Primera SureThing User manual

ii
©1994–2001MicroVisionDevelopment,Inc.All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced,transmitted,transcribed,stored in a
retrieval system,ortranslatedinto anylanguagein any form byanymeans without the
written permission of MicroVision Development,Inc.
MicroVisionDevelopment,Inc.
P.O.Box 130023
Carlsbad,CA92009
The Sentry Spelling-Checker Engine © 1993Wintertree Software,Inc.
MicroVision™and the SureThing logo aretrademarks,and SureThing® isa registered
trademarkof MicroVision Development,Inc.Otherbrandsor productsaretrademarksor
registered trademarks of their respective holders andshouldbe treated as such.
Restrictions
You are encouraged to make a reasonable number of backup copies of the Software for your
own use.You are not allowed tomake unlimited copies.The Software is protected by the
copyrightlawsandinternationaltreatisesthatpertain to computer software.Itisillegalto
makecopies of the Software except for backup purposes.It is illegal to give copies to
another person, or to duplicate the Software by any other means,including electronic
transmission.TheSoftwarecontainstradesecrets,and in order to protect themyoumay
not decompile,reverse engineer,disassemble,or otherwise reduce the Software to human-
perceivable form.You maynot modify,adapt,translate,rent,lease,or create derivative
works based upon the Software or any part thereof.
Warranty
MicroVisionwarrants that theoriginal disks are free from defects inmaterial andwork-
manship,assuming normaluse,foraperiodof ninety(90)days from the dateof purchase.
If a defect occurs during this period,youmay return yourfaulty diskto MicroVision,along
with a dated proof of purchase,for a free replacement.
EXCEPT FOR THE EXPRESS WARRANTY OF THE ORIGINAL DISKS SET FORTH ABOVE,MICROVISION GRANTS NO
OTHER WARRANTIES,EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY STATUTE OR OTHERWISE, REGARDING THE DISKS AND
RELATED MATERIALS,THEIR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE, THEIR QUALITY,THEIR MERCHANTABILITY, OR
OTHERWISE.THE LIABILITY OF MICROVISION UNDER THE WARRANTY SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL BE LIMITED
TO THE AMOUNT PAID BY THE CUSTOMER FOR THE PRODUCT.IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROVISION BE LIABLE
FOR ANY SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL,OR OTHER DAMAGES FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY.

iii
Credits
Engineering Robert Bushner
Jim Mayall
John H.Gaby
PatrickWright
User’s Guide Sean Cavanaugh
Jim Mayall
Online Help Jim Law
SmartDesigns Garvey
Jim Mayall
Sean Cavanaugh
Testing& Support BenDouglas
Pete Calkins
Tony Tran
Nyeland Newel
David Rast
Sean Kelley
Editing&Misc Robin Ralston
Paul Cary

iv
Contents
IntroducingSureThingCDLabeler 6
Aboutthismanual 6
Systemrequirements 6
InstallingSureThingCDLabeler 7
Registration 7
GettingHelp 7
TechnicalSupport 7
TheSureThingEnvironment 9
LabelBlocks 12
Turningblocksonandoff 12
SelectingTools 14
UsingObjectTools 14
SettingProgramOptions 14
EnteringUserInformation 15
InternetTab 15
AppearanceTab 15
ZoomingInandOut 15
WorkingwiththeSoftware 17
StartingSureThing 17
CreatingaNewLabel 17
SmartDesignBasics 19
WorkingwithText 20
EditingTextFrames 20
AddingaNewTextFrame 22
ChangingtheSizeandPositionofaTextFrame 22
InsertingMergeFieldsinTextFrames 23
FormattingTextinaTextFrame 24
EditingTextEffects 24
SelectingdifferenttypesofTextEffects 25
AddingaNewTextEffect 26

