LazaLabl Version 1- an Introduction

General Description

Version 2

The File Menu

Open Group

Save Group

Extend Group

Trash the Deck

Print

Print Group

ASCII Delimited File

Printer Setup

Printer Margin Trims

Printer Margin Test

Exit

The Operations Menu

Start Another Label

Clone from Topmost

Delete Topmost

Flip to Next

Expose Layout

Expose Label Deck

Position Label

Auto Layout

Fill Sheet

Refresh Layout

Preview

Left Margin

Top Margin

The Edit Menu

Undo, Cut, Paste, and Copy

Copy Label

Clear

Search

Replace

The Stock Menu

Generic (photocopier)

Specific Manufacturers

User Layouts

Current Stock Name

Add New User Layout

Modify User Layout

The Options Menu

Fontfont

Default Font

Shrink2fit

WYSIWYG

Maximize

Superimpose

Test Mode

Getting On-line Help

Help

About


General Description

LazaLabl version 1 allows you to edit and position text on labels or cards which come in a regular array on a larger sheet.  Examples are sheets of laser type mailing labels and sheets of precut business card stock.

It is principally aimed at users of laser and ink-jet page printers.  The sheet layouts provided are for printers of this sort.  However, it's a Windows program, so it will work with dot-matrix printers.  In that case though you will have to specify the label sheet layout, and the labels etc will have to be on sheets corresponding to one of the page sizes covered by the Windows printer driver.  Specifying layouts is done through a simple dialog box.

Sheet layouts are provided for a number of popular label manufacturers for both label and card products.

LazaLabl lets you position labels on a sheet wherever you want them with a simple point and click. So if you trust your printer with partly used sheets you can conveniently use them up, and its easy to make that one single mailing label that you need right now.  Of course you can also store labels in files so you can use an address book approach or print batches of labels.  You can also import ASCII reports from your database system.

If the text you have typed into a label has lines which are too long, or too many lines, LazaLabl will shrink the font size so it just nicely fits the label.  Conversely it can maximise text to utilize the available area.

You can also choose WYSIWYG.  Sets of cards/labels in WYSIWYG mode can be one-pass superimposed to create interesting effects with multiple fonts and colors to make, for example, business cards.  The individual layers can be moved relative to each other to get the layout just as you want it.


LazaLabl Version 2

LazaLabl version 2 extends the facilities provided by version 1 as follows:

- Import bitmapped graphics from .BMP files or the clipboard

- Specify rectangular boxes or flood-filled rectangular areas

- Extended color palette

- Merge facilities so you can mix database fields with label text (uses plain ASCII export

from your database)

- On line previewing (move label elements about while you view the preview)

- Compound margins tool (adjust all four margins from one tool which can be fixed

on screen)

- Background elements so you can, for example, put a logo and return address on

each label in a sheet along with addresses etc

- Serial numbers on labels

- Postal bar codes from ZIP codes

- Text at various orientations


Open Group

This option loads up a deck of labels from a LazaLabl group file.

A standard Windows Open File dialog box pops up.  The directory will be set to the one you specified when LazaLabl was installed.  The Open File dialog allows you to change drive and directory if you need to.  When you have the required directory,  pick a group file from the file listbox by double clicking on its name.

LazaLabl group files have a name similar to:

name.lzg

The file extension "lzg" is short for LazaLabl Group.

The contents of the group file will be loaded into the current deck of labels.

If you don't want the group file to be stacked with the labels already in the deck, either save the existing deck to a file, using the Save Group option from the File menu, or first choose the Trash the deck option from the File menu.

If the stock displayed on screen does not match that which was on screen when the group file was created,

LazaLabl will remind you, and ask if you want to change back to the original label layout.

Once the labels are loaded into the deck you can modify them or print some or all of them as you please.


Save Group

The Save Group option creates a new group file, which you can restore to the deck at any time later using the Open Group option.

When you select the Save Group option a standard Windows Save As dialog box pops up.  The dialog box allows you to choose a drive and directory where the file is to be stored, and to specify a name for the file.

The default file name extension is shown in the file name edit box, where you will find the string:

*.lzg

The extension "lzg", short for LazaLabl Group should be left as-is.  Change the asterisk to the name you want to use for the file, then click on the OK button.

