
	
Print Artist 4.0 Troubleshooting Guide
Revised 4/17/97

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.

SIERRA ON-LINE, INC. DOES NOT WARRANTY OR PROMISE THAT THE INFORMATION HEREIN WILL WORK WITH ANY OR ALL COMPUTER SYSTEMS. SIERRA DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY, EITHER INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL, FOR THE USE OF THE INFORMATION HEREIN, INCLUDING ANY AND ALL DAMAGE TO OR LOST USE OF COMPUTER HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, LOSS OF WARRANTIES, OR LOST DATA BY THE CUSTOMER OR ANY THIRD PARTY. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY SIERRA, ITS EMPLOYEES, DISTRIBUTORS, DEALER OR AGENTS SHALL CHANGE THE RESTRICTION OF LIABILITY OR CREATE ANY NEW WARRANTIES. IN NO CASE SHALL SIERRA'S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE SIERRA SOFTWARE PRODUCT. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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



SECTION 1 - HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS


REQUIRED
* 486SX/33 Mhz or higher microprocessor
* 8 MB RAM
* Double Speed CD ROM Drive
* Min. Install: 10MB (compressed 20MB)
* Medium Install: 20 MB (compressed 40MB)
* Full Install: 67MB (compressed 134MB)
* Windows 3.1x or higher
* SVGA display (256 colors at 640x480 resolution)
* Microsoft Mouse or 100% compatible
* 12,000 KB Virtual Memory

RECCOMENDATIONS
* Pentium 
* 16 MB RAM
* 4x CD ROM Drive
* Windows 95
* Display of 800x600x16 bit true color or 16 million colors






SECTION 2 - INSTALLATION PROCEDURES AND ISSUES

WINDOWS 3.1:
Insert the CD 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 into the appropriate drive and wait for Autoplay to start.  Alternatively you can 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.

When installing on a Windows 95 system, you should make sure you are using compatible 32-bit Windows 95 CD-ROM drivers for Windows 95.  If you are using 16-bit real mode drivers, you may encounter error messages.

Font Installation:
During Print Artist's installation, Setup will ask you to select a Small, Medium or Large Font installation.  A small Font installation will load 22 fonts, a Medium Font installation includes 150 fonts and al Large Font installation loads all 300 fonts.  Please note that the more fonts you have installed on your system the longer your computer will take to start Windows.  Also, extra fonts in Windows 3.1 will take up more system memory because Windows 3.1 pre-loads the fonts.

Problem: When starting Print Artist first time system seems to hang on Sierra Home title screen.
Solution: On some systems there will be a 2 minute delay the first time that Print Artist 4.0 is launched while it updates  the graphics grabber.  The next time that the program is launched there will be no delay on the opening screen.

Problem: During installation you receive the error that '_system.gfx could not be found'.
Solution: Click 'Cancel' to continue.  If this happens when starting Print Artist, close the program then click on the Start button, then on Programs, select MS-DOS Prompt then click OK.  If you are using windows 3.1 you will want to exit windows to DOS.  In DOS type in these commands exactly (hit the enter key where you see <enter>):

c: <enter>	   (If you installed Print Artist 4.0 to a different hard drive then substitute the c: with that driver letter.)
cd \sierra\prtartst <enter>
del _system.gfx <enter>
del pixres.csh <enter>
d: <enter>              (If "d" is your cd-rom drive, otherwise replace "d" with your drive letter.) 
cd \gfx <enter>
copy _system.gfx c:\sierra\prtartst

Print Artist should now work properly.

Problem: During installation you receive the error 'DDE Connect 400A'.
Solution: This usually happens when using Add/Remove program from Windows 95's Control Panel.  Instead, install Print Artist 4.0 using the Autorun feature or with the SETUP file on the CD-ROM.  Refer to the installation procedures for Windows 95 at the top of this section for more information. 


SECTION 3 - COMMON IMPORTING/EXPORTING QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS

Problem:  The scanning features in Print Artist 4.0 aren't working well with your scanner. 
Solution:  An easy work around, that often provides better results, is to use your scanner's software independent of Print Artist's Acquire feature. Just scan the desired document into you scanner program and save it to the C:\SIERRA\PA directory if you have chosen .JPG, or to the Windows directory if you have selected .BMP.  Since Print Artist recognizes and actively seeks out .BMP's and .JPG's just restart Print Artist.  You will actually see Print Artist update the JPG or BMP libraries.

