i HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant Software for quick and easy printable layouts and unique page elements User’s Guide
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Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 About this User’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Visit the HP Scrapbooking Web site . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Installing and starting the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Windows® installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Starting the program next time . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Text and shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Working with Phrases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Working with Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Working with Clip Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2 Working with Backgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Working with Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Features up close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scrapbook your way, whatever your style or skill level.
Introduction Get ready for more scrapbooking fun than ever! HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant gives you the tools and technology to be even more creative in preserving photos, memories, and personal treasures—scrapbooking your way. 4 HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant will save you time as it enhances your creativity. • Create and alter scrapbooking elements easily using a wide variety of tools.
5 You can store your digital items in themes (similar to a storage cabinet), then use them in new scrapbooks. • Update your library of backgrounds, shapes, images, and more by importing your own images and artwork. About this User’s Guide This guide gives you instructions for installing and using the software to create and personalize your scrapbook elements. For more detailed, step-by-step instructions, refer to the HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant Help.
Visit the HP Scrapbooking Web site www.hp.com/go/scrapbooking 6 Be sure to visit the HP Scrapbooking Web site, where you can view the work of other scrapbooking artists and get inspired by fresh ideas and exciting new designs. View the software demo The HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant demo will show you expert techniques for scrapbooking your way. You can find the demo in the Help menu at the top of your window. Getting started The fastest way to begin using HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant is to: 1.
Note: Screen illustrations shown in this booklet were created using HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant on the Microsoft ® Windows® XP operating system. The screens you see on your computer may look a bit different, but the program functions the same. Please follow our instructions for creating scrapbook elements, even if your screen looks different. Installing and starting the program Windows installation 1. Insert the CD in your CD-ROM drive. Setup starts automatically.
Starting the program next time Choose the Start menu, then choose All Programs > HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant > HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant. 8 Macintosh installation 1. Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. Note: If the installer does not start automatically, doubleclick the HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant CD icon on your desktop. Then double-click the installer icon. 2. Click Install. Install the program in your Applications folder, and then view the demo.
1 Contents: Displays in the gray box at the top of each help page. Click a title to jump to a topic. The title of the current help page appears in bold within the list of available topics. 2 Index: Displays when you click Index, the last entry in the Contents. Click the item you’re looking for in the alphabetical list of topics. 3 Topic Help: Displays information about the topic you selected.
Contacting HP Customer Care 10 The HP Customer Care Center provides expert advice on using and solving problems with HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant. The support process works most effectively if you look for assistance in this order: 1. Use the program help, located in the Help menu at the top of your HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant window. 2. For information regarding your printer, refer to the printer documentation. 3.
• For support by email, enter your question on the Web form linked to the HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant support pages by clicking on contact HP. You can expect a direct reply from an HP support technician who will answer your question by email. Please note that email support for HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant is available only in English. HP support by phone HP provides telephone support free of charge. Please note that standard phone charges may apply.
Let’s start scrapping! 12 This guide will help you start using HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant right away. As you follow the instructions, try experimenting by choosing menu items and clicking on tabs, task buttons, and format options to see what happens. The more you explore the possibilities, the faster you will learn how to use the software to expand your own creativity. Soon you will be using HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant to create more imaginative scrapbook pages in less time than ever.
Overview of the program HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant adds a whole new level of creativity to your scrapbooking toolkit, with digital tools that help you to plan your scrapbooks, import, manipulate, and print the elements you will use, and then archive or share your artwork.
Overview of the main window The main window displays frequently used features so you can quickly start using the software. 1 Menus 14 As with most software programs, HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant organizes menu functions into logical categories: File, Edit, Theme, Project, and Help. Scrapbooking items included with the software are organized into “Themes” for easy access. “Projects” offer you a place to store your own artwork and custom layouts.
that come with the software and also import items of your own. The tabs organize items by theme into several thumbnail bars: Images, Phrases, Clip Art, Backgrounds, Frames, Shapes, and Pages. To see more items under a tab, choose a different Theme or Project from the menus above. For more details about the tabs, refer to the Help menu or go to “Working with items” on page 18.
