOLUTION:  Two factors contribute to this problem.  The first is system 
configuration.  Print Artist provides third party graphics in two locations 
yet it only allows the user to set path access for only one of those third 
party sources at time.  The second factor is a design problem with the 
Graphics Grabber.  Switching between third party sources is extremely 
inconvenient, confusing, time consuming,  and actually restricts use of the 
product.  The Graphics Grabber rebuilds the graphics database each time 
user switch graphic sources or change the number of graphics.  This 
update process takes minutes on fast machines and more than half an hour 
on a slow 386.  The problem compounds if the user upgrades from an 
older version or if the user buys additional Print Artist Graphics CD's 
from the User Club.  Due to these conditions, there is no solution to speed 
up this process.

PROBLEM:  The Graphics Grabber dialog box is too big for the screen.  
Opening menu boxes may also be truncated.
SOLUTION:  This usually happens with alternate Windows desktops like 
Norton Desktop, Dashboard or Tabworks.  Disabling the desktop and 
using Program Manager instead should correct the problem.  If this does 
not help, then the Windows system fonts have been overwritten or deleted.   
Reinstall the Windows fonts from your original Windows diskettes to 
correct this.

PROBLEM:  You receive a Graphics Grabber update failure or an 
installation failure.  
SOLUTION:  This is caused by not enough virtual memory in Windows 3.1. 
Follow these steps to access and change the Windows swap file:

1. Close all Windows applications.
2. Open the "Main" folder on your Windows desktop.
3. Double-click on the "Control Panel" icon.
4. Double-click on the "386 Enhanced" icon.
5. Click on the "Virtual Memory . . ." button.
6. Click on the "Change>>" button.
7. Type "8000" in the "New Size" selection box, under the "New Settings" 
heading.
8. Select "Permanent" from the "Type" pull down combination box, if it is 
available. If "Permanent" is not available, select "Temporary".
9. If "32-bit File Access" is checked, un-check it.  This should remain 
turned off.  If you have a "32-bit Disk Access" option, leave it checked.
10. Click the "OK" button.
11. Click the "Restart Now" button.

Windows will restart and take you back to the main Windows desktop.  
This procedure should correct the Print Artist errors.

PROBLEM:  Print Artist locks up while the Graphics Grabber is running.
SOLUTION:  Make sure that the Directory Setup for Third Party Graphics in 
Print Artist is pointing to the correct directory and subdirectory to find 
your additional graphics.  Additionally, if you are using the a Cirrus Logic 
VLB video card, change your Windows video driver to the Windows 3.1 
VGA 16 color driver or the SVGA 256 color driver for Windows 3.11. If 
you are using Windows 95, check with your video card manufacturer for 
the correct video driver. 


SECTION 5 - COMMON PRINTER PROBLEMS AND QUESTIONS

PROBLEM:  What printers work with Print Artist for Windows? 
SOLUTION:   Print Artist will work with any graphics printer driver installed 
in Windows (including plotter drivers).  Occasionally, the printer 
manufacturer's most recent driver may be needed for best printing 
performance.  Print Artist cannot work with old "daisy wheel" printers, 
printers that cannot print graphics, or some industrial output devices like 
stencil cutters.

PROBLEM:  The colors on the Print Artist screen look different when 
printed on paper.
SOLUTION:  This occurs because colors on the Print Artist program screen 
are transmitted' colors using the monitor as the only light source, while 
printed colors are reflected off the paper and use the pigments in the ink 
and room light for viewing.  These factors cause us to perceive the colors 
differently. To adjust for this, most printer drivers allow you to lighten or 
darken the overall printout with controls in the Control panel's Printer 
setup.  Additionally, many deskjet and bubblejet printers offer a match 
color' option that simulates screen colors on paper, however, this option 
may increase print time considerably.  

Here's a tip to help you with color selection:  print the sample palette from 
Print Artist using your color printer, and use the printed palette as a 
reference sheet when you select colors.  Then, check the settings for your 
printer in the Windows Control Panel. There may be a slider control to 
adjust for darker or lighter output.  Adjust this output density and print 
out the Print Artist swatch again.  Continue adjusting until you get the 
colors you want.  When you make future color selections, comparing the 
printed color palette with Print Artist's sample palette should help you 
make accurate color judgments.

PROBLEM:  Print Artist takes several minutes longer to print each page 
than your word processor does.
SOLUTION:   This is normal for graphics printing.  Depending on your 
printer type, between 150 KB and 4 MB of information may be sent to 
your printer for each black and white page printed in graphics mode.  
Each color page printed requires 2 to 5 times more information.  In 
addition, 600 DPI (dots per inch) printing requires four times as much 
information than 300 DPI printing.  It can take many minutes to send a 
full page of information to the printer at 600 DPI.