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 performs conversions that often add to the size and complexity of the file. To export a scaleable WMF file from Print Artist so it can be re-imported, reduce the size of the original GFX graphic in a drawing program before you export it in Print Artist. Also, if you want to export several Print Artist graphics to be used together in a single composition, try exporting them separately. Alternately, you can 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 original GFX graphic 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: The Graphics Grabber rebuilds the graphics database each time user switches 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 486. The problem compounds if the you upgrade from an older version or buy additional Print Artist Graphics CD's from the User Club because the database that is updated gets larger.  There is no solution to speed up this process.

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

1. Close all Windows applications.
2. Open the "Main" program group 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 "12000" 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 and then the "Restart Now" button.
Windows will restart and take you back to the main Windows desktop. This procedure should correct the Print Artist errors.

In Windows 95, this can occur if you have other applications up and running while you are trying to access Print Artist.

Shut down all active Windows programs in the Task List.  Windows tends to load many utilities and programs automatically when it starts.  To see a list of these, press <Ctrl-Alt-Del>.  The only programs that are required are "Explorer" and "Systray."  For all other tasks, highlight them individually and click on the "End Task" button.

Disable alternate Windows desktop shells.  There are many alternate Windows desktops available for computer systems; many of them come pre-installed.  These included Norton Desktop for Windows, PC Desktop, Tabworks, Navigator and others.  Disabling these will free up system resources.  Specific instructions  to disable them will vary by product, so you will need to check the desktop's documentation. 

Check virtual memory settings.  Windows '95 creates a swap file to use hard drive space as a replacement for RAM memory.  By default, the system handles these settings internally; however, if they are manually set problems can occur.  To check the virtual memory settings, go to the Start menu, choose Settings and then Control Panel.  Choose the System icon and the Performance tab.  Select Virtual Memory and make sure that "Let Windows manage my virtual memory." is checked.  If not, check it and click on Apply.  Also, make sure that you have plenty of hard drive space as the swap file can be extremely large.  For optimal performance, try to keep at least 40 MB of free space available on your C:\ drive.

Problem: Print Artist locks up while the Graphics Grabber is running or you get a General Protection Fault error message before or while the Graphics Grabber is updating..
Solution: Make sure that the Directory Setup for Third Party Graphics in Print Artist is pointing to the correct directory to find your additional graphics.  


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: Colors on the Print Artist program screen are 'transmitted' 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. This difference can cause the colors to be perceived 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.  Note, however, that this option may increase print time considerably. 

Try printing the sample palette from Print Artist using your color printer and using the printed palette as a reference sheet when you select colors.  To print this out go in to the program and bring up a document.  Then go to file and select print.  On the Print Control Panel/Preview screen you will see a section called print.  There you will see a drop box that should be set to document.  Change that to swatch and then select print.  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, compare the printed color palette with Print Artist's sample palette to help 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. (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 20 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 and ESCAPE keys <Ctrl-Esc> at the same time. If anything other than Program Manager is listed there, highlight it with the mouse cursor 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.

For Windows 95, try setting the printer properties to spool directly to the printer. Shut down all active Windows programs in the Task List.  Windows tends to load many utilities and programs automatically when it starts.  To see a list of these, press <Ctrl-Alt-Del>.  The only program that is required is Explorer.  For all other tasks, highlight them individually and click on the "End Task" button.

Disable alternate Windows desktop shells.  There are many alternate Windows desktops available for computer systems; many of them come pre-installed.  These included Norton Desktop for Windows, PC Desktop, Tabworks, Navigator and others.  Disabling these will free up system resources.  Specific instructions  to disable them will vary by product, so you will need to check the desktop's documentation. 

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 Windows driver for your printer. 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 graphics 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. 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: 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: This 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. You should also contact Citizen to see if they have updated drivers for your printer that will provide a permanent solution. 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 un-printed 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. 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 Options 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 LQ 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.

Problem: You receive a Print Overrun error when printing.
Solution: This is a printer memory error. First, press <Ctrl-Esc> on the keyboard to determine if any non-essential tasks are running on the system.  Highlight any tasks besides Program Manager and "End Task" them. 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. 

