JPEG Full Resolution
sRGB color space
8
Bit
If you're unfamiliar with these terms these are the most common types of images and unless you've worked on and edited the images your images will most likely match these specifications.
Common problems with images:
1. TIFF - will load slower than jpeg. If the tiff is in CMYK, Grayscale, or any 16bit color space it will cause problems.
2. Grayscale - Images that you've converted to Grayscale please convert back to sRGB prior to loading into the software. Images not converted may have problems loading or the contrast may shift dramatically during production.
3. CMYK - The conversion of the print file will happen directly at the printer but the software will not function with CMYK Images.
4. Layered images - While the software will work with PSD files, for consistency with final production please flatten the file prior to send to us.
When I
open the Photo book I created the images are
gone.
If you have opened up a photo book that you
created and none of the images appear on the page please
review the following information.
The photo books software does not load the full size images but instead creates representation thumbnails. When the software opens it confirms the location of the images still exists and bases the thumbnails from this information. If the images have been moved or are on a removable drive like a CD or a Thumb Drive the software will not be able to find the images and will fail in loading correctly. To correct this problem return the images to the location that they were in when you created the project. The pre-flight preview should assist you in returning the images to the correct location. The error will also occur if you rename the images that were in the project. You will need to revert to the previously saved file name until you are done. If you cannot return the project or images to the original state you will need to clear the affected pages and then reinsert the images.
Online Photo book sharing is now available in the Photo book software. This allows you to share your creation online with friends and family. To share click the online sharing button in the software. This will upload a version of the book you have created online. You will be prompted to enter some short information regarding the book and then have the ability to e-mail friends a link to your creation.
Online
Photo book Sharing:
This will be available
soon.
I can't
put an image on the Photo book cover.
If you can't
put an image on the photo book cover please check the
following
1. If the cover is black then you have selected the leatherette (Standard) cover option. To change this go to the edit menu and choose "Change Book" This will allow you to change to the custom cover book. This should look white in the software.
2. If you are able to add a cover image but it appears to zoom into the image please note that dropping an image into the blank cover will stretch the image over the front and then back. Please refer to our documentation regarding cover image sizes for dimensions to create this image.
3. If you don't need a full bleed image use the image addition tool (small green bush icon in toolbar). Select this and click and drag a square on your cover. Then drop an image in to the frame created.
Note: MyPicTales at this time does not support spine printing and will not guarantee exact placement of any items on the spine added using the background image option. Please be aware of this in creating your design.
I want
the same item shipped to different locations.
If you
want to order the same file and have it shipped to different
locations for example one calendar to yourself and one
calendar to friends or family there are two options.
1. Upload the file multiple times. Each time specify quantity and a different shipping address and we will drop ship to that location.
2. Upload and pay for the file once with the number of copies that you want going to one location [Please don't pay for 15 copies and then tell us that you want 5 to one location and 3 to another location and the remainder to another location as this is a more complicated process and prone to error]. Then contact us and let us know how many different locations you would like to have this shipped to. We will then send you that many different shopping carts. This method eliminates the need to upload the file multiple times.
I have
entered my reseller’s number but am still being charged
tax.
MyPicTales is required to have proof of a valid
Resellers permit on file. To submit this information to us
please download the form available in our download section and
fax the information to us. Once we have received this
information you will receive an e-mail with information
stating how to order without being charged sales tax.
Corrupted Font
I suspect there is a
corrupted true-type font in the system that causes the java
virtual machine to crash. (It seems as if the error occurs
when reading certain TrueType font files which seem to have
inconsistent length entries in their internal tables. As these
data are not checked for consistency by Sun's code, they
sometimes cause memory reads outside allocated buffers - a
type of programming error that will typically go unnoticed in
many cases but may randomly generate access violation
errors.)
There are three ways to solve this error (in order of difficulty)
1. Use some 3rd party tool to diagnose the fonts on your system. I searched the internet and came up with few. However, I have never used them and don't really know how good they are. Free font tools (http://www.free-font-tools.com/), FontExpert 2005 7.0 (http://www.sharewareplaza.com/FontExpert-2005-download_5540.html), FontAgent (http://www.fontagent.com/), and there are probably many more.
