Sorcerer Software Users Newsletter Issue 0102 Welcome to our monthly newsletter, covering the latest updates, tips, and user questions about our software programs. If you have an issue or question you would like to see addressed in a future newsletter, either by me or by your fellow users, please email me and I'll include it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JUNE 28, 2001 CONTENTS: 1. Envelope Printer 2. The Abacus 3. Odds and Ends (short takes on our other software) 4. An interesting web site... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Envelope Printer http://www.sorcerersoftware.com/envelope.htm I've been getting a lot of comments/questions like this one from user ES: "I am using an HP Laserjet 4000 N and the envelope did not print correctly using the front manual tray. It feeds from the center and to me it looks like the address was printed on the envelope as if the printer would be feeding the envelope from the left side of the tray. Any Ideas?" In other words, the standard Envelope Printer landscape orientation settings aren't printing on the correct part of the envelope. This is a common problem with laser printers which tend to require that the envelope enter the printer in the middle rather than on the left or right side (like most ink jet printers). The solution? Print using the "Roll Your Own" mode. Let me explain: The Envelope Printer program has 2 standard orientations, Landscape and Portrait*, and 2 default envelope sizes, #6 and #10. A standard #10 envelope is also often called a "business" size envelope, and measures about 9.5 inches in length. A #6 envelope measures about 5.5 inches. But you don't have to use our envelope sizes. You can make up your own. If you want to print on an envelope of another size, or want the address (or return address) to print in a non-standard location, even on a standard sized envelope, then you have to "Roll Your Own". When doing this, just tell Envelope Printer which orientation you are using -- Landscape or Portrait -- and then tell it how many inches from the top and side you want the address and return address to print. To use the "Roll Your Own" option, you first have to select an orientation by clicking on "Options" and selecting either Landscape or Portrait. Next, click on "Options" again and then on "Roll Your Own". Go ahead and try it. A new screen will open. If you selected Landscape orientation, you can then input the number of inches from the top and from the RIGHT that you want the return address and the address to print. If you selected Portrait orientation, you can then input the number of inches from the top and from the LEFT side of the envelope that you want the return address and address to print. Make sure and click on the "OK" button after entering your settings. Then just go ahead and print. You may need to fine tune your settings before you have the margins set exactly like you want them. You can also get to the "Roll Your Own" screen from the Envelope Options screen. This screen is quite handy for setting up all your printing options at one time. To access it, click on "Options->Envelope" or click on the 4th button from the right (the light blue one). On this screen select your orientation, and then at the bottom left select "Roll Your Own". When you then click on the "OK" button, the "Roll Your Own" screen will appear. (And next newsletter we'll talk more about the rest of the stuff on the "Envelope Options" screen.) After you are done entering the settings for the address and return address, you may want to save these settings so that you don't have to go through this process again. To do so, just click on "File->Save Settings" (or press the Ctrl and C keys simultaneously, or click on the last button on the right of the button bar at the top of the main screen). *Orientation refers to how the paper (or envelope) goes into the printer. If the envelope enters the same way a standard piece of paper goes in, it is referred to as "Portrait". If the paper/envelope goes in lengthwise, so that the printer has to print at a 90 degree angle, then it's called Landscape. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Abacus http://www.sorcerersoftware.com/abacus.htm As promised, this month we're going to take a look at "normal.dot". Also, we have developed a free backup/restore program for "normal.dot" and "custom.dic" which I recommend you download and use. But first, the scoop on "normal.dot" and why it's so important to MS Word and Abacus. If you have been using Abacus for a while and suddenly it stops working normally, you probably have a corrupt "normal.dot" file. If you are trying Abacus for the first time and can't get it to work right, you probably have a corrupt "normal.dot" file. If you just loaded onto your computer a new version of Word and your old Abacus program stopped working normally, you probably have a corrupt "normal.dot" file. Or if you have one of these problems and "normal.dot" is healthy, it's possible that Word itself is corrupt or is missing a file (or files). But most Abacus problems stem from a corrupt "normal.dot" file. "Normal.dot" is the global template that forms the default basis for all the documents you create. It contains your customization settings, such as AutoText entries, custom menus and