For Windows 95, try setting the printer properties to spool directly to the printer. Shut down all active Windows programs in the Task List.  Windows tends to load many utilities and programs automatically when it starts.  To see a list of these, press <Ctrl-Alt-Del>.  The only program that is required is Explorer.  For all other tasks, highlight them individually and click on the "End Task" button.

Problem: When I print the image is not centered (excluding labels). 
Solution: From Print Artist go to File, Print which will bring you to the Print Control Panel/Preview screen.

Depending upon the document, try clicking and dragging the document on screen, up, right or to the left, so that it will print closer to the correct edge you were having problems with. Now click on OK to print.  If margins are still not correct go to next step below.

Click on the Printable Area button. You will see a Printable Area Test button. Print it out and follow instructions on the print out.  You will be taking the measurements from this print out to fill in the margins TOP, LEFT, RIGHT and BOTTOM.  In order to enter amounts on screen you will need to check the box Use Printable Area Values (only).  Try printing.  The above problem solving is to help Print Artist understand the printable area that your printer can print on using your particular printer.  If it still does not print centered, put a second check in the Use Values As Margins. Now you can adjust the margins accordingly to suit your needs. It is suggested that if you change the TOP margin, also change the BOTTOM margin accordingly. Once you make a change, try printing it.  Keep adjusting the margins as needed until it prints properly. 


SECTION 6 - GENERAL PROTECTION FAULTS AND ILLEGAL OPERATION ERRORS

Windows 95:
An "Illegal Operation" or a General Protection Fault in Windows 95 is similar to a General Protection Fault in Windows 3.1 and can occur for the same type of reasons.  Insufficient memory, conflicts between two or more drivers or programs, or corrupted files can all contribute to GPFs.  Try troubleshooting the problem with the following steps:

1)  Create a Windows 95 boot disk. See Section 7 for boot disk instructions.
2)  Disable any and all other Windows programs (if any) that are running prior to starting the game (this includes all screen savers).  You can which programs are running by hitting ALT-CTRL-DEL.  When troubleshooting you will want to make sure that everything besides Explorer and Systray are closed.
3)  Try running Windows in 256 colors. Running in less or more colors can sometimes cause errors of this type.
To change the color depth of your display,  right-click on your Desktop, select Properties and then click on the Settings tab. Alternately, you can click START, Settings, Control Panel, and then double-click on Display and click on the Settings tab.  The Color Palette listing should read 256 colors.  Sierra also recommends periodically checking with your video card manufacturer to check for updated Windows 95 display drivers.

4) Run SCANDISK on your hard drive by clicking Start, then Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scandisk. Let Scandisk correct any errors, then delete the game and re-install it.  You should also make sure that you have at least 20-30 MB of free hard drive space after installing for Windows 95 Virtual Memory allocation.

5)  Windows 95 allows you to disable some video acceleration. This often helps with Illegal Operation 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, then your display driver may not be working right or there may be an incompatibility between the hardware acceleration of your video card and Print Artist.   You can  contact your video card manufacturer to check for updated Windows 95 display drivers.

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

Windows 3.1:
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 scanners, etc.

If you are using an alternate Windows desktop (PC Tools, Dashboard, Packard Bell Navigator, etc.), use plain Program Manager instead.  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 Print Artist.

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 at least 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 pull down 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 may also help remedy problems 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 and check for updated versions of their Windows drivers.


SECTION 7 - GENERAL ISSUES AND QUESTIONS

Question: "The program is very slow.  Is there anything I can do to speed it up?"
Answer: The first area to check would be to make sure that you have the correct display settings.  The program will run optimally at 16 bit High True Color.  This will help speed things up.  

The second area to check would be the Virtual Memory Swap File Size.  In Windows 3.1, the recommended settings would be one and a half times the amount of RAM on your system.  In Windows 95, it is best to let Windows manage your Virtual Memory settings and to make sure you have enough hard drive space for Windows to utilize.  

See also Section 8 for creating a Windows 3.1 bootdisk and Section 9 for a Windows 95 system disk.  These can help temporarily set your system up for optimized performance.