The best way to speed up your graphics printer is to turn off the Print 
Manager in the Windows Control Panel and to print at a lower DPI 
resolution.  Choosing 180 DPI instead of 360 DPI almost cuts the print 
time in half.  If your printer has a proof' mode, use that for testing the 
output.  (Remember that many color printers cannot print in proof 
because color printing requires multiple print passes.)

PROBLEM:  Print Artist takes longer than half an hour to print each page. 
(Windows 3.1)
SOLUTION:  Extremely long graphics print times can occur if Windows 3.1 
is not using memory efficiently.  Open the Help menu in Program 
Manager and click on "About Program Manager".  Make sure that 
Windows is running in 386 Enhanced Mode and that it has at least 8 MB 
of memory available  If these setting check out, try the following steps:

1. Turn off the Windows Print Manager.
2. Make sure you have at least 10 MB of free hard drive space.
3. If you have DOS 6.0 or above, run the DOS DEFRAG utility to fix 
fragmented program files and free up large blocks of hard disk space.
4. Check the Windows task list to see if anything else is active in 
Windows.  To do this, hold down the CONTROL key (CTRL) and 
the ESCAPE key (ESC) at the same time.  If anything other than 
Program Manager is listed there, highlight the click once on the 
program name, then click once on END TASK. Do this for all 
programs until only Program Manager remains. 
5. If these steps make no difference in print times, please call technical 
support while you are at your computer so we can help you examine 
your computer system further.

PROBLEM:  Your word processor prints sharper text characters than Print 
Artist does.
SOLUTION:  Printers run in either character mode or graphics mode.  
Character mode is similar to typewriter printing, it uses solid color text 
and fixed font sizes for maximum sharpness and speed.  By contrast, Print 
Artist uses graphics mode printing for greater custom control and color 
support. Print Artist creates the original page in your computer and sends 
it to your printer in rows or strips of information.  Your printer duplicates 
the strips of information as dot patterns that look like text or pictures on 
paper.  With Print Artist, text can print at any size in any position at any 
angle, not just line by line.  The sharpness of specially designed fixed 
fonts is sacrificed for precise control and the freedom of customized 
layout.

PROBLEM:  On your dot matrix printer, the printed page has thick 
horizontal gaps as though the printer only printed every other line.
SOLUTION:  Choose a different printer driver.  This usually occurs when a 
24 pin printer driver is used with a 9 pin printer or when a color driver is 
used with a black and white printer.  Check your printer manual for the 
name of the correct driver or a "compatible" printer driver.

PROBLEM:  Each printed line on your document is separated by a thin 
white "hairline" gap.
SOLUTION:  If you have a dot matrix printer, you may need a new ribbon or 
to increase platen pressure on the print head.  If you are using tractor feed, 
you can often eliminate this problem by using friction feed (or vice-versa). 
If you have a deskjet or bubblejet printer, you may be running low on ink 
or one of the holes in the print head may be clogged.  Check your printer 
manual for the correct maintenance procedures.

PROBLEM:  Small ASCII text characters appear randomly with the regular 
graphics printing on the page.  
SOLUTION:  This occurs when information being sent to the printer becomes 
corrupted. The most likely cause of this corruption is a bad or intermittent 
printer cable connection.  Many printer cables have 24 pin connectors but 
only 9 or 13 actual wires running through the cable.  This works fine for 
most text printing and graphic font printing, however, if your printer 
supports "handshaking" communication between the printer and the 
program, then a full 24 wire printer cable may be necessary for graphics 
printing.

If you already have a 24 pin cable, try disabling Print Manager.  You 
should also make sure that no print switching device is attached to the 
printer cable.  Both electronic and mechanical switches can cause 
problems with graphics printing.

PROBLEM:   Your printer prints a few lines at the top of the page and either 
stops or ejects the paper.
SOLUTION:   This occurs when the communication "handshaking" between 
the program and the printer breaks down.  This can be caused by using the 
wrong printer driver, a bad printer cable, or the use of a print switcher.  
Since text printing does not require handshaking and graphics printing 
does, problems of this type can exist for a long time but not show up until 
a program like Print Artist is used for printing.  To correct the problem, 
you should bypass any print switchers and try a new or different printer 
cable.  You should also make sure that the printer cable has 24 wires in 
the cable.  Many 9 wire (text)  printing cables are not able to handle the 
special communication used for graphics printing.  

PROBLEM:  Your color dot matrix printer will not print in draft mode.  It 
prints a few lines of "garbage" and locks up the computer.
SOLUTION:  Since most color dot matrix printers cannot print in draft mode, 
use high quality mode instead.  Also, make sure your printer driver can 
support the micro-linefeeds used for color graphics printing and that your 
printer cable has all 24 wires.

PROBLEM:  Your laser printer prints half the sign on one page and the 
other half on a second page.  
SOLUTION:  This often happens when the printer is short of memory.  When 
the printer's memory fills up, it will print only part of the page at a time.  
For 300 DPI printing, your printer must have 1 to 1.5 Mb of printer 
memory free!  To test for a memory problem, reprint the page at 150 DPI.  
If the full page prints, you may need to add more memory to your printer.  
This problem could also occur if the printer memory is filled with 
downloaded fonts.  Restarting the printer to clear its memory of the fonts 
should solve the problem. 