Alternatively you may be saving a group of labels that you loaded from a group file, and have modified.  In that case, the name of the file that you loaded should be in the listbox below the file name edit box, in gray text.  Clicking on it will put the name into the file name edit box.  Then you can click on OK.  In this latter case,  Windows will observe that you are about to write over an existing file and will ask you to confirm that this is your intention.  If you have a change of mind, press the cancel button when you are asked for confirmation, then type in an alternative name.

Only the part before the".lzg" need be changed.

Once you have pressed the OK button, the labels will be stored in the group file, and the deck will be cleared down to a single empty label.


Extend Group

The Extend Group option is similar in action to Save Group.  The difference is that while Save Group creates a new group file, Extend Group tags the labels in the deck on to the end of an existing group file.

When you select the Extend Group option, the Save As dialog box pops up.  In this case choosing an existing file from the grayed items in the file listbox will not result in a warning message.  The Extend group option does not destroy the existing contents of the file, it adds the new labels on to the end.


Trash the Deck
Trash the deck (Ctrl+T)

Use this option to clear the existing deck of labels prior to loading another group from file, or creating another group of labels.

Use this option carefully.  If the deck of labels has not been saved into a group file, then trashing the deck will irretrievably lose the information on the labels in that deck.

The result of the operation is that this deck is reduced to a single empty label.


Print
Print (Ctrl+P)

The Print option causes all the labels that have been positioned on the picture of the label sheet at the right side of the LazaLabl window to be sent to the printer, and printed in the corresponding positions on an actual sheet of labels or paper.

The printing takes place at once, without any request for confirmation, so you must make sure that the required label sheet is ready in the printer feed tray before you select the Print option.  If a problem occurs, the Print Manager program will notify you, and will allow you to cancel the print job or retry after you have cleared the printer problem.

The label images that were displayed on the picture of the sheet will then be cleared, so that some more can be positioned if required.


Batch
Print Group

The Print Group option prints the contents of a LazaLabl group file, without any further intervention from the user.

This option assumes that the printer is loaded with enough complete label sheets to accomodate the contents of the group file.

LazaLabl always uses the labels at the bottom of a sheet first.  This gives the best probability of a successful re-feeding of the partly used sheet.  So if the batch, as is very likely, does not correspond exactly to a multiple of the number of labels on the sheet,  the labels at the bottom of the last partly used sheet will have been used first.

If the stock displayed on screen does not match that which was on screen when the group file was created, LazaLabl will remind you, and ask if you want to change back to the original label layout.


ASCII Delimited Files
ASCII Delimited File

This option prints labels from the sort of file you can generate from your favorite database program.

An ASCII delimited file represents an address such as:

SoftCentre Inc

30 Petersburg Road

Hackettstown,  NJ 07840

as a single line of text typically of the form:

"SoftCentre Inc","30 Petersburg Road","Hackettstown,  NJ 07840"

Each line of the address appears in quotes, and the lines are separated by commas.  The end of the line signals the last line in the address.

Most database programs can produce files in this format or some similar ASCII delimited format.

LazaLabl will print labels from such files using its default font, and the Shrink2fit mode.

First make sure that there is an adequate supply of label sheets of suitable layout in the printer feed hopper.

Selecting the ASCII Delimited File option causes an Open File dialog box to pop up.  Two file name filters are offered.  The first, and the one you will see immediately in the Open File dialog box, shows all the files in the chosen directory which have the extension ".txt".  If your database can name files with this extension, you can simply double click on the required file.  Otherwise you will need to select the "*.*" filter from the listbox at the bottom left of the Open File dialog box.  The file name listbox will then show all the files in the chosen directory, so you can pick the one you need.

Once you have selected a file, LazaLabl will fill the on-screen sheet with labels from the file then prompt you to check that the printer is ready.  If you respond OK, all the labels in the file are printed without further pause.  A Click to Stop Printing button appears on the screen.  Click this with the mouse if you need to interrupt printing.


Printer Setup

Choosing this option causes a standard printer setup box to pop up.  Use this option to change from the default printer to some other printer, or to switch to landscape mode.

Select landscape mode for sheet layouts where it was indicated in the list for a Specific Manufacturers label or card product.  LazaLabl version 1.0x doesn't make this switch automatically.

Note that the effect of the printer settings you select will persist only during your LazaLabl session.  This option will not change the default printer settings for your Windows installation.