2. Another option, go to the following page
ftp://ftp.ibs.ru/Proekt/PSI/UTS/UTS/java/demo/jfc/Font2DTest/Font2DTest.html
and
run the applet from it.
Another verification approach is to
use the Font2DTest tool
from
ftp://ftp.ibs.ru/Proekt/PSI/UTS/UTS/java/demo/jfc/Font2DTest/Font2DTest.html
to
test fonts that you suspect. You can specify a particular font
size, style, and rasterization mode. If the process of viewing
a particular font with Font2DTest causes a crash, then it is
very likely that it is the font that is causing the
problems.
3. Uninstall all fonts from your system except the basic once that come with the system (or at least the old fonts). Once the problem goes away, start adding fonts to find the corrupted ones.
4. Create a new folder on your hard drive,
let’s say it is c:\JavaFonts. Copy into it (note that it's
important that you copy the fonts rather than simply moving
them) the following 4 fonts from your fonts folder Arial.ttf,
Cour.ttf, Times.ttf, and Wingding.ttf.
Next, you need to
instruct your Java tools and runtime to use the new font
directory instead of the system default. To do that,
right-click on "My Computer"->properties. Select the
"Advanced tab" and click the "environment variables". Create a
new variable "JAVA_FONTS" with the value as the path for the
new folder (c:\JavaFonts). Test to see that it is working.
Now, start adding fonts from the fonts folder to this folder
to see which font breaks it.
What
is so special about your photo books, calendars cards?
We offer a combination of the highest level of
customization (with our free software), the best printing
process and color management, and live US based support. We
are about the quality of your output!
How
long will it take to get my order?
Normal-printing
time is 4-7 business days plus shipping time. For orders over
100 you should add 2 day for proofing and 1 day for every 100
products ordered. (i.e. 300 hundred will take: proofing 2
days, printing 7 days shipping 2-5 days) During holiday period
please allow more time due to the volume of orders. More
details will be posted on our website regarding holiday
deadlines.
How
does the calendar compare to one that I might buy in a store?
The calendar is printed on an 80lb card stock for
durability and then punched and bound with a hole drilled for
wall hanging purposes. It is similar in quality to many
calendars that you might purchase in a store except that each
product is customized by you.
What
can be customized on my photo books, calendars and cards?
We offer the highest level of customization in the
marketplace today. The products can be fully customized
including images within dates, collages, faded images as a
background and much more.
Are
there any limitations to what types of images I can use on my
calendar?
We will not print materials that could
give rise to any civil or criminal liability under applicable
law. Or that promotes racism, hatred, bigotry, or harm against
any group or person. We reserves the full right to refuse to
print at our sole discretion, any output.
Do you
ship internationally?
We ship all over the globe via
FedEx. This typically takes 2-4 days, is traceable and
delivered to the customers address.
Can I
add text in any language?
Yes, you can use any
language or font on your system, the software will create a
PDF before sending the file to print and embed all font info
into the PDF.
What
can I do to make my products look their best?
The
products that look the best are those using high quality sharp
clean images. The software will warn you of images that are
below our recommended 150DPI. Try to use images 250 DPI or
more
Do
I need to resize the image (if they are larger than
300DPI)?
NO. The software will resize the images to
fit 300DPI before creating the PDF file and sending to
print.
Are there discounts for larger orders?
We do have volume discounts set up for personal
orders and for business and fundraising calendars. Please view
our pricelist for more information.
The preview for my calendar looks out of
order...why is that?
Certain calendar types (the
center fold calendars) require double sided printing. In order
to maintain the correct format for the printing, cutting, and
binding of the calendar, thus the pages may appear to be out
of order. There are not. The purpose of this preview is for
you to look at the calendar to determine if it’s OK: spelling,
text in place, right images selected, layout etc.
Will I
get a confirmation once the order has been
shipped?