PROBLEM:  With the DOS version of Print Artist, and the new HP 660c, or 
540c Deskjet Printer, you get a big black box when I try to print 
something out, or it will not print.
SOLUTION:  According to HP, the new 540c, and 660c Deskjet printers do 
not follow the standards set down from their earlier printers - they are not 
"backwards compatible" with the older printer drivers.  Since Print Artist 
was developed before these new HP printers, the DOS version of Print 
Artist uses the older drivers. We recommend that you use the HP 550c 
compatible driver for DOS, or that you upgrade to the Windows Print 
Artist program and take advantage of the latest Windows drivers released 
by HP for their printers (including the 660c). Fortunately, HP supplies 
drivers for Windows that use compatible drivers. To obtain the HP 550c 
driver, contact Hewlett Packard.  To obtain an upgrade, see Section 6 - 
Upgrading Print Artist.  

PROBLEM:  Envelopes will not print correctly on your Deskjet printer. 
SOLUTION:  For best results, keep your paper size set to LETTER instead 
of ENVELOPE in the Windows Control Panel.  This will give you greater 
flexibility to position the letter in the printer.  In the Print Artist Printer 
Control Panel, use the Print Options to set rotation to NEVER or 
ALWAYS depending on the orientation you need.  Adjust the percent 
output size so that the image fits comfortably on a single sheet of paper.  
If necessary, use your mouse to drag the image area to the left, center, or 
right positions to  match your printer's envelope feed.  Try a test print on 
an envelopE and adjust the percent size again to allow the print area to be 
as large as needed on the envelope. 

PROBLEM:  Greeting cards do not fit on the page correctly.
SOLUTION:  Greeting card adjustment is a balance of starting at the correct 
position and adjusting the output size.  For most printers this means that 
you will need to test the output as you make adjustments.  Here are some 
tips:

1. The upper left corner of the printout is fixed by setting the top and left 
margins.
2. Adjust the percent output size so the top and left margins are smaller 
than the right and bottom margins.
3. Increase the top or left margins to shift the overall image until the 
opposite margins are even.
4. If you need to enlarge the overall output, reduce the top and left 
margins first and then increase the percent size.
5. After printing, you may want to reset the print area values to their 
defaults.  To do this, go to Setup in the Print Artist Print Control Panel.  
Select your printer driver.  Click on OK and go to Print 
Options/Configuration and reset Margins to Symmetrical.  When you 
click on OK the Percent size should reset itself.  

PROBLEM: Greeting cards have a large top margin. 
SOLUTION:  Large top margins may be caused by the automatic paper 
advance feature found in many Citizen GSX printers.  It may be necessary 
to disable this feature through the printer's own menu or to back roll the 
paper to the top of the page. An updated Windows printer driver from 
Citizen may also allow you to disable the feature from inside Windows - 
you should contact Citizen to see if they have updated drivers for your 
printer.  Also see above solution for tops on greeting card alignment.

PROBLEM:  When printing banners, large gaps appear between pages.  Or, 
Print Artist double prints about 1/2 of an inch of each printed page.
SOLUTION:   On dot matrix printers, a banner should print like on 
continuous page.  If it does not, a large unprinted gap may appear 
between each page.  This is perforation skipping and can be overcome on 
many dot matrix printers by changing settings in Print Artist Printer 
Control Panel.  Some Citizen printers have a hard coded perforation skip 
built into the printer and it cannot be overcome.  For most dot matrix 
printers, change the following settings in the PA

Print Control Panel. 

1. Under Print Area, make sure no items are checked.
2. Under Print Configure or (Print Options on PA2.5) make sure that 
Margins are set to Minimal, Rotation set to Automatic, and that no 
miscellaneous items are marked.
3. If the settings in 1 and 2 are not enough, under Print Setup choose Cut 
Sheet on Tractor in the Paper Source area.

*Note-Some Citizen printers have the Page Breaks hard coded into the 
printer and no settings changes will allow continuous banner printing! If 
you have a problem with perforation skipping when using the Epson 2550 
driver, check its version number and make sure you have the latest one.  
The latest Epson 2550 driver from Microsoft (which is Universal Printer 
Driver V3.1.4, Epson LW 2550, v2.11) doesn't have this problem, and it 
also supports 360 x 360 printing. If you are using a Citizen GSX 140 
printer, you should use the latest Epson 2550 driver instead of the usual 
Citizen driver.

Print Artist does not automatically support nonstandard (not 8.5 x 11) 
tractor feed paper sources (for example, continuous business card or 
phone index card stock).  If you are able to fit more than one business 
card on a standard size document, you might have luck manually aligning 
them to fit the cardstock you are using.  Often, special stock length is 
evenly divisible by 11 inches, so you could fool the program into thinking 
it is dealing with regular tractor-feed paper and get the job done.