Printer margin trims
Margin Trims

Windows allows an application to determine the size of the printing area for a supported printer.  This is smaller than the paper the printer is set up to use.  It's also possible for an application to determine where this printing area is.  It may be in the middle of the page, or may be towards the top or bottom, or one of the sides.  With most document processing this is not critical.  However, with labels or forms it is crucial, since text must be placed accurately with respect to the edges of the sheet.

LazaLabl uses the position of the printing area it gets from Windows, which is good for most printers.  However a printer driver may be inaccurate, or the printer may be out of adjustment, so this won't always guarantee accurate label printing.

The Margin Trims facility allows you to adjust for a particular printer.  A Printer Margin Test option is also provided to help you get the adjustment right.

Choosing Margin Trims will cause a dialog box to pop up.  You can select a button to choose whether to adjust the left or top margin, then enter a trim value in thousandths of an inch.

If the print on your labels is about a tenth of an inch too high up, enter 100 (thats 0.1") to increase the top margin.  If the print is a tenth of an inch too low enter -100 to reduce the top margin and move it up.  Adjust the left margin similarly if required, though this is less often a problem.

LazaLabl will remember the trim setting, so the adjustment should be "set it and forget it".


Printer Margin Test

The Printer Margin Test option should help SoftCentre to better support you.  Selecting this option allows you to print a rectangle which shows the useable area of the paper with a particular printer.  If you need help with margin trim setting, print this test and have a ruler handy before you phone Tech Support.


Exit - Quitting LazaLabl
Exit (Ctrl+X)

Selecting Exit from the File menu will end your LazaLabl session.  If you have modified the labels in the deck LazaLabl will ask if you want to save them in a file.  If you want to avoid this question for maximum speed, as for instance when printing a single address from your word processor, use the Close option from the LazaLabl system menu, or simply press Alt+F4.


Start Another
Start Another (Ctrl+A)

Choosing Start Another from the Operations menu creates a new empty label at the top of the deck.

The new label will be set to the default typeface.  You can set the default from the Options menu.


Clone from Topmost
Clone from Topmost (Ctrl+C)

Choosing this option from the Operations menu creates a copy of the label that was previously at the top of the deck, and puts the cloned copy at the top of the deck.

All the details of the original label are copied,  so the new label gets the same typeface and mode (WYSIWYG, Shrink2fit or Maximize).

Use the clone option when the new label needs to be much the same as the previous one, then just make the appropriate changes.  This will be quicker than copying the text into the clipboard then pasting it back onto a new empty label.


Delete Topmost
Delete Topmost (Ctrl+D)

The label at the top of the deck is destroyed.  Actually its contents are transferred to the clipboard, so you can paste the information back onto a new label if you change your mind.


Flip to Next
Flip to Next (Ctrl+N)

The label at the top of the deck is moved to the bottom of the deck, exposing the label underneath.  The same effect is obtained by clicking with the mouse outside the label at the top of the deck, and to the left of the picture of the label-sheet layout.

The current position in the deck of labels is indicated in the information box at the lower left of the LazaLabl window.  This will tell you how many labels there are in the deck, and which one is currently at the top:

Label  3   of  5


Expose Layout

When using larger label sizes, or when you have many labels in the deck, the deck may obscure a part of the label-sheet layout on which you need to place a label.  Choosing the Expose Layout option from the Operations menu will move the deck of labels away to the left so that the layout is clear.  Use the Expose Deck option for the reverse operation.


Expose Deck

If you have shifted the deck away to the left to enable you to see all of the label-sheet layout, use this option to move the deck back into view.


Position Label

This is a reminder option.  You position labels on the layout by clicking on the layout with the mouse,  not by using a menu option.  The Position Label option from the Operations menu simply pops up a message box that tells you this.


Auto Layout

This option places the labels in the deck onto the label stock automatically, starting from the bottom of the layout sheet, and starting at the current label in the deck.  If there are more labels in the deck than will fit on the sheet, the sheet is filled, then the process stops.


Fill Sheet

Fill sheet is similar in action to Auto arrange except that the Fill sheet option will continue to pass through the labels in the deck, placing each on the sheet in order, until the sheet is full.  Use this, for example, to create multiple copies of the same label.