Yes. Once the order has been shipped you
will get an email conformation together with a FedEx tracking
number.
After installing the software and opening it
all I get is a black screen..?
This problem has been
resolved in the latest version of the software. Please upgrade
your software.
I would like other people to be able to buy
the calendar I made?
This is possible, please submit
a support request here and we will email you back a link to a
shopping card with your calendar info pre-filled in it. You
can then send that shopping card to other people to place an
order for your calendar.
It's after January, can I start my calendar on
a different month?
To start your calendar on any
month or year start your calendar and choose that start period
or if you've already started your calendar go to the
personalize menu and choose "Calendar and Holidays"
How can I transfer my personalized holidays
from last year’s calendar to this year’s
calendar?
Open your previously saved calendar. Go to
the file menu and choose save as. Select a different name for
your calendar and save it. Then go to the personalize menu and
choose "Calendar and Holidays" Change the start year and
month.
Can you tell me
more about the paper, printing and binding qualities you have
chosen for your products?
Paper – We
offer silk or glossy coated 100 lb. text paper for our photo
books. This paper is manufactured by wind-generated
electricity and is archival quality, which means that it lasts
up to 100 years. The paper has good weight and feel to it. It
does not kink easily.
Printing – We use Toner based ink (liquid
ink can run and smudge in humid conditions), full 5-color
process (professional printing presses), 300 – 2400 true dpi.
– This translates to razor sharp details and smooth color
transitions. We have developed proprietary print methods where
images pop to life because they give the eye a strong
perception of depth. Our images are anything but flat.
Binding – Glue binding, archival quality
glue, semi-manual process.
Glue binding helps in two aspects:
1. Pages lay flatter when opened
2. Not
much detail is wasted into the spine. Two page spreads look
stunning.
3. The binding looks professional and pages are
bound much tighter unlike cheaper methods of staple binding or
stitching used elsewhere.
Do I
need to do anything special to my layouts so that they print
as expected?
That depends a
little bit on your scrapping style. If you tend to scrap with
your photos and journaling at least 1/3” from the edge of the
canvas, you do not need to resize your layout. The Taleweaver
software will resize it for you. If, however, you tend to
scrap with elements, photos or journaling “falling off” the
edge of the page, you will probably need to make some minor
adjustments to your layered files before uploading to the
Taleweaver software. We recommend that you resize your layered
file to approximately 0.5” smaller than the book size you are
printing (i.e.. if you are printing an 8x8 book, resize your
layout to 7.5” x 7.5”). Then, increase your canvas size to
0.25” larger than the book size you are printing (i.e., if you
are printing an 8”x8” book, increase your canvas size to 8.25”
x 8.25”). When you inspect your page now, you will probably
have some blank areas on the outer edges of the page. You want
enlarge your background paper and other items that “fall off”
the page so that they fill up the entire canvas. You do not
want to see any transparent or white areas on the edges.
Select only the layers that must be enlarged to fill the
canvas, leaving the photos and journaling inside the safe zone
or margin area. You can now flatten your file and save a JPG
(300ppi, highest quality of 12). When you upload your page
into the Taleweaver software and drag it onto the page, you
will see the page exactly as it should appear when cut to
size. You will notice that a small amount of the layout is not
shown on the preview. That portion of the layout is the
“bleed” which is trimmed off after the book is
printed.
When I
drag my layout onto the page in the Taleweaver software, part
of my layout is cut off.
Are you uploading the
correct file size, including bleed? All pages should be ¼”
larger than the book size. 1/8” around all 4 sides of the page
will be trimmed off once the book is printed and assembled. To
adjust your layout for bleed, see the suggestions above.
What size should my layout be?