Question:  I cannot locate some of the graphics in the manual.  
Answer:  In the Graphics Grabber use Keyword and type in the name of the graphic as listed in the manual and scroll through the selections.  If you cannot locate it then type in the Keyword section  "JPEG" and scroll through graphics listing.  For example: Manual page 133 the first Victorian graphic is listed as ANGELS2.  If you type in ANGELS2 and scroll through the graphics listed in the lower box you will not find it.  Now type in JPEG and scroll through lower box to locate ANGELS2

Question: why does the Directory Setup shows only 22 fonts?  
Answer: When you added fonts during install whether 22 or 300, they were added to the Windows directory.  The fonts in the Directory Setup are the Print Artist Classic fonts which total 22 and reside in the SIERRA\PRTARTST.

Problem: "Too many third party graphics" message comes up when the Graphics Grabber is inserting graphics.
Solution: Exit out of Print Artist and hold down the Shift and Control <Ctrl-Shift> keys on your keyboard at the same time. While holding them, restart Print Artist. The Graphics Grabber will find and count all the graphics it can access on your system. Once the Grabber is finished updating, release the Shift and Control keys. If this doesn't stop the message from appearing, create a new directory on your C drive. Move some .GFX files from the Print Artist directory to the new directory. Be sure to set the Print Artist directory setup to read the new location.

Problem: When making a calendar I do not see December. 
Solution: Use the arrow keys to scroll down to the month of December.

Problem: Print Artist will not save designs.
Solution: Be sure you are filling out all fields on the SAVE and SAVE AS screens. After typing in a descriptive name, hit the <Tab> key to go to the next field. Use the left arrow key to move the cursor to the left margin of the File Name field. Type in a file name of up to eight letters. Delete the asterisk. Leave the period and the file extension Print Artist has assigned. Click on OK or press <Enter>. 

Problem: Print Artist is displaying tool bars in odd colors or taking a long time to redraw objects.
Solution: Print Artist 4.0 is optimized for 16 bit color and will perform best with your display set to 16 bit High Color.  This can be done in Windows 95 by clicking on the Start button, then Settings, Control Panel, Display, then click the Settings tab and change the color palette from 256 colors to High color 16 bit.  If you are using windows 3.1 Sierra recommends contacting your hardware manufacturer for help changing your display settings.

Problem: Objects are left on screen after moving or deleting graphics.  Also calendars and some graphics do not fill in correctly.
Solution: Redraw screen (CTRL+R or choose Redraw from the View menu).


SECTION 8 - WINDOWS 95 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read all instructions before beginning this procedure. 

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.

When this has been completed, You have a Windows 95 System Disk.  Leave the disk in the drive and restart the computer by clicking on Start, Shut Down, Restart the Computer.  When Windows 95 has restarted, start Print Artist.



SECTION 9 - WINDOWS 3.1 BOOT DISK INSTRUCTIONS

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please read the entire instructions prior to starting at Step 1. 

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 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>
TYPE CONFIG.SYS /p <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. 

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 3 - 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>
TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT /p <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. 

STEP 4 - 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
STACKS=9,256
SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /E:1024 /P

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 Sound Blaster 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 5 - 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'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 

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

STEP 6 - 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 - OBTAINING A PRINT ARTIST UPDATE

Sierra currently has one update available for Print Artist version 4.0 that will update version 4.0 to version 4.02.  The filename for the update is PA402.EXE. This update addresses the following issues (Please see the readme included with the patch for addition information):

* 
* Avery labels not printing correctly.
* Greeting cards printing off center.
* New categories for JPEG graphics. 
* Updated help files.
* Metric rulers able to use standard paper sizes.
* Conversion tool updated for easier use. 
* TWAIN updates so you can scan images from within Print Artist.
* Redundant Category listings when Regional Settings are set to Metric.

The fastest way to obtain a Sierra patch disk is to download it from one of the following online services: Sierra On-Line's Web site (http://www.sierra.com), 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 Technical Support, PO Box 85006, Bellevue, WA 98015-8506.

SECTION 11:  CONTACTING SIERRA FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE

Sierra On-Line has a full library of help documents available electronically.  You can download them from the following sources:

* America On-Line: Use keyword SIERRA and choose "Software Libraries", then "Troubleshooting Guides & FAQ's"
* CompuServe: Use go SIERRA, choose "The Sierra On-Line Forum", then search the "Help Documents" library.
* Go to our home page on the World Wide Web  at http://www.sierra.com and follow the on-screen information.