Refresh Layout

The versions of the labels displayed on the layout sheet serve principally as reminders of what labels you have placed where.  They also give the best possible impression of how the printed labels will look.  However, in many cases the layout representations will involve the use of very small fonts, and the representation will not be exact.

If you place a label on the sheet, then modify the same label on the deck, the previously placed version will not normally be modified to reflect the changes, although the changes will be incorporated when the sheet of labels is printed.  Any labels printed from the same item in the deck will be identical.

If you place more copies of a modified label on the sheet, the latest modification will be displayed.  But since the font operations needed to display the miniature labels are relatively slow, previously placed versions are not updated.

If you want to see the layout sheet in as close a representation as possible to that which will be printed, use the Refresh Layout option from the Operations menu.  All the labels on the layout sheet will then be redisplayed in their current form.


Preview

For the best impression of the appearance of a label when it is printed, use the Preview option from the Operations menu.

This will display a full size version of the label at the top of the deck in the bottom right corner of the LazaLabl window.

Clicking on the mouse, or choosing another menu item will make it go away again.

The preview option is particularly suitable for viewing decks of labels when the Superimpose option from the Options menu has been chosen.


Left Margin

When making composite labels with multiple typefaces using the Superimpose option from the Options menu, it will sometimes be desirable to do fine adjustment on the horizontal position of an item of text.  You may need to do this to make the text item line up exactly with another item in a different typeface.  Use the Preview option from the Operations menu to check that the items in a superimposed set are properly positioned.

Use the Left Margin option from the Operations menu to set a suitable left margin and force the text to the required horizontal position.  You can use tabs to achieve a similar effect, and finish off with the Left Margin adjustment for fine tuning.  Tabs are set to a spacing equivalent to 1/4" in LazaLabl.

When you adjust the left and top margins of a particular label, LazaLabl picks out the margin area in whatever color you have set up for the Windows screen background.  This is gray by default.

Label margins are applied to labels which have the Shrink2fit or Maximize option selected, as well as WYSIWYG (or Superimpose).  In these cases, the text will be shrunk or maximized to fit the area remaining after allowing for the margins.


Top Margin

When making composite labels with multiple typefaces using the Superimpose option from the Options menu, it will sometimes be desirable to do fine adjustment on the vertical position of an item of text.  You may need to do this to make the text item line up exactly with another item in a different typeface.  Use the Preview option from the Operations menu to check that the items in a superimposed set are properly positioned.

Use the Top Margin option from the Operations menu to set a suitable top margin and force the text to the required vertical position.  You can insert empty lines above the item to achieve a similar effect, and finish off with the Top Margin adjustment for fine tuning.

When you adjust the left and top margins of a particular label, LazaLabl picks out the margin area in whatever color you have set up for the Windows screen background.  This is gray by default.

Label margins are applied to labels which have the Shrink2fit or Maximize option selected, as well as WYSIWYG(or Superimpose).  In these cases, the text will be shrunk or maximized to fit the area remaining after allowing for the margins.


Standard Windows editing operations
Undo, Cut, Paste, Copy

These editing commands work in the same way as for most Windows text processing packages, for example the Windows Write Program.  Consult you Microsoft Windows documentation or the Help system for a standard Windows package like Write if you are not clear on how to use these options.

These options apply to the label that is on the top of the deck.

Undo undoes the last change you made if Windows can do so.  Cut removes any text you have selected, and places it into the clipboard. Paste inserts the text in the clipboard at the current caret (text cursor) position.  Copy copies any text you have selected into the clipboard.


Copy Label to Clipboard
Copy Label

This option copies the entire contents of the label on the top of the deck to the clipboard.  You can then paste the text into a document you are processing with your favorite word processor.

This saves the effort of having to select the text in the label, then using the Copy option.


Clear current label
Clear

This option clears the text in the label at the top of the deck.  The text is copied to the clipboard so that it can be retrieved by pasting if you change your mind.


Search

Choosing the Search option from the Edit menu brings up a standard Windows search dialog box.  Enter the word or phrase you want to search for in the edit box, then click on Find.

If the word or phrase is found on any of the labels in the deck it will be selected on the label at the top of the deck.  The search dialog box will remain displayed.

If you can not see the label at the top of the deck because it is obscured by the search dialog box, you can move the search dialog box out of the way.