v
WorkingwiththeSoftware(continued)
WorkingwithLogosandClipart 27
EditingaLogo 27
AddingCliparttoYourLabel 28
Workingwith Backgrounds 29
UsingYourOwnBackgrounds 30
UsingaBackgroundColor 30
AcquiringImages 31
ChangingtheLabelStock 31
DuplicatingaLabelDesign 31
SavingYourLabel 33
Savingadesignwithanewfilename 33
CalibratingYourPrinter 34
Printing 34
WorkingwithLabelTemplates 35
CreatingCustomizedLayoutsusingtheTemplateCreationWizard 35
SavingExistingDesignsasTemplates 37
DeletingTemplates 38
IntroductiontoPlaylists 39
ThePlaylistManager 39
AQuickWalk-Through 40
CompilationMusicCDs 41
ForAdvancedUsers 41
WorkingwithPlaylists 42
ImportingaPlaylistUsingtheNewCDWizard 42
ImportingaPlaylisttoanExistingDesign 43
ApplyingaPlaylistfromYourPlaylistDatabase 44
CreatingaCustomPlaylistwiththePlaylistDatabase 44
CreatingYourOwnPlaylistData 45
MoreInfoonthePlaylistManager 46
DisplayingPlaylistsFieldsorData 47

6
IntroducingSureThingCDLabeler
Welcome to SureThing CD
Labeler – intelligentlabeling
softwarethatgivesyouthetools
tocreateattractivelabelsquicklyand
efficiently.
You can use SureThing CD Labeler to
create any type of CD label. Our Smart-
DesignsystemisperfectformusicCDs,
interactivemultimediatitles,PhotoCDs,or
even simple backups, for example. It
doesn’t matter whether you’re a novice
designer or an art director,SureThing CD
Labelergives youease of useandprofes-
sional results atthe same time.Smart-
Designsare capableof buildingjust about
anytypeof layout simply by clicking your
choices.You can also modify them or even
build your own layouts from scratch.
There’s no need to worry about measure-
mentsorliningthings upproperlybecause
SureThingCDLabelerhandlesthatforyou
automatically.It’s pre-configured to work
withmanypopular label stocks,leaving
you free to be creative and focus on your
designs.
SureThing CD Labeler also comes with a
large collectionof backgrounds,textures
and clipart you can use in your labels and
designs,and of courseyoucan also
incorporateyourexistingimagesand
artworkintoanylabeldesign.
You can even merge information from CD
playlists,adatabaseorCSVfile,andprint
sets of labels, or numbered series.
Aboutthismanual
TheSureThingCDLabelerUserGuide
providestheessentialinformationyou
need togetupandrunningasquicklyas
possible.Thegoalof this manual is to give
you a good overview of the program’s
featuresand functionality.It’s not somuch
acommandreferenceasitisageneral
reference.The program’s built-in Help
systemisthebestplacetofindtypical
command referenceinformation.TheHelp
systemalsocontainsanumberof useful
mini-tutorials,tips and techniques for
using SureThing.
We assume you have a basic working
knowledge of your computer and operating
system,includinghow tochoose menu
commands, operate the mouse, select text,
andworkwithfiles(opening,closingand
saving,forexample).
Systemrequirements
Here are the bare bone requirements
needed to run SureThing:
• PCwith486orfasterprocessor
• Windows95,98,MEor2000
• 16MBRAM(64MBforWindows2000)
• 64 MB of available hard disk space
• Inkjet or Laser printer recommended