PROBLEM:  You cannot print multiple copies of a sign while using a Canon 
BJC 600.
SOLUTION: The most common Windows 3.1 printer driver for the Cannon 
BJC 600 has a problem that prevents it from printing more than one copy 
of a graphics page at a time.  To bypass the problem, exit Print Artist.  
Go to the MAIN group and open Control Panel.  Open printers and 
choose setup for the Cannon BJC 600.  Change Media Type from Plain 
Paper to Other paper.  Click on OK and close the Control Panel.  Print 
Artist should then print correctly.  You may also want to call the printer 
manufacturer and get the latest windows printer drivers.

PROBLEM:  You receive a Print Overrun error when printing.
SOLUTION:  This is a printer memory error. First, make sure there are no 
other active programs running in Windows, including screen savers, 
reminder programs, and Print Manager.  Then, turn on Page Protection in 
Windows Printer Setup. (Your printer manual contains instructions on 
Printer Setup.)  Make sure your printer setup correctly identifies how 
much memory your printer contains.  Finally, contact the printer 
manufacturer to ensure that your printer driver is the latest Windows 
printer driver available.  


SECTION 6 - GENERAL PROTECTION FAULTS AND ILLEGAL INSTRUCTIONS

PROBLEM: "General Protection Fault in Module ... " The module name will 
vary. (Windows 3.1)
SOLUTION:  A General Protection Fault (GPF) is usually caused by a 
memory conflict.  Make sure that there are no other Windows programs 
running; disable all screen savers, virus scans, etc.

If you are using an alternate Windows desktop (PC Tools, Dashboard, 
Packard Bell Navigator, etc.), use plain Program Manager instead.   One 
quick way to do this is to type "WIN PROGMAN" to start Windows 
using the regular Program Manager rather than the alternate desktop shell. 
If you have sound-related Windows programs installed (IconHearIt, 
SoundBits, etc.), make sure they are disabled before starting the program.

You should also make sure that you are running Windows in 256 colors. 
Running in less or more colors can cause errors of this type. To check, 
double-click on Windows Setup in the Main program group.  If the 
Display line reads "VGA" or "16 color," you will need to change to a 
driver that supports 256 colors.  "VGA" is a default Windows video 
driver that only supports 16 colors and will not work well with Print 
Artist. 

If you've never changed or updated video drivers in Windows, contact the 
video card manufacturer, refer to the video card manual, or ask a 
technically inclined friend to walk you through  this. To change video 
drivers, in the Main group in Program Manager, double- click on 
Windows Setup icon, then pull down the Options menu, then select 
Change System Settings. Open the Display pulldown box to see the list of 
video drivers that are currently available.  Choose "Other Display".  You 
may be asked to insert your original Windows disks during this process. If 
you do not have an appropriate 256 color video driver, contact the video 
card manufacturer to obtain their latest Windows video drivers. 

Warning: Be cautious when changing video drivers!  If you choose one 
that is not designed for your particular video card, Windows will not 
display properly.  If this occurs, change to your Windows directory, type 
SETUP, and choose the "VGA" driver again.  You should contact your 
video card manufacturer for the correct driver.  For complete information, 
consult your video card documentation.
Old and outdated video and sound drivers may be at fault.  You should 
contact your video and sound card manufacturers to make sure that you 
have the latest version of their Windows drivers. 

A Windows boot disk also helps with GPFs.  Instructions for creating a 
boot disk are at the end of this document.  GPFs can also be caused by 
outdated or incompatible sound or video drivers.  If the above steps do not 
solve the GPF for you, contact your video and sound card manufacturers 
to obtain the latest versions of their Windows drivers.

PROBLEM: While running Print Artist in Windows 95, you receive a 
message saying "This program has performed an illegal Instruction...".
SOLUTION: An "Illegal Instruction" in Windows 95 is similar to a General 
Protection Fault in Windows 3.1 and occurs for the same reasons. 
Therefore, the solutions are similar as well. First, make sure that you are 
not running any Windows programs other than Print Artist. Programs like 
screen savers and virus detection programs should be disabled. If you are 
using an alternate Windows desktop (PC Tools, Dashboard, Packard Bell 
Navigator, etc.), use the default Windows 95 desktop instead. If you have 
sound-related Windows programs installed (IconHearIt, SoundBits, etc.), 
make sure they are disabled before starting the program. 

You should also make sure that you are running Windows in 256 colors. 
Running in less or more colors can cause errors of this type. To check, 
double-click on Windows Setup in the Main program group.  If the 
Display line reads "VGA" or "16 color," you will need to change to a 
driver that supports 256 colors.  "VGA" is a default Windows video 
driver that only supports 16 colors and will not work well with Print 
Artist. You should contact your video and sound card manufacturers to 
make sure that you have the latest version of their Windows drivers. 