If the word or phrase is not found, the search dialog box will disappear, and a message box will pop up notifying you that all the labels were searched, and that the word or phrase was not found.


Replace

Choosing the Replace option from the Edit menu brings up a search and replace dialog box.  Enter the word or phrase you want to search for in the find edit box, and the word or phrase to replace it with in the replace box.  Then click on the Find, Replace, or Replace all buttons as required.

If the word or phrase is found on any of the labels in the deck, the search/replace dialog box will remain displayed.

If you can not see the label at the top of the deck because it is obscured by the search/replace dialog box, you can move the search dialog box out of the way.

If the word or phrase is not found, the search/replace dialog box will disappear, and a message box will pop up notifying you that all the labels were searched, and the word or phrase was not found.


Photocopier label sheets
Generic (Photocopier)

Selecting this option will cause the display of a list box showing the letter size sheets of adhesive labels supplied for use with photocopiers.  These may also be suitable for use in a laser or inkjet printer.  If in doubt consult the label manufacturer.

These sheets are characterized by having no border at the left and right, or between the columns of labels.  Some of them will have a border at the top and bottom.

Laser and inkjet printers are not usually capable of printing all the way up to the edge of the maximum paper size that they accept.  This is why the labels manufactured specifically for use with these printers have a border all around.  However, LazaLabl can adjust for label sheets with no border.  It will determine from the printer what the size of the printing area actually is, and then allow for this by "pretending" that the labels are slightly smaller than they actually are.

However it can only do so much.  Sheets with no margin at top and bottom are likely to produce unsatisfactory results.  Labels printed on the top and bottom labels will be excessively shrunk in shrink2fit or maximize modes, and may be truncated or overlap the following label in WYSIWYG mode.  Such labels should be avoided.  Alternatively you can set up a user defined sheet which has a top margin corresponding to the depth of a label, and with two fewer rows of labels, thus ingnoring the top and bottom labels.

If you select the Photocopier option from the Stock menu, a list box will pop up which shows the common sizes of generic photocopier label sheets, for example:

2 across, 7 up   - 1.5 inches deep

3 across, 10 up - 1 inch deep

The first two numbers refer to the number of columns of labels and the number of rows of labels respectively.  The depth figure refers to the height from top to bottom of each label.  LazaLabl assumes that the sheet will be letter size (8.5"x11") and that if there are top and bottom margins they are of equal width.  If you have a sheet of labels which can be used with your printer and that look like one of these, then select the appropriate description from the sub-menu.  LazaLabl should be able to deal with it subject to the reservations noted above.

There are several ways to choose an item from a list box.  You can do it entirely with the mouse - click on the item you want, then click on OK.  You may have to use the scroll bar to bring the item you want into view. If you decide you don't want to make a selection at all, click on cancel.  Alternatively you can choose an item by double-clicking it with the mouse.

You can also select an item using the keyboard.  Use the cursor control keys to select an item, then press ENTER.

When you make the selection, the picture of the label stock at the right side of the LazaLabl window will change to a representation of the layout you have selected.

If you are in doubt that a sheet matches,  select Test Mode from the Options menu, then use the Fill Sheet option from the Operations menu to fill a sheet with labels.  Print the labels on a piece of plain paper, then hold the paper and the label sheet up to the light to see if they line up.  Using Test Mode will cause a box to be drawn around each label.  Don't forget to turn Test Mode off again before you print on the actual label sheet.

LazaLabl will remember the type of label sheet that you worked with last.


Label sheets from specific manufacturers
Specific Manufacturers

Selecting this option from the Stock menu will cause a list box of the requested manufacturers product numbers to be displayed.  Choose a stock number or description as per the packaging of your labels.

There are several ways to choose an item from a list box.  You can do it entirely with the mouse - click on the item you want, then click on OK.  You may have to use the scroll bar to bring the item you want into view. If you decide you don't want to make a selection at all, click on cancel.  Alternatively you can choose an item by double-clicking it with the mouse.

You can also select an item using the keyboard.  Use the cursor control keys to select an item, then press ENTER.

When you make the selection, the picture of the label stock at the right side of the LazaLabl window will change to a representation of the layout you have selected.  Note that circular labels will be represented as squares of a size which are slightly smaller than the diameter of the circles.  If you avoid typing right into the corners, your text should fit within the round label.