SURETHING CDLABELER
User’s Guide 7
InstallingSureThing
This section describes how to install the
SureThing CD Labeler software on your
computer.
We recommend that you quit all currently
runningprograms.Doingsofreesup
memory andresourcesandminimizes the
chance ofinstallationerrors.
1InserttheSureThinginstallationCDinto
yourCD-ROMdrive.
2Double-click the file named Setup.exe.
Thislaunchestheinstallation that will walk
you through the process of installing
SureThingCD Labeler onyourharddisk.
If Auto-run is turned on,the Setup
program will load automatically when you
insert the SureThing CD.
Registration
Please take a moment to register Sure-
Thing.Registeringthesoftware entitlesyou
totechnicalsupportaswell notificationof
program updates and upgrades.To register
the software choose Register SureThing
from the Help menu to go directly to our
registration web page.If you don’t have
access to the Internet, you can register by
callingMicroVisionat800.998.4555,or
760.438.7781.
GettingHelp
SureThing CD Labeler has a complete help
systemaccessibleanytimethe programis
running.Much of the helpis context-
sensitive.Inotherwords,itwilljump
directly to the specific topic related to the
feature or command you are working
with. When no specific feature or com-
mand is detected, choosing Help takes you
to the help system’s index or topic list.The
Help system also contains a number of
helpfultutorials,tipsandtechniques.
Toaccesshelp:
• Press the F1 key any time you are using
SureThingCDLabeler,orchoosethe
Contents command from the Help menu.
• In many dialog boxes you can press a
Helpbutton, which opens the help topic
for that dialog box (and even if you don’t
seeaHelpbutton in a dialog box, you can
stillpressF1).
TechnicalSupport
If you have a question or problem with
SureThingCDLabelerthatyoucannot
adequatelyanswerorsolveusingthe
manual orhelpsystem,technicalsupportis
available from MicroVision Development.
SureThingontheWeb
If you have access to the Internet, this is
definitelythebestoption.Our websiteis
keptcurrentwithanswersto frequently
askedquestions(FAQs),programupdates
and patches, and a user-to-user support
forum.Visit our website at
www.surething.com
You can access our web site directly from
SureThing’s Help menu.Options are
available to register the software, order

8CHAPTER 1
Introduction
label supplies, and check for software
updates.Choose SureThing on the Web
from the Help menu at any time to
automatically launch your web browser
and go to our site.
Onlinesupport
Onlinesupport,including e-mail,FAQs
and user-to-user forums are just a click
away. Set your web browser to the
followingURL andfollowthelinkstoour
support section:
www.surething.com
Faxormailsupport
You can mail orfax questions to us at the
following:
MicroVisionDevelopment
P.O.Box130023
Carlsbad,CA92009
Faxline:760-438-7406
Telephonesupport
You can also phone us directly and speak
witha technicalsupportrepresentative.
Telephone supportisavailable Monday–
Friday9:00am–4:30pm Pacifictime.
Supportline:760-438-0305

9
TheSureThingEnvironment
The SureThing environment is not
too different from what you’re
alreadyfamiliar with in other
Windows applications.It includes a menu
bar at the top of the screen, the tabbed
label window (the number of tabs depends
on the brand of label you are using), and
a collection of tools for creating and
editing elements such as label text, text
effects,backgrounds, images, borders,etc.
At the bottom of the screen are buttons
you click to cycle through the various
SmartDesigns.
SpeedTools*
ControlStrip
Designbar Variationbar
Menubar
Commandbar
*SpeedToolsareturnedoffbydefault,butyoucanturnthemonbychoosingViewOptionsfromtheViewmenu.

10 CHAPTER 2
The SureThing Environment
Theiconsalongtheleftof the
screenareshortcutmenusto
commonly performed tasks.
Designbar SpeedTools(defaultset)
Control Strip
Clickthearrowtotogglethe
displayoftheDesignbaron
andoff.Turningitoffgives
moreroomtothedesign
window.
ZoomIn
ZoomOut
FitinWindow
GetcontentsfromCD
Selectaplaylistforthisdesign
Textalignmentmenu
Verticaltextalignmentmenu
Fontcolormenu
Bold,Italic,Underlineoptions
Fontmenu
FontSizemenu
Rotatetool
Transparencytool
Textmode
Objectmode Objecttoolslist:
•TextFrametool
•Picturetool
•TextEffectstool
•Linetool
•Rectangletool
•Round-CornerRectangletool
• Ellipse tool
•InsertOLEObjecttool
•Texttool
•Objectselectiontool
•Rotatetool
•Transparencytool
•CropPicturetool
CalibratePrinter
Print
PrinterSetup
Undo/Redo
Cut,Copy&Paste
Find
Replace
FindNext
BringtoFront
SendtoBack
SelectAll
SetProgramOptions
ShowItem
SetMergeFile
ChangeLabelStocks
TemplateInfo
TextFrametool
Picturetool
TextEffecttool