Windows 95 allows you to disable some video acceleration. This often 
helps with Illegal Instruction errors. To do this, 
click on Start, then Settings, Control Panel. Double-click the System 
icon, choose Performance, then Graphics. You should see a slider bar 
labeled Hardware Acceleration. Lower the bar a notch (slide it to the left), 
then restart Windows when you are prompted and run Print Artist again. 
Continue doing this until you cannot lower the bar any more or the 
problem is corrected. If this corrects the problem, you should contact your 
video card manufacturer to obtain updated video drivers.

You can also free up memory by lowering your CD ROM Supplemental 
Cache Size. From Control Panel, click on System, then Performance, 
File System. Click on the tab for CD ROM. Adjust the slider bar for 
Supplemental Cache Size from "Large" to "Small", then click on OK.


SECTION 7 - OBTAINING AN UPGRADE

Print Artist upgrades are currently available from Sierra On-Line Direct 
Sales.  Call 1-800-757-7707 to order, or call the Print Artist Users Club.  
If you purchased Print Artist 2.5 within 60 days prior to the release of 
Print Artist 3.0, you may upgrade for free.  To receive this free upgrade, 
you must provide a receipt dated within 60 days of Print Artist 3.0 
release.  There will be a $5.75 shipping/handling charge.  If you purchase 
Print Artist 2.5 after the release of Print Artist 3.0, you may upgrade for 
free within 30 days of purchase.  There will be a $5.75 shipping and 
handling charge.

The following table illustrates your Print Artist upgrading options:

YOU WANT        YOU HAVE                V3.0 UPGRADE    YOU RECEIVE               
                                        PRICE

CD              Instant Artist 1.0/DOS  $29.95          PA 3.0 CD w/manuals
                Instant Artist 1.0/Win  $29.95          PA 3.0 CD w/manuals
                Instant Artist 2.0/DOS  $29.95          PA 3.0 CD w/manuals
                Instant Artist 2.0/Win  $29.95          PA 3.0 CD w/manuals
                Print Artist 2.0 DOS    $29.95          PA 3.0 CD w/manuals
                Print Artist 2.0 WIN    $29.95          PA 3.0 CD w/manuals
                Print Artist 2.5 WIN    $29.95          PA 3.0 CD w/manuals

Floppy          Instant Artist 1.0/DOS  $19.95          PA 3.0 disk / manuals
                Instant Artist 1.0/Win  $19.95          PA 3.0 disk / manuals
                Instant Artist 2.0/DOS  $19.95          PA 3.0 disk / manuals
                Instant Artist 2.0/Win  $19.95          PA 3.0 disk / manuals
                Print Artist 2.0 DOS    $19.95          PA 3.0 disk / manuals
                Print Artist 2.0 WIN    $19.95          PA 3.0 disk / manuals
                Print Artist 2.5 WIN    $19.95          PA 3.0 disk / manuals
                                                        



SECTION 8 - OBTAINING A PRINT ARTIST PATCH DISK

Sierra currently has the Print Artist 2.53 patch available for v2.5.  This 
patch addresses the following issues:

  General Protection Fault error during installation or when you try to 
set up the Bonus CD.
  The graphic names listed in the Grabber but the pictures are blank.
  Trouble importing WMF, EPS, or windows clipboard graphics.
  A 4MB computer and Print Artist locks up sporadically.
  Print Artist allows you to import graphics that only show as a blue 
box with an X inside.
  Trouble with TrueType fonts in Windows for Workgroups.
  A slow machine and the graphics grabber update takes a long time.
  General Protection Fault in PIXRES.

Note that this patch is for version 2.5 only. There are no patches available 
for version 3.0.

The fastest way to obtain a Sierra patch disk is to download it from one of 
the following online services:  the Sierra BBS (206-644-0112), 
CompuServe (GO SIERRA) or America OnLine (KEYWORD SIERRA).   
You can also request a patch disk be mailed to you by calling Sierra 
Technical Support at 206-644-7697, faxing to 206-644-7697 or writing to 
Sierra On-Line Patch Disks, Dept. 10, PO Box 485, Coarsegold, CA  
93614-0485. 

SECTION 9 - DOS AND WINDOWS 3.1 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the entire instructions prior to 
starting at Step 1. You can skip Steps 3 and 4 if you are not using the CD 
version of Print Artist. If you are using the Windows version, 

STEP 1
FORMATTING THE DISK
To make a boot disk, you must system format a high density diskette in 
the A: drive. This procedure will transfer the "system files" to the disk and 
allow the computer to boot up correctly.  The disk must be in the A: drive; 
the computer will not boot from the B: drive. At a DOS prompt, type the 
FORMAT command as follows:

FORMAT A: /S <ENTER>

If you get a "Bad command or file name" error message, type: 

PATH=C:\DOS <ENTER>

Then retype the FORMAT command above.  If you receive the error 
again, the MS-DOS FORMAT command may not be on your system, or 
it may have been renamed.  Programs such as PC Tools and Norton Disk 
Utilities sometimes rename the FORMAT command to prevent accidental 
loss of data.  If you are using a program of this type, check your 
documentation to find out how to format a SYSTEM DISK, then proceed 
to Step 2. 