There is an increasingly wide range of labels and other products such as diecut cards.  LazaLabl tries to keep up with new products.  If you have a sheet size which is not covered it will be necessary set up a user defined layout.  See Add New User Layout.

In some lists, particularly those dealing with die cut card products,  alternative entries for the same stock number are presented.  These allow the sheet to be used in either portrait (long side up) or landscape (short side up) mode.  Selecting an item which has the landscape orientation does not automatically switch the printer into landscape mode.  Use the Printer Setup option of the Printer Settings submenu of the File menu to select landscape mode.

Some of the entries in these lists may show pairs of stock numbers, e.g. 5160/5660.  In these cases the two label types are the same size, but the second one is a transparent label.

One popular label sheet - used for 3.5" floppy disks - is available from a number of manufacturers, and has two sizes of label on one sheet.  The two sizes are shown as separate label layouts, and you will have to change layout and feed the sheet twice to print on both of them.

The lists of labels do not show styles which have two different sizes of label in an interleaved pattern on one sheet - for example there is a design for VHS video tape labels which does this.  LazaLabl only handles regular patterns of rectangular areas of the same size.


User Layouts

Selecting User Layouts from the Stock menu will cause a list box of user layout names to appear.  If you have not customized these names, this list will appear as:

Envelope example

User 2

User 3

User 4

User 5

Initially these user defined layouts will have the same pattern as a generic 3x10x1 inch deep sheet of photocopier labels.  This is just a starting point so you will have something to relate to in designing your own layout.  If you have customized the user layouts, the names in the list will be names that you chose when you designed the layouts.

Use the User Layout facility to design sheets which may not actually be used for labels.  If you print on plain paper or card and guillotine the sheets up afterwards you can use LazaLabl to create badges, tickets etc of any size you choose.

There are several ways to choose an item from a list box.  You can do it entirely with the mouse - click on the item you want, then click on OK.  You may have to use the scroll bar to bring the item you want into view. If you decide you don't want to make a selection at all, click on cancel.  Alternatively you can choose an item by double-clicking it with the mouse.

You can also select an item using the keyboard.  Use the cursor control keys to select an item, then press ENTER.

When you make a selection from the User Layout sub-menu, the picture of the label stock at the right side of the LazaLabl window will change to a representation of the user-defined layout you have selected.


Current Stock Name

This option displays the manufacturer name and stock number for the currently selected label sheet type.

You may find this option useful if you have loaded a group file that changed the current sheet layout, and do not recognize the layout.


Add New User Layout

This option allows you to define label or other layouts of your own design.

If you select this option a dialog box will pop up to allow you to enter the required information.

Five rows of two columns of numbers are required.  The first row describes the paper size, which will usually be 8.5" by 11".

Note that in the dialog box you must enter the measurement in thousandths of an inch.  Some measurements in inches, and the corresponding values in thousandths of an inch are as follows:

Inches	Thousandths

 0.125" (1/8)	  125

 0.25"   (1/4)	  250

 0.5"     (1/2)	  500

 0.75"   (3/4)	  750

 1"	1000

 1.25"	1250

 1.5"	1500

 1.75"	1750

 2"	2000

 4"	4000

 8.5"	8500

11"	      11000

So for the paper size line, the page width would be entered as 8500, and the page height as 11000.

The next line in the dialog box requests the number of columns of labels (labels across), and the number of rows (labels up).

The next line asks for the width and height of each label.  For labels 4" wide by 1.5" high for example you should enter 4000 and 1500.

The next line requests values for the left and top margin.  If you are designing a layout to be printed on plain paper or card and then guillotined, allow some margins, even if these makes more work cutting up the product.  Remember, laser printers don't print right out to the edges of the page.  Values of 190 for the left margin and 250 for the top margin will be good for most printers.

The last line of numbers requests the step to the next column and the step to the next row.

Measure the step to the next column from the left edge of the leftmost label to the left edge of the next label to the right.  Measure the step to the next row from the top edge of the top label to the top edge of the next label down.  If you are designing sheets to be guillotined it will probably be appropriate to make these measurements the same as the label width and height.

When you have finished entering the measurements you may optionally enter a name for the layout in the box at the bottom of the dialog box.  If you don't name the layout, LazaLabl will call it User 6 or some corresponding name.

When you are through, click on OK with the mouse.  If you don't like the sheet you designed, select Cancel.