SURETHING CDLABELER
User’s Guide 11
LabelDesignArea
The Label Design Area is where you create
and edit your label. Each label block has its
own tab at the top of the design area. The
number of tabs displayed here depends on
the label stock you are using (specific to
each label sheet). The example above
contains blocks for the CD label itself and
ajewelcasespine.By default, only the CD
Label block is active – the others appear in
parentheses. Clicking a tab activates the
block,however,and also turns it on in the
Print dialog box.If you don’t want to edit
and/or print these blocks, you can turn
themoffagainbychoosingthe Blocks
Tabsforeachcomponentof
thelabelsheet(referredtoas
“Blocks”)
Sample
Text Effect
Labeledge
Bleed area
Rulers(clickanddragtocreate
alignmentguidelines).
command fromView menu,and then
selectingShow/Hide.
The area displayed in crosshatch indicates
the area outside of the label. If you place
an object, such as a text frame or logo,
over the crosshatch, the portion that over-
laps the crosshatch will not be displayed
on screen.You can turn off crosshatching
bytogglingtheCliptoLabelcommand
undertheViewmenu.WhenCliptoLabel is
turned off, all objects are displayed regard-
less of their placement on the label.
Non-printingarea
(CliptoLabel)
Sample
Text Frame
InTextMode,thehorizontalruler
changestoaparagraphindent
andtabrulercorrespondingtothe
currentlyselectedtextframe.

12 CHAPTER 2
The SureThing Environment
LabelBlocks
We mentioned the concept of “blocks”in
theprecedingsection.Ablock isagroup of
identical labels found on a label sheet. For
example, all of the CD labels on a sheet
form a block of CD labels.
Onmanylabelsheets, you will find mul-
tiple blocks of labels on the same sheet
where each block of labels is intended for
a different purpose. For example, Sure-
ThingCDLabels include two blocks: CD
labels for the CD itself and spine labels to
go on the spine of a CD jewel case.
Consider the following example:
Atypicallabelsheet(SureThingCDLabels)
The circles in the center are, of course, the
CDlabels.Thefirst tab in the designwin-
dow corresponds to this block. The thin
rectangles to the left and right of the CD
labels are jewel case spines, and corre-
spond to the second tab in the design
window.
Turning blocks on and off
You select the blocks you want to design
andeditbyclickingtheircorresponding
tabs at the top of the design window.This
turns on a block and activates its design
window if it wasn’t already activated.You
can turn off blocks using the Blocks >
Show/Hide command under theView
menu.Whenyouturna block off, its tab
appears in parentheses,and it’s no longer
displayedinblueinthePrintdialogbox,
indicatingthatitwillnotbeprinted.Ifitis
on, however,it will be printed.
InthefollowingPrintdialogbox,youcan
tell that only the CD label block has been
turned on,because it’s the only block that
appears in blue. The blue areas indicate
active blocks, letting you know which ones
willbeprinted.
After activating the other blocks, notice
that they now also appear in blue:

SURETHING CDLABELER
User’s Guide 13
CommandBar
The buttons along the top of the design
area(New, Open,Save, etc.)perform the
same function as some commonly used
menu commands. They’re located here for
your convenience.
The Add button makes a copy of the
current design.You can then edit the copy,
changingbackground,text,andlayout,for
example,leavingtheoriginalintact.The
Add button provides an easy way to
produce a series of labels with different
layoutsanddata.TheDelbuttondeletes
the current label. The << (previous) and
>> (next) buttons let you navigate be-
tween labels. All four buttons correspond
to the Designs commands under the Tools
menu.
(Note: The Add command is not the
method you use to print multiple copies of
a label – use the Print command and enter
the number of copies you want to print for
that – but rather a means to create differ-
entlayouts,backgrounds,text,etc.,within
the same file.)
VariationBar
TheVariation Bar lets you cycle through
thevariousSmartDesigns availabletoa
particularlabelstock. The first button,
Background, lets you choose from various
backgrounds for your label design. The
second button controls the overall layout
ofyourlabel.Thethirdbuttoncontains
font variations appropriate for each layout.
Click the arrows to the left or right of a
button to move back and forth between
the variations, or click in the center of the
button for a pop-up menu.