STEP 2
LOCATING THE MOUSE DRIVER (skip if using the Windows version)
If you are using the DOS version of Print Artist, the Microsoft compatible 
mouse driver must be loaded into memory with the boot disk. There are 
two kinds of mouse drivers available: those that load in the CONFIG.SYS 
file and those that load in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.  CONFIG.SYS 
mouse drivers have an extension of .SYS (MOUSE.SYS) and 
AUTOEXEC.BAT drivers have either a .COM or .EXE extension 
(MOUSE.COM, MOUSE.EXE).  You must load at least one of these 
drivers, but it is not necessary to load them all. 

If you do not know where the mouse drivers are located on your system, 
the command below should help you locate them.  Type the following at 
the C:\ prompt:

DIR MOUSE* /S <ENTER>

This command will cause the system to search all subdirectories for a file 
called MOUSE.  If the system locates a MOUSE file, it will display the 
path where the file is located.  For example, if the MOUSE.COM file is 
located in a C:\MOUSE directory, the system will display:

Directory of C:\MOUSE
	MOUSE.SYS		55160 	03-10-92	3:10a
	MOUSE.COM		56408	03-10-03	6:00a

If this procedure does not locate a MOUSE file, your mouse driver may 
have a different name; some common names for mouse drivers are 
IMOUSE, GMOUSE and HPMOUSE.  Your should check your mouse 
documentation for the exact file names and how to install them. 

Once you have located the mouse driver, you must copy it to the boot 
disk.  The following example assumes that the

mouse drivers are located in the C:\MOUSE directory as shown above.  
To copy the MOUSE files to the boot disk, type:

COPY C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.* A: <ENTER>

Substitute the appropriate path and file names for your mouse drivers in 
the command above.  After you press ENTER, you should see a message 
indicating that some files were copied.


STEP 3
LOCATING THE CD ROM DEVICE DRIVER (skip if not using the CD version) 
The CD ROM drive requires a device driver loaded in the CONFIG.SYS 
file.  This driver must be loaded correctly or you will be unable to access 
your CD ROM drive. To make sure that the device driver loads correctly 
on the boot disk, look at the CONFIG.SYS on the hard drive and copy the 
driver line from there.  To display the CONFIG.SYS, type the following 
at a DOS prompt:

CD\ <ENTER>
EDIT CONFIG.SYS <ENTER>

The CONFIG.SYS file will display on the screen. Look for the line that 
loads the CD ROM device driver. The line should look something like 
this:

DEVICE=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220
DEVICEHIGH /L:14652 =C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220

The device driver in your CONFIG.SYS may differ slightly from those 
listed above.  Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.  

To exit the CONFIG.SYS, press the <ALT>, <F>, then <X> keys.

If you have a SCSI CD ROM drive, there may be an additional driver in 
your CONFIG.SYS that must be loaded for the CD ROM device drivers 
to load correctly.  Check your CD drive documentation for more 
information. 

NOTE:  If you cannot locate the driver in your CONFIG.SYS file, check 
your CD-ROM drive documentation, or contact the drive's manufacturer.

STEP 4
LOCATING THE MSCDEX CD ROM EXTENSION (skip if not using the CD version)
In addition to the CD ROM device driver in the CONFIG.SYS, your CD 
ROM drive requires MSCDEX, the Microsoft extension for CD ROM 
drives.  If this extension is not loaded correctly in the AUTOEXEC.BAT, 
you will be unable to access your CD ROM drive. To display the 
AUTOEXEC.BAT, type the following at a DOS prompt:

CD\ <ENTER>
EDIT AUTOEXEC.BAT <ENTER>


The AUTOEXEC.BAT file will display on the screen. Look for the line 
that loads MSCDEX. It should look something like this:

C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001
LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 
LOADHIGH /L:14429 C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001

The MSCDEX line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT may differ slightly from 
the ones above. Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.  

To exit the AUTOEXEC.BAT, press the <ALT>, <F>, then <X> keys.


STEP 5
LOCATING THE SOUND CARD DRIVERS
Many sound cards have drivers or initialization lines that must be loaded 
in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS.   Some sound cards that 
require these drivers or initialization routines are the SoundBlaster 16, 
MAD16 and the Aria 16.

At the end of these Boot Disk Instructions, you will find a section labeled 
"Sound Cards".  These tables contain the sound card lines for many 
common sound cards.  Check to see if your sound card is on the list.  If it 
is, you will need to add the appropriate lines to the AUTOEXEC.BAT 
and/or CONFIG.SYS on your boot disk.  If your sound card is not listed, 
you should check your documentation for information on what needs to 
load in the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS. 