It is OK to design a user layout with the height and width of the sheet the other way round, that is a sheet 11" wide and 8.5" high.   However you need to tell LazaLabl to print in landscape mode when you use such a sheet if that is what you want.  You set the printer into landscape mode using the Printer Setup option of the Printer Settings option from the File menu.

IMPORTANT

To use the layout after you have designed it, choose the corresponding name from the User Layouts sub-menu.  It is not selected automatically.


Modify User Layout

This option allows you to modify one of your layout designs.  A list box will appear which shows the user defined layout names as described under User Layouts. Select the one you wish to modify.

A dialog box will pop up to allow you to enter the required information.

Five rows of two columns of numbers are required.  The first row describes the paper size, which will usually be 8.5" by 11".

Note that in the dialog box you must enter the measurement in thousandths of an inch.  Some measurements in inches, and the corresponding values in thousandths of an inch are as follows:

Inches	Thousandths

 0.125" (1/8)	  125

 0.25"   (1/4)	  250

 0.5"     (1/2)	  500

 0.75"   (3/4)	  750

 1"	1000

 1.25"	1250

 1.5"	1500

 1.75"	1750

 2"	2000

 4"	4000

 8.5"	8500

11"	      11000

So for the paper size line, the page width would be entered as 8500, and the page height as 11000.

The next line in the dialog box requests the number of columns of labels, and the number of rows.

The next line asks for the width and height of each label.  For labels 4" wide by 1.5" high for example you should enter 4000 and 1500.

The next line requests values for the left and top margin.  If you are designing a layout to be printed on plain paper or card and then guillotined, allow some margins, even if these makes more work cutting up the product.  Remember, laser printers don't print right out to the edges of the page.  Values of 190 for the left margin and 250 for the top margin will be good for most printers.

The last line of numbers requests the step to the next column and the step to the next row.

Measure the step to the next column from the left edge of the leftmost label to the left edge of the next label to the right.  Measure the step to the next row from the top edge of the top label to the top edge of the next label down.  If you are designing sheets to be guillotined it will probably be appropriate to make these measurements the same as the label width and height.

When you are through, click on OK with the mouse.  If you don't like the changes you made, select Cancel.

It is OK to design a user layout with the height and width of the sheet the other way round, that is a sheet 11" wide and 8.5" high.   However you need to tell LazaLabl to print in landscape mode if that is what you want.  You set the printer into landscape mode using the Printer Setup option of the Printer Settings option from the File menu.

IMPORTANT

To use the layout after you have designed it, choose the corresponding name from the User Layouts sub-menu.


Font
Font (Ctrl+F)

Choosing the Font option from the Options menu causes a standard Windows Choose-Font dialog box to appear.

The Choose-Font dialog box contains list boxes which allow you to choose a typeface name, style and point size.  A specimen of the currently selected font is also displayed.  Click on OK when you have adjusted the font specimen to your liking.

Remember that by convention, typefaces displayed on the screen are about 1.5 times bigger than the corresponding type on the printer.  This is because the resolution of screens is not usually as good as the resolution of a printer, and because we tend to view a screen from a greater distance.  Bear this in mind when you choose a typeface.  If in doubt, print a few labels on plain paper to get the feel of the different fonts you have available in your Windows installation.

Additional TrueType fonts are available at quite modest prices from a number of manufacturers.

When you have selected a particular typeface, style and point size, the label at the top of the deck will change to reflect your selection.  When it is printed, a corresponding (somewhat smaller) font will be used.

The Font and Default Font options of the Options menu both invoke a standard Windows Choose-font dialog.  This allows you to specify text color. LazaLabl takes this into account and will print color labels on a suitable printer.


Default Font

If you take no action to specify the font to be used for the label at the top of the deck,  LazaLabl will use its default font.

Using the default font will lead to smaller group files if you store the labels on disk, since in this case, LazaLabl won't have to store font information.

The default font is not fixed.  You can set it as you please by choosing the Default Font option from the Options menu.  A Choose-font dialog box will appear, and you can use this to specify any available font as the default font.

LazaLabl will remember this setting for future uses of the program.


Shrink to fit
Shrink2fit

The text in the labels on the deck is not neccesarily what will appear on the corresponding label or labels when they are printed.  The actual appearance of the labels is controlled by four options from the Options menu. Shrink2fit is the first of these four.