14 CHAPTER 2
The SureThing Environment
SelectingTools
You select a tool by clicking it with the
mouse.Sometoolsbringupdialog boxes
(such as the Picture tool, for example),
others change the shape of the cursor,
indicating you can create an object based
on the type of tool you selected. These are
alsoknownastheObjectTools.
When you move the mouse over a tool
withoutclickingit,thenameofthetoolis
displayed.Foran overview of eachtool,
see the online Help.
UsingObjectTools
The tools used to create objects work in
thefollowingfashion:
1Select the tool (either from the tool
menu on the Control Strip, or from the
Object Tools list under the Tools menu).
2Clickandcontinueholdingdownthe
mouse button at the location in the label
design area where you want to create the
object.
3Whilestillholdingdownthemouse
button, drag the size you want the object
to appear.
4When you are satisfied with the size of
the object, release the mouse and the
object is created.
Most object tools work in the manner
describedabove.Some tools display dialog
boxes where you can open and insert files,
enter text, etc.
SettingProgramOptions
A number of SureThing’s settings can be
customized.Theseincludestartupoptions,
displayoptions,toolbarandrulersettings,
etc. Some of these options are set in the
Options dialog box (choose the Program
Options command from the Tools menu),
others are turned on and off under the
View menu. These settings are saved each
timeyouexitSureThing.
TochangeViewOptions:
• ChooseView Options from theView
menu to turn the display of selected items
on or off. The commands under this sub-
menu toggle on and off – a check mark
next to an option indicates it’s on; select it
againtoturnitoff.
TochangesettingsintheOptionsdialogbox:
1Choosethe Program Options command
from the Tools menu, or click the
button at the bottom of the Design bar.

SURETHING CDLABELER
User’s Guide 15
ProgramOptionsdialogbox
2Make any changes you see fit. Press
Help for more information about a specific
option.
3Click OK to save your settings and close
theProgramOptionsdialog box.
You can also turn on or off the display of
certain items by choosing View Options
under theView menu.
UserInfoTab
SureThing labels can be designed to use
merge fields from databases or from the
User Info tabof the ProgramOptionsdialog
box.We encourage you to take a moment
tofillthisinformationout.
Fillin information inanyof the fieldsthat
are appropriate for you. Leave any
unnecessary fields blank (you should
delete the sample text).
InternetTab
TheInternet tab oftheProgramOptions
dialog box lets you select an Internet
PlaylistServer,enablereadingof CD Text,
and configure a proxy server.
InternetPlaylistServer
SureThing defaults to the server
www2.freedb.org/cgi-bin/cddb.cgi,butyou
can change this to another server that
provides playlist information. To change
the program back to the default server,
clicktheUseDefaultServeroption.
TheConnecttoserverwithoutprompting
optionis primarily intended for users who
are online all the time, such as those who
use cable modem systems or LAN con-
nections for example. If you connect to the
Internetviaa dial-up service, you may
wish to be prompted.
EnableCDText
CD Textis a recent addition to the CD
audiospecificationallowingdiscandtrack
related information to be added to stan-
dard audio CDs for playback on suitably
equippedCDaudioplayers.
IftheEnableReadingCDTextoptionis
turnedon, SureThingwillfirstattemptto
read CD Text when gatheringplaylist in-
formation.If no CD Text is detected,Sure-
Thingwillthensearch the Internet Playlist
Server for information about the CD.
ProxyServer
Enter the address and port number of the
proxy server you wish to connect to. If
you’re unsure about proxy server settings,
chance are you are not using one.