3 Thumbnail bars 16 Thumbnail bars for each tab offer you a view of the items available for your use in a particular theme. You can preview a larger version of a thumbnail before you place the item on your workspace. For more details about the thumbnail bars, refer to the Help menu or go to “Working with items” on page 18. 4 Workspace Consider the workspace an extension of your worktable at home or wherever you put together your scrapbook pages.
to Theme from the File menu, or by right-clicking (Windows) or control-clicking (Macintosh) the item. This is a great way to save images, clip art, backgrounds, frames, shapes, or items that you scanned or added from a file or disk. 7 Page tools Use the New Page, Save Page, and Print Page buttons or select from the File menu to work with pages. 8 Formatting tools The formatting tools make it easy to change a selected item’s alignment, style, font, size, color, background, and transparency.
Working with items When you click one of the tabs above the workspace, the thumbnail bar displays the items available in the currently selected theme or project. You can add your own items to the thumbnails provided with the software. 18 To see more items, choose a different theme or project, or choose a different tab. To scroll through the thumbnails: • Click the single arrows to the left or right of the thumbnail bar to scroll one at a time. • Click the double arrows to view another group of thumbnails.
various themes as you desire. Details are available for some themes. If there is more information to view, you will see a More Info button to the left of the tabs. • To save an item to a theme, first place it in the workspace. Then choose Save Item to Theme from the File menu, and specify the theme and tab where you want to save it. Projects You can save collections of items or scrapbook pages in a project.
Working with Shapes 20 Think of shapes as the foundation for many other elements. Items placed in shapes appear to “snap to fit.” Shapes are a quick and easy way to “crop” photos, or to create custom-fit mattes for photos and other items—either by themselves, to print and cut out by hand, or by applying a frame to the shape. You can move, resize, and rotate a shape, change its color and transparency, surround it with a frame, or fill it with single or multiple items, such as images, backgrounds, and text.
while maintaining the original proportions. If the item does not fit the exact shape, it can appear “cropped.” You can adjust this by moving or resizing the item within the shape. Tip: When you move your cursor over the border of a shape, it becomes highlighted to show that the item will fill the shape and resize (or “snap”) to fit. If you want to place an item near a shape but not inside it, don’t release the mouse button if the shape is highlighted.
• To place an image in your workspace, click the Images tab to view the thumbnails and then click or drag the one you want. 22 Placing a shape in your workspace and then putting the image inside the shape allows you to frame the image. Note that if you move an image onto a shape, the software resizes it automatically and may appear to “crop” the image. You can adjust this by moving or resizing the image within the shape. (See “Selecting items and text” on page 36.
• To include text from another application, simply copy and paste it into a text box. • To reuse your text in other projects, save it in the Phrases tab, in the theme or project of your choice. Note: The text tools modify all of the text in a text box. For example, you cannot use two font sizes or have only one word in bold in the same text box. Text and shapes When you place a text box in a shape, the text box background colors are independent from the color of the shape.
Working with Phrases 24 Phrases are reusable expressions or titles to include on your scrapbook pages. The program includes a set of phrases appropriate for each theme. If you are creating a photo caption or a page title, you might simply use the Add Text feature. But if you want to reuse your text in multiple pages or projects, save it as a phrase and keep it handy. • To place a phrase in your workspace, click the Phrases tab to view the thumbnails and then click or drag the one you want.
is, the frame instantly fits around the shape. Using frames, you can apply double, triple, or more mattes to an item inside a shape. • To frame an item, start with a shape, fill the shape with your selected item, and then click or drag the frame of your choice. Tip: You can make a shape slightly smaller than a page and then apply a frame to create a border for the entire page.
You can also import your own clip art, save clip art as a new image, frame, background, or shape, or save other items as new clip art. When compared with images, clip art items are generally smaller in file size. 26 Working with Backgrounds A background is an image that instantly fills the entire workspace when you select it. • To place a background in your workspace, click the Backgrounds tab to view the thumbnails and then click or drag the one you want.
Working with Pages The Pages tab displays a variety of ready-made pages that serve as templates for scrapbook layouts and greeting cards. The design grids fit standard page sizes, but you can adjust them to fit custom sizes, too. • To place a page in your workspace, click the Pages tab to view the thumbnails and then click or drag the one you want. If you prefer, you can start with a blank page by clicking the New Page button or choosing New Page from the File menu.