This option is the default behavior when LazaLabl prints labels.  The text you have entered in the label edit box on the deck will be used as-is in terms of typeface, character size, and style, unless it is too large to fit on the label.  In the latter case, the typeface and style will be preserved to the extent that this is possible, but the characters will be reduced in size so that the entire label text will appear on the label.  If shrinking occurs, the font match may not be exact, it may be that there is no exactly-matching smaller font available.  However if you have chosen a TrueType font this should not be a problem.

The printed text also differs from that in the edit box on the deck in that the printed text will be centered on the label.  The centering will serve to preserve the normal appearance of an address, that is, centering of the whole text, not of individual lines, for example:

and not:

You do not need to select an option to achieve this effect.  This is LazaLabl's default behavior.

When LazaLabl stores labels in a file the print mode is stored with the label text and font information.  So if you first create a label in  Shrink2fit mode, then recover it from a file and print it again, it will be printed in Shrink2fit mode without any special action on your part.


WYSIWYG

Selecting this option instructs LazaLabl to print the text on the label just as you have entered it in the edit box on the deck.  The only adjustment made will be to compensate for the customary difference in the size of the text on the screen versus the size of the text when printed.

In other words the  text will be printed in the same proportion and position relative to the label as it was to the edit box.

If the text is too large for the label it will be clipped to size so that text does not flow over onto an adjoining label.

WYSIWYG is the printing option used when LazaLabl superimposes the labels on the deck to print a composite image.

Selecting this option normally applies it only to the label which is at the top of the deck when the selection of the option is made.  If you change your mind you can always change that label back to one of the other options, Shrink2fit, or Maximize.

When LazaLabl stores labels in a file the print mode is stored with the label text and font information.  So if you first create a label in  WYSIWYG mode, then recover it from a file and print it again, it will be printed in WYSIWYG mode without any special action on your part.


Maximize

Selecting this option causes the text in the edit box to be printed on the label in the largest version of the selected font that will fit on the label.   For example, if the contents of the edit box were:

then with the Maximize option selected for that label, the label would be printed as:

Note that, as is the case with the Shrink2fit option, the text is centered on the label.

When LazaLabl stores labels in a file the print mode is stored with the label text and font information.  So if you first create a label in  Maximize mode, then recover it from a file and print it again, it will be printed in Maximize mode without any special action on your part.


Superimpose

The Superimpose option is used to create composite labels comprising text of different sizes and typeface styles.  For example if there were two labels on the deck with the following texts:

Printing a label using the Superimpose option would produce a label with appearance similar to:

Remember that if you select Superimpose mode, LazaLabl prints each of the component text items in WYSIWYG mode, so you need to indent the individual text lines with spaces or tabs or using the Left Margin option from the Operations menu.  Also to get the individual items in the required positions you may need to space them down the label by inserting empty lines before them, or by using the Top Margin option from the Operations menu.

When LazaLabl stores labels in a file the print mode is stored with the label text and font information.  So if you first create a set of labels in Superimpose mode, then recover them from a file and print them again, they will be printed in Superimpose mode without any special action on your part.

If you load a group file which is not a superimposed group over a deck of labels which is superimposed,  the new group will win.  That is, the combined deck of labels will not be treated as superimposed.


Test Mode

If Test Mode is selected, LazaLabl places a bounding rectangle of the size specified by the current layout around each label it prints.

You can use this option to check that the sheet layout you have selected (the one showing in the right hand side of the LazaLabl window) corresponds to the actual label sheet you have available, without wasting any labels.  Simply select Test Mode and print a few labels onto a piece of plain paper.  It will then be a simple matter to compare the actual label sheet to the printout to check if the positions of the printed boxes and the actual labels coincide.


Context sensitive help
Help

LazaLabl incorporates context sensitive help which makes the contents of sections 4 through 8 of this manual On-line while the program is in use.

To get Help on any particular menu item, use the cursor control keys to move the highlight bar to the required item, then press function key F1.

Selecting the Help option from the Help menu will cause the help system to display an index of help topics.  To get help on one of these topics click with the mouse on the topic title.


About LazaLabl
About

Choosing the About option causes display of a message box containing version number information for the LazaLabl product.  You should make a note of the version number if you need to report any operating problem to SoftCentre.