16 CHAPTER 2
The SureThing Environment
AppearanceTab
The“Appearance” tab of the Program
Optionsdialogboxletsyoupersonalizethe
look and feel of the SureThing interface.
ZoomingInandOut
You can magnify or reduce your view of
the design area using a couple of different
methods.When you firstopena file,or
when you create a new one, the zoom level
is set to fit within the current window.This
means that the view size of the label is
dependent upon the size of the window;
increasing or decreasing the SureThing
window zooms in or out of the label.
You can also set the view size to a specific
zoom percentage, such as 50% to view it at
halftheactualsize,or300%toviewit at
three times the actual size, for example.
When you choose a specific zoom level,
the size of the current window does not
affect the view size of the label.
To zoom in:
Dooneofthefollowing:
• Click the Zoom In button on the
ControlStrip. Eachtimeyou clickit
increases the zoom level.
• Press Ctrl+Plus key (numeric keypad)
• Choose Custom Zoom from the Zoom
sub-menu under theView menu and select
a zoom level from the list, or enter your
own zoom level (must be between 30%
and400%).
To zoom out:
• Click the Zoom Out button on the
ControlStrip. Eachtimeyou clickit
decreases the zoom level.
• Press Ctrl+Minus key (on the numeric
keypad)
• Choose Custom Zoom from the Zoom
sub-menu under theView menu and select
a zoom level from the list, or enter your
own zoom level (must be between 30%
and400%).
You can return the zoom level to the actual
print size or to the size of the current
windowbychoosingActual Size orZoom to
fit in Window from the Zoom sub-menu
under theView menu.Clicking the
button on the Control Strip does the same
thing.

17
Working with the Software
In this chapter,you’ll learn how to
create a new SureThing label design, as
wellasthe basics ofediting,savingand
printinglabels.Theinformationisoften
presented in a step-by-step format in-
tended to give you a good overview of
SureThing’s features and capabilities.To
learn more about a specific command or
feature, please refer to the Online Help.
Topic Page
StartingSureThing 17
Creatinga NewLabel 17
SmartDesign Basics 19
Working with Text 20
EditingText Frames 20
Addinga NewText Frame 22
Changing the Size and Position of aText Frame 22
Inserting Merge Fields inText Frames 23
FormattingTextinaTextFrame 24
Editing Text Effects 24
Selecting different types of Text Effects 25
Adding a NewText Effect 26
Working with Logos and Clipart 27
Editing a Logo 27
Adding Clipart toYour Label 28
Working with Backgrounds 29
Using Your Own Backgrounds 30
Using a Background Color 30
Acquiring Images 31
Changing the Label Stock 31
Duplicating a Design 31
SavingYour Label 33
Calibrating Your Printer 34
Printing 34
Working with Label Templates 35
Playlists & The Playlist Manager 39
StartingSureThing
Double-click the SureThing icon on the
desktop, or launch it from the Start menu
(lookunderPrograms>SureThing>
SureThingCD Labeler).
If this is the first time you’ve started
SureThing,the“SureThing First Time
Wizard”appears.If this is not the first time
you’ve started SureThing,depending on
how you’ve configured your startup
options(choose theProgramOptions
command under the Tools menu), you
mayormaynotseethiswizard.Ifit
doesn’t appear automatically, choose the
New command from the File menu.
CreatingaNewLabel
The New Label wizard steps you through
the process of selecting a label stock and
specifying design characteristics such as a
background image.
Select a label stock

18 CHAPTER 3
Working with the Software
Select a product type and label stock from
thelistson the right side of the wizard. The
preview image should match your actual
labelstock.(Note:DeluxeEditionuserscan
change the stock later with the Change
LabelStockcommandundertheEdit
menu.) Click the Next button when you’re
satisfied with your choice.
Selectabackground for yourlabel
You have the option to select a back-
ground image for your label.To see a list of
available backgrounds specially designed
forSureThing,clicktheBrowsebuttonand
select an image. A preview of it will appear
inthewizard.Ifyouchangeyourmind,
click the Clear button to use no back-
ground, or click the Browse button again
and select a different background.You can
select backgrounds for your CD label or
jewel case spine by clicking the drop-down
list before you browse the backgrounds.
Click the Next button when you’re satisfied
with your choices.
The next step of the wizard presents you
withtheoptionof usingSmartDesign
templates, or designing a blank label from
scratch.We recommend you choose Use
SmartDesigns.
SelectaninitialSmartDesign
There are three categories of Smart-
Designs:AudioCD, DataCDandGeneral
Purpose. These categories determine the
type of information, such as playlist track
titles,thatwill be part ofyourdesign.
;IfyouselecttheGeneralPurpose option,youcanlaterswitchto
eitherAudioCDorDataCDif youchoose
toapplyaplaylisttoyourdesign.
This step lets you change the SmartDesign
options for your label.You can change
many of these options after you’ve created
a label,so don’t worry about being locked
into a particular SmartDesign or back-
ground.
Click the Finishbutton to complete the
wizardandstart editing your label.Or...
ClicktheNextbuttonto add playlist
information to your design if you are
creating anAudio CDor Data CD design.