STEP 6
CREATING THE CONFIG.SYS FILE
To create the CONFIG.SYS file on the boot disk, type the following at a 
DOS prompt:

A: <ENTER>
CD\ <ENTER>
EDIT CONFIG.SYS <ENTER>

This will display the blank (usually blue) screen of the DOS Editor. Enter 
the following lines:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS 

If you are using the DOS version of Print Artist, add the following 
EMM386 line:
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS 

Add the following lines for both the DOS and Windows versions of Print 
Artist: 
DOS=HIGH,UMB 
FILES=30
BUFFERS=20 

If you're using MOUSE.SYS to load your mouse, add the following line:

DEVICEHIGH=A:\MOUSE.SYS 


If you're using the CD version, add the CD ROM device driver as you 
wrote it down in the "Locating the CD ROM Device Driver" section.  The 
device driver should look something like this:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 

If you need to load any sound card drivers, copy them from the "Sound 
Cards" section now.  The following example lines are for the 
SoundBlaster 16:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\SB16\DRV\CTSB16.SYS /UNIT=0 /BLASTER=A:220 I:5 D:1 H:5 
DEVICEHIGH=C:\SB16\DRV\CTMMSYS.SYS

Save the file by pressing <ALT>, <F>, then <S>.  Exit the file by 
pressing <ALT>, <F>, then <X>.

STEP 7
CREATING THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE
To create the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the boot disk, type the following 
at a DOS prompt:

A: <ENTER>
CD\ <ENTER>
EDIT AUTOEXEC.BAT <ENTER>

This will display the blank (usually blue) screen of the DOS Editor. Enter 
the following lines:

@ECHO OFF
C:\ 
SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM                
PROMPT SIERRA BOOT DISK $_$P$G 
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\SIERRA 

If you are using the MOUSE.COM or MOUSE.EXE file to load your 
mouse, add the appropriate line:

LH A:\MOUSE.COM

If you're using the CD version of Print Artist, add the MSCDEX line as 
you write it down in the "Locating the MSCDEX CD ROM Extension" 
section.  For example:

LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 

If you need to run any sound card initialization programs or load any 
drivers, copy them from the "Sound Cards" section now.  The following 
example lines are for the SoundBlaster 16:

SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 T6 
SET SOUND=C:\SB16
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E 
C:\SB16\SB16SET /M:220 /VOC:220 /CD:220 /MIDI:220 /LINE:220 
C:\SB16\DIAGNOSE /S 

Save the file by pressing <ALT>, <F>, then <S>.  Exit the file by 
pressing <ALT>, <F>, then <X>.


STEP 8
REBOOT THE COMPUTER AND START PRINT ARTIST
Reboot your system by pressing the <RESET> button on your computer 
or by using the <CTRL> <ALT> <DELETE> key sequence on your 
keyboard.  Follow the instructions in the program manual to start Print 
Artist. 


SECTION 10 - WINDOWS 95 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Please read all instructions before beginning this 
procedure. You can skip Steps 2 and 3 if you are not using the CD version 
of Print Artist.

STEP 1
FORMATTING THE DISK
To make a boot disk, you must system format a high density diskette in 
the A: drive. This procedure will transfer the "system files" to the disk and 
allow the computer to boot up correctly.  The disk must be in the A: drive; 
the computer will not boot from the B: drive. 

To format a disk in Windows 95, put the disk in the drive, open My 
Computer, then right click on the A: icon. From the pop-up menu, select 
Format. Under "Format type" select Full; under "Other options", choose 
Copy system files. Click on Start. 

After the disk is formatted, you must copy the MSDOS.SYS file from the 
hard drive to the floppy disk.  To do this, leave the floppy disk in the 
drive, open Windows Explorer and find the MSDOS.SYS file in the root 
of the C: drive.  Right click on the file, then select Send to from the pop-
up menu.  Send the file to the A: drive. 

NOTE:  If you don't see the MSDOS.SYS file in Explorer, the file is 
hidden.  To make the file visible, select View, Options, then Show all 
files. If you do not wish the hidden files to remain visible, you can hide 
them again after you've made the boot disk by choosing View, Options, 
Hide files of this type.

STEP 2 
LOCATING THE CD ROM DEVICE DRIVER
The CD ROM drive requires a device driver loaded in the CONFIG.SYS 
file.  This driver must be loaded correctly or you will be unable to access 
your CD ROM drive. To make sure that the device driver loads correctly 
on the boot disk, look at the CONFIG.SYS on the hard drive and copy the 
driver line from there.  To display the CONFIG.SYS, click on the Start 
button, then choose Run.  In the command line, type SYSEDIT.  The 
SYSEDIT window will appear.  Click on the CONFIG.SYS title bar to 
display the CONFIG.SYS file. Look for the line that loads the CD ROM 
device driver. The line should look something like this:

DEVICE=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220
DEVICEHIGH /L:14652 =C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220

The device driver in your CONFIG.SYS may differ slightly from those 
listed above.  Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.  