Additionally, you can get your document via our automated faxback service.  Call (206) 644-4343, choose to use the automated technical support system and follow the voice instructions provided.  You will be faxed a catalog of all of the documents that we have to offer and you will then be able to get the documents you need.  If you prefer, you can also fax us at (206) 644-7697 with your document request.

If you prefer to get assistance from a technician, Sierra Technical Support will be happy to assist you.  All of the online services listed above are staffed by Sierra technicians.  Additionally, you can send e-mail to support@sierra.com.  A Sierra Technical Support Support request form has been enclosed in case you wish to contact us via fax or U.S. mail.  Simply fill it out and return it to us.  Our fax number is (206) 644-7697 and our mailing address is:

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

For phone assistance, you can reach Sierra Technical Support at (206) 644-4343 between 8:00 am and 4:45 pm, Monday through Friday.  Please try to be at your system or have a copy of a Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD) report from it when you call.

If you are in Europe or have a European version of the product, please contact our office in England. The Customer Support number is (44) 920-9111, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.   The fax number is (44) 987-5603.  Customer Support can also be reached at the following address:

SIERRA ON-LINE LIMITED
2 BEACONTREE PLAZA
GILLETTE WAY
READING, BERKSHIRE
RG2 0BS  UNITED KINGDOM

Thanks for choosing Sierra!
SIERRA ON-LINE TECHNICAL SUPPORT REQUEST FORM (for IBM PC's & Compatibles)

Please provide as much of the information requested below as possible. Attach additional pages if necessary. Please Print clearly.)

Name :

Full Mailing Address :

FAX Number:

Phone Number:

Email Address:


Name/Description of Program:


Description of Problem  (Please be as specific an detailed as possible. Again, feel free to attach additional sheets if necessary.) 






How are you running the program? (Circle one)
* As a DOS Application in DOS
*  As a Windows Application in Windows
* As a DOS application in  or through Windows

Computer Brand:

Computer Model:


Operating System (circle all that apply)
DOS 5
DOS 6
DOS 6.2+
Win 3.1/3.11
Win 95
OS/2*
Windows NT*

*NOTE: Windows NT, OS/2 & Other Operating Systems are not officially supported.

CPU Brand (circle):
INTEL
AMD
CYRIX
NEXGEN
Other:

CPU Type (circle):
386SX
386DX
486SX
486DX
Pentium
Pentium Pro
Other:

CPU Speed (circle):
25
33
40
50
66
75
100
120
133
150 
166
Other:


Total RAM installed in the system in MB (circle)
1 MB
2 MB
4 MB
8 MB
16 MB
32 MB
Other:

Total Hard Drive Space in MB:

Free Hard Drive Space after installing the Program (in MB):


CD ROM Brand (circle):
NEC
Mitsumi
Creative Labs
Diamond
Sony
Teac
Other:

CD ROM Model:

 CD ROM Speed (circle)
1x
2x
3x
4x
6x
8x

Video Card (cirlce):
Diamond
ATI
Number9
STB
Cirrus
Matrox
Hercules
Trident
Other:

Video Card Model:

Video Memory (circle):
512k or less
1 MB
2MB 
4MB or more

Screen resolution you are using in Windows currently (circle)
640x480
800x600
1024x768
1280x1024
1600x1200 +
Color Depth you are using in Windows currently (circle)
16
256
32,768+ (High Color)*
16.7 Million (True Color)*

*NOTE: If you are using anything other than 256 colors, we generally recommend using 256 for most programs.

Sound Card Brand/Model/Description (please write in):

DMA (circle)
0
1
3
5
Other:

IRQ (circle)
3
5
7
10
Other:

Port Address(circle)
220
240
Other:

Disk Compression Software (circle):
Doublespace 
DriveSpace
Stacker
SuperStor
None
Other:

Please check any steps below which you have tried:


SCANDISK, Delete & Re-install program

A DOS & Windows installation (for programs supporting both)

Boot Disk 

Disk or CD replacement

Patch Disk (If applicable) Name of patch:

Updated Drivers

Temporarily disabling Sound card/Sound in Program

Other: 


PA40TS - Page 1