Features up close Creating, saving, and printing pages Designing a layout template 28 HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant is a great tool for creating a new scrapbook page design that you can use as a guide for assembling a page by hand. Simply create a new blank page, apply shapes to indicate where you will place elements, print it out, and then use it as a blueprint for your work. The next few procedures describe how to create a new page, save it, and print it.
Saving a page Save pages in a Theme or Project to use later. To save a page in a project: 1. Click the Save Page button or, from the File menu, choose Save Page to Project. 2. Create a new project by clicking Create New Project, typing a project name, and then clicking OK. Your saved page appears as a thumbnail under the My Pages tab. To save a page in a theme, choose Save Page to Theme from the File menu, then create a new theme to save it in, or choose one of the existing themes.
Exactly how you make these selections depends on your printer and the type of media you are printing on. Refer to your printer’s documentation for more information. 3. Click OK when you are ready to print your page. 30 Importing your own elements HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant makes it easy to add elements of your own to themes and projects, and displays them in the thumbnail bars as you work on your layouts.
all sorts of objects, and then printing the items on a variety of papers. (We recommend first placing a transparency on the glass to protect it.) One scrapbooker has photocopied butterflies and fern fronds that look so realistic you might try picking them up off the printed page! If you have a flatbed scanner, you’re all set. Photocopiers are also great for copying items away from your scanner, or if your scanner does not have a flatbed.
Note: For best results, save the digital photo to a folder on your computer before you import it into HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant. Importing and saving items 32 Once you have clip art, a scanned image, or a digital photo on your hard disk, it’s easy to import it into HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant for use in your scrapbook pages.
Tip: With the Frames tab selected, you can import an image, which the program will automatically make into a frame. You can also create artwork or text in another program, copy it, and pasting the item into your workspace. Note that your custom items are not automatically saved in a theme or project. If you select another theme or project, the thumbnails disappear from the tab but don’t worry: the files remain on your computer. You can browse to the folder and select it to display the items again.
Creating new shapes 34 You can create your own shapes to customize your scrapbook pages even further. An item makes a good shape if it has a distinct outline, for example, clip art that you might have on your computer or a CD-ROM. You can also create shapes from items that you scan, such as medals or charms. Note: When you create a shape, the software makes a copy of your original file, traces around the longest continuous line in the file, and then saves the outline and its contents as a solid shape.
• If the item is already in the Images or Clip Art tab, locate the desired thumbnail. Right-click (Windows) or control-click (Macintosh) the item, then choose Create New Shape. 3. In the Create New Shape dialog box, make your selections: • Edge Contrast: Move the slider until the new shape has the desired outline. Higher numbers create a shape with a more solid outline. Lower numbers create a shape with a more jagged outline.
Selecting items and text 36 After you place an item in your workspace, you can make various kinds of changes to it, but first the item must be selected. For example, you must select an image to resize it or change its transparency, or select text to change its color and font, or select a frame to delete it or change its width. You can select any item in your workspace: images, clip art, phrases, text, backgrounds, frames, and shapes. You can also select items layered inside shapes.
contains layered items, you may need to move a layer backward and forward to reach the layer you want to select (see “Working with layers” on page 44). • Entire shape: Single-click the shape to select the shape and its contents, including its frame and any items within it. This allows you to make changes (such as resizing or rotating) to the shape and all of its contents without selecting each item individually. Selecting text To select a text box: • Click the text box to select it.
Resizing and rotating items When any item on the workspace is selected, it has small resizing handles around its edge and one larger rotation handle with a curved arrow. 38 • To freely rotate an item, click the rotation handle and hold the mouse button down as you move your mouse, releasing it when the item is rotated to your satisfaction. • To rotate an item in 90 degree increments, from the contextual menu or the File menu, choose Rotate.
Setting and matching colors It’s easy to choose the color you want for text characters, text box backgrounds, and solid-color backgrounds, frames, and shapes. (It’s not possible to set the color of patterned backgrounds, frames, clip art, and so forth.) The program provides a variety of predefined colors that you can use as presented or adjust to suit your needs. It also offers an eye dropper for quickly matching the color of an item already on your workspace.
Matching colors using the eye dropper Use the eye dropper tool (next to the Text Color or Background color box) to match text color or the color of a solid-colored item to another item in your workspace. 40 • To match an item’s color before you place it in your workspace, deselect any other items. Click the Background (or Text) eye dropper, then click the color in your workspace (not in the thumbnail bar) that you want to match. The new color displays in the Background (or Text) color box.