If you have a SCSI CD ROM drive, there may be an additional driver in 
your CONFIG.SYS that must be loaded for the CD ROM device drivers 
to load correctly.  Check your CD drive documentation for more 
information. 

NOTE:  If you cannot find your CD ROM driver in the CONFIG.SYS 
file, you may need to look in the CONFIG.DOS file. To access this file, 
choose Start, Run, then type NOTEPAD C:\CONFIG.DOS. If you still 
cannot locate the driver, check your CD ROM drive documentation or 
contact the drive's manufacturer. 

STEP 3
LOCATING THE MSCDEX CD ROM EXTENSION (May be optional - See Note below)
NOTE: If your CD ROM drive has native 32-bit Windows 95 drivers, 
you will NOT need to load MSCDEX.EXE on your boot disk. If you are 
unable to access your CD ROM drive if MSCDEX is not loaded, contact 
your system manufacturer or CD ROM drive manufacturer for Windows 
95 CD ROM drivers. In the meantime, you can use these instructions to 
load MSCDEX in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on your boot disk.

In addition to the CD ROM device driver in the CONFIG.SYS, your CD 
ROM drive requires MSCDEX, the Microsoft extension for CD ROM 
drives.  If this extension is not loaded correctly in the AUTOEXEC.BAT, 
you will be unable to access your CD ROM drive.  To make sure that 
MSCDEX loads correctly on the boot disk, use SYSEDIT to look at the 
AUTOEXEC.BAT on your C: drive and copy the MSCDEX line from 
there.  It should look something like this:

C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001
LH C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 
LOADHIGH /L:14429 C:\DOS\MSCDEX /D:MSCD001

The MSCDEX line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT may differ slightly from 
the ones above. Carefully write down the line for use in your boot disk.  

If you cannot find the MSCDEX line in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, then 
most likely you do not need to load it to access your CD ROM drive in 
Windows 95. Skip this step and continue to Step 4.

STEP 4
CREATING THE CONFIG.SYS FILE
To create the CONFIG.SYS file on the boot disk, choose Start, Run, then 
type NOTEPAD A:\CONFIG.SYS in the command line field. This will 
start the Windows Notepad program. In the new Notepad screen, enter the 
following lines:

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS 
DOS=HIGH,UMB 
FILES=30
BUFFERS=20 

Add the CD ROM device driver as you wrote it down in the "Locating the 
CD ROM Device Driver" section.  The device driver should look 
something like this:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRV\CDROMDRV.SYS /D:MSCD001 /P:220 

Save the file by clicking on File, Save.  Close Notepad by clicking on 
File, Exit.

STEP 5
CREATING THE AUTOEXEC.BAT FILE
To create the AUTOEXEC.BAT file on the boot disk, choose Start, Run, 
then type NOTEPAD A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT in the command line field. 
This will start the Windows Notepad program. In the new Notepad screen, 
enter the following lines:

@ECHO OFF
C:\ 
SET COMSPEC=C:\COMMAND.COM 
PROMPT SIERRA BOOT DISK $_$P$G 
PATH=C:\;C:\DOS;C:\SIERRA 

If your CD ROM drive requires the MSCDEX CD-ROM extension, add 
the line loading MSCDEX that you wrote down in Step 3

Save the file by clicking on File, Save.  Close Notepad by clicking on 
File, Exit.

STEP 6
REBOOT THE COMPUTER AND RUN THE PROGRAM
Leave the disk in the drive and restart the computer by clicking on Start, 
Shut Down., then Restart the computer. The computer will now re-boot 
with the boot disk.  When Windows 95 restarts, start Print Artist.


SECTION 11 - IF YOU STILL HAVE PROBLEMS

If you continue to experience problems, or if you have any questions 
concerning any of the above steps, Sierra Technical Support will be happy 
to assist you.  You can reach Technical Support at (206) 644-4343 
between 8:15 am and 4:45 pm, Monday through Friday.  We can also be 
reached by fax at (206) 644-7697 or by mail at the following address:

Sierra On-Line Technical Support
PO Box 85006
Bellevue, WA  98015-8506

In Europe, please contact our office in England. The Customer Service 
number is (44) 1734-303171, between 
9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.   The BBS number is (44) 
1734-304227 and the fax number 
is (44) 1734-303201.  Customer Service can also be reached at the 
following address:

Sierra On-Line Limited
4 Brewery Court
The Old Brewery
Theale, Reading, Berkshire
RG7 5AJ UNITED KINGDOM

You can also contact our Technical Support Team on one of the following 
services:

Sierra BBS		(206) 644-0112 
CompuServe		GO SIERRA
America Online		KEYWORD SIERRA
Internet			support@sierra.com
			http://www.sierra.com