Book Size |
Canvas Size |
Trim Size |
Safe Zone / Margins |
12” x 12” |
12.25” x 12.25” |
12” x 12” |
11.5” x 11.5” / 0.25” |
10” x 10” |
10.25” x 10.25” |
10” x 10” |
9.5” x 9.5” / 0.25” |
8” x 8” |
8.25” x 8.25” |
8” x 8” |
7.5” x 7.5” / 0.25” |
5” x 7” |
5.25” x 7.25” |
5” x 7” |
4.5” x 6.5” / 0.25” |
7” x 5” |
7.25” x 5.25” |
7” x 5” |
6.5” x 4.5” / 0.25” |
8.5” x 11” |
8.75” x 11.25” |
8.5” x 11” |
8” x 10.5” / 0.25” |
11” x 8.5” |
11.25” x 8.75” |
11” x 8.5” |
10.5” x 8” / 0.25” |
4.75” x 4.25” |
5” x 4.5” |
4.75” x 4.25” |
4.25” x 3.75” / 0.25” |
I want to create a custom cover. What size should my file be?
Book Size |
No. of Pages |
Spine Size |
Bleed Size |
Canvas Size |
12” x 12” |
40 |
0.25” |
1/3”, all sides |
24.91” x 12.66” |
12” x 12” |
80 |
0.5” |
1/3”, all sides |
25.16” x 12.66” |
10” x 10” |
40 |
0.25” |
1/3”, all sides |
20.91” x 10.66” |
10” x 10” |
80 |
0.5” |
1/3”, all sides |
21.16” x 10.66” |
8” x 8” |
40 |
0.25” |
1/3”, all sides |
16.91” x 8.66” |
8” x 8” |
80 |
0.5” |
1/3”, all sides |
17.16” x 8.66” |
5” x 7” |
40 |
0.25” |
1/3”, all sides |
10.91” x 7.66” |
5” x 7” |
80 |
0.5” |
1/3”, all sides |
11.16” x 7.66” |
7” x 5” |
40 |
0.25” |
1/3”, all sides |
14.91” x 5.66” |
7” x 5” |
80 |
0.5” |
1/3”, all sides |
15.16” x 5.66” |
8.5” x 11” |
40 |
0.25” |
1/3”, all sides |
17.91” x 11.66” |
8.5” x 11” |
80 |
0.5” |
1/3”, all sides |
18.16” x 11.66” |
11” x 8.5” |
40 |
0.25” |
1/3”, all sides |
22.91” x 9.16” |
11” x 8.5” |
80 |
0.5” |
1/3”, all sides |
23.16” x 9.16” |
4.75” x 4.25” |
40 |
0.25” |
1/3”, all sides |
10.41” x 4.91” |
4.75” x 4.25” |
80 |
0.5” |
1/3”, all sides |
10.66” x 4.91” |
Can I
put my own logo to a photo book? Do I have to pay extra?
You can put your logo on the photo book. You will have to pay a fee of $2 to have our logo removed.
How many pages
are allowed in each book:
For Standard
Hard Cover: Maximum of 158 pages for all book types.
For Custom Hard Cover, Softcover and Wire Bound books : Maximum of 158 pages for all book types.
How do I use The Design Center Quick Pages?
The quick pages you will find at MyPicTales are slightly different than what you may be used to. We've optimized them for use with our software, by providing each page with a JPG background and frame cluster overlay. Simply drag the background, the frame and your photo into the photo bin. For a complete tutorial,
click here.
Why does The Design Center use credits?
Since purchases of digital files are in very small dollar amounts, the percentage of fees for processing the transactions can get quite high. By using credits, we keep the transaction fees down, allowing us to pass that savings along to you. In addition, this allows us to pass on more of the sales price to the hard working designers who are sharing their creations with us. As an added benefit, the more credits you pre-purchase, the more you save. So, purchase your credits now, and cash them in later for as few as one credit at a time.
How do I purchase credits? You can purchase credits directly from The Design Center. Log in, click CREDITS, select your options and click BUY. You can complete your transaction by paying via PayPal (no PayPal account required for credit card transactions). For a complete tutorial on purchasing credits, click here.
How do I redeem credits? Redeeming credits is just as easy. Add products to your shopping cart. When you are ready, click CHECKOUT and the credits will be deducted from your balance. Credits expire 1 year after date of purchase. For a complete tutorial on redeeming credits, click here.
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