Converting to black & white or sepia You can change the color of images or clip art to black and white, or to sepia. Black and white uses true black, white, and gray tones, and sepia uses brown and yellow tones, which can make your photos look like antique photographs. • To convert a selected image or piece of clip art, choose Convert to Black & White or Convert to Sepia from the Edit menu or from the contextual menu.
“Tint” a photo 42 You can also change the color of a black and white photo by layering it atop a solid-colored shape, then changing the transparency of the image to let the color of the shape show through. Layering for special effects Try layering multiple items, then adjusting transparency to blend colors together or create new colors, or even to blend one photo into another photo. Mute a background Sometimes a background dominates the other items on your page.
2. Choose one: • Use your mouse to move the transparency slider right and left. • Type a new number in the box next to the slider and press Enter. (This is especially helpful if you are matching the transparency with another item on your page.) Use a higher number to make the item more opaque—100 is fully solid. Use a lower number when you want to make the item more transparent—0 is fully transparent.
• Duplicate an item to quickly copy and paste it in one action. Rulers and guides can be helpful for aligning the placement of items you’re duplicating. (See “Aligning items using rulers and guides” on page 45.) 44 To duplicate an item, first make sure it’s selected. Then choose one: • To copy a shape plus its contents, from the Edit menu, select Duplicate. • To copy only the contents of the shape right-click (Windows) or control-click (Macintosh), then select Duplicate.
To make a change to any item in your workspace, it must be selected. What if the item you want is hidden by another item? In order to select your item you may need to move it forward in the layers, or move another item backward so you can get to the item you want. If you are working with several layers of items, you may need to move more than one item forward or backward to reach the one you want. You might also need to move a layer more than once to get the result you want.
Aligning items using rulers and guides Rulers display on the left and top of your scrapbook pages, but they do not print. Rulers help you see the measurements of selected items and place items on the page in a specific location. You can also use rulers to place guides on your pages. These guides display horizontally or vertically on your page to help you align items. For example, you can use guides to help you align a series of shapes or images across your page.
• To remove all guides from the page, from the Edit menu, choose Remove All Guides. Tip: To change the position of a guide, simply remove it and add another one. To remove the default half-inch margin guides: • In Windows, from the Edit menu, choose Preferences, then uncheck Show Margin Guides. • On a Macintosh, from the HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant menu, choose Preferences, then uncheck Show Margin Guides.
Exporting pages 48 To save pages you’ve created in the software, export them to a location on your computer or to an external storage device, such as a hard disk or CD. Exporting pages and burning them to a CD frees up space on your computer and gives you a lasting way of storing your work. This is a great way to share your pages with others, too. HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant offers several file formats for exporting pages.
4. Click Save. File formats explained • .SOK: HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant file that allows you to open your page again in HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant on the same (Windows or Macintosh) platform as the one you were using when you saved it. • .BMP: Common for Windows graphics. Small file size compromises on resolution quality. • .TIFF or .TIF: Common for scanned images. Larger files, but can be very high resolution, which is good for printing enlargements. • .JPEG or .
• To take your work with you to a scrapbooking party, and even print some items at the party. (You won’t be able to print entire pages unless the party location has a computer with HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant installed.) 50 • To export your work to a memory card for use with a card reader-equipped printer or all-in-one printer. Note: Depending on the theme or project you are exporting, the exported files may require significant disk space. To export a theme or project: 1.
• Pages: All of the pages in your theme or project are exported into a single .SOK file stored in a folder named Pages. Only HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant can open .SOK files. Note: Later, when you want to use exported items in HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant, import them from the CD or saved location (see “Importing and saving items” on page 32). To use exported items in a different application, refer to that application’s documentation.
HP research participation 52 HP is interested in continually improving HP Creative Scrapbook Assistant to meet your needs. We have a lot to learn from scrapbookers like you! We’ve set up the program to invite your participation in our research the fifth time you start the program. (Note: This option is available only to Windows users.
Notices Hewlett-Packard company notices The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Hewlett-Packard (HP) makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Hewlett-Packard shall not be liable for any errors or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
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