SURETHING CDLABELER
User’s Guide 19
©Tip:SureThingremembersall selectionsyou’vemadeinthe
wizard.Ifnothingchangesforthenext
labelyouwanttocreate,clickFinishonthe
firstscreenofthewizard.
The Design window appears with the label
youjustcreated using thewizard,andis
now ready for editing. The text you see is
theinitialsampletext,and the background
is the same one you selected in the wizard.
TheDesignWindow
By default, all new labels start out with a
SmartDesignfor the product type and label
stock you chose in the New Label wizard.
SmartDesigns are templates that act like a
designassistant.They provide a varietyof
layoutchoices,sample text, andfontand
pointsizesuggestions.
ThesampletextincludedinaSmartDesign
is intended to give you ideas about the
type of information you might use in your
design.You can,of course,enter anything
you like in each field. Several of the
SmartDesignlayoutsalsoincludesample
images to use as placeholders until you
insertyourowngraphics,logos,etc.
If you chose Audio or Data CD in the
Wizard,please refer to the section titled
“WorkingwithPlaylists”laterinthis
chapter.
SmartDesignBasics
SmartDesignsareinteractivedesign
templates built into SureThing. Unlike
traditional templates that simply place a
few objects on a page and leave the rest up
toyou,SmartDesignsallowyoutomodify
many aspects of the design with a few
mouse clicks.We call them‘smart’ because
they’re designed for specific label stocks
by people with a good eye for graphic
design.SmartDesignsletyou puttogether
attractive label designs without actually
having to do anything more than click the
mouse.
SmartDesignsdisplaysampletext,avariety
of layouts, and a series of font selections
for each layout. SmartDesigns don’t re-
quireyoutodrawandalign objects (lines,
rectangles,gradientfills,etc.) or format
TheVariationBar

20 CHAPTER 3
Working with the Software
text.You simply browse the SmartDesign
for a look that fits your taste and use it.
And of course, you can override or modify
the SmartDesigns at any time; you’re not
lockedinto any designs.
SmartDesignsaremanipulatedusing the
Variation Bar atthe bottom of the window.
The Variation Bar consists of menus for
Background,LayoutandFontvariations.
TouseSmartDesigns:
• Click the left or right arrows on one of
the threeVariation menus.You can also
click in the middle of a Variation menu to
display a pop-up list of choices.
Backgroundmenuwithpop-uplist
The firstVariation menu controls the
variousbackgroundsyoucanselect.The
second menu contains several pre-
designed layouts appropriate for each of
thebackgroundsincludedwithSureThing.
Thethirdmenulistsfontvariationsfor
each of the layouts from the second menu.
When you’re satisfied with a background
and layout, you’re ready to move on to
editing the various objects and text fields
inthelabel.
©SmartDesignTip:UsetheVariation Bartofindabackground,layout
andfontthatsuitsyourtastesbefore
customizingthelabel.
WorkingwithText
Text can take a couple of different forms
inSureThing:textframesandtexteffects.
Text in text frames behaves much like it
would in a word processing program, for
instance – with characters, paragraphs,
tabs,indents,etc.Text effects,on the other
hand, behave more like graphic objects –
youcan bend,warp,andtwistthe text,add
drop shadows and fill patterns,etc.You’ll
want to know how to work with both
typeswhile designingyourlabels.
EditingText Frames
Text in SureThing is displayed in boxes
calledtextframes thatfunctionmuchlike
fields in a database. The sample text
frames you see are a bit different from the
ones you create yourself – the sample text
islinkedtothe underlyingSmartDesignto
allow SureThing to automatically generate
newlayoutsandfontvariations.
Selectingtextinframes
WheneditingaSmartDesignlayout,the
text frames have been arranged so that
replacingthe sample textislike filling in
fields in a database.
• Press the Tab key to move to the next
text frame in the design.