toolbars, and so on. It is always loaded when Word is running. Always. In fact, if you close Word and then delete "normal.dot", Word will create a new one as soon as you start Word up again. Which brings us to the first point I want to make: 1. DON'T DELETE NORMAL.DOT unless you know exactly what you're doing to yourself. Word will start up and work just fine, but customizations that you have made (like AutoCorrect) will be lost, because they are stored in this file. So before you ever delete this file, you should rename it to something else, like "OldNormal.dot" -- just in case you ever want to go back and use it again. About now you might be asking yourself, "Why would I ever delete 'normal.dot' in the first place?" Unfortunately, this file is a fragile thing that all too frequently and easily becomes corrupt. In computerese, that just means that the file gets all out of whack, parts of it get lost or changed inadvertently, and as a result of this "normal.dot" stops working properly. When it becomes corrupt, some aspects of Word will continue to work OK, but some things will not. And this brings us to The Abacus. Since Abacus is fundamentally a giant Word macro, it relies (as do many macros) on "normal.dot" to work properly. So when "normal.dot" is corrupt, Abacus may not work right. Therefore it is essential to Abacus for us to keep a healthy and normally functioning "normal.dot" on our computers, not only for Abacus but for Word in general. And now point number two: 2. MAKE A BACKUP COPY OF NORMAL.DOT -- often. When you know Word and Abacus are working normally, take a few seconds to make a backup copy of "normal.dot". Then if it does become corrupt, you can just restore "normal.dot" with the backup copy you made, and Bob's your uncle*. Which now brings us to our final point: how to back up "normal.dot". And this is actually a very simple thing to do. First, you can just locate the file on your hard drive using Windows Explorer (or a similar file management program), and copy the file to some other folder -- or maybe to a floppy disk. Second, you can let Word make a backup copy for you. To do so, enable the check box from Word's main menu "Options->Save->Always create backup copy". This creates a backup not only of the document you are working on, but of "normal.dot" as well. And thirdly, you can use some other software program to worry about backing up and restoring (see below). But whichever method -- or other method -- you use, just make sure that you stay on top of it and make an occasional backup copy of "normal.dot". The "normal.dot" and "custom.dic" backup program that I mentioned earlier, and which we cleverly named "wdBackup.exe", can be downloaded from our web site at: http://www.sorcerersoftware.com/wdbackup.exe The program is pretty straightforward. If you need a little help getting started, after you download and start it, click on "Help->Instructions". If anyone still has trouble with it, just drop me an email and we'll get you taken care of. There is no setup or installation routine. It is a single file, so just download it and go to town. The program will both back up and restore the two files, give you a choice of backing up to (or restoring from) your hard drive or a floppy, and works with Word 97, 2000, and 2002. Free. *I always liked that rather British expression; especially because Bob IS my uncle. It just means "Everything will be OK". -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Odds and Ends CD Stripper users having been writing in and asking about how to convert files between MP3 and WAV format. The CD Stripper can convert a single file or batch of files from WAV to MP3, but can't convert the other way (ie, MP3 to WAV -- more on that next month). To convert a single file, click on "Source->Convert WAV to MP3". Then click on the text that says "click here" to open a file dialog box, or type the source path and filename into the edit box at the bottom of the main screen. When you're ready to convert, click on the "Start" button. Alternatively, to convert a batch of WAV files click on "Options->WAV Files to Convert". A new screen will open which can be used to select as many WAV files as you wish to convert. After completing file selection, click on "Start" to begin the conversion process. Read more about CD Stripper or download it from our web site at: http://www.sorcerersoftware.com/cdstrip.htm We have just completed the upgrade of our new file and text searching utility, "Odyssey", and have posted it to our web site. Check it out at: http://www.sorcerersoftware.com/odyssey.htm And finally, from the "Don't say we never gave you anything free" department, we remind everyone that we keep a page of our freeware on our web site. Any of these programs can be downloaded and used free of charge. These programs are typically quite small and perform a single function. The collection includes both Windows and DOS programs. Our freeware page is located at: http://www.sorcerersoftware.com/page3.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An interesting web site... ...came our way while looking for editorial cartoons for my daughter Katie's geography summer homework: http://www.comics.com has not only political and editorial cartoons, but such comic greats as Snoopy and of course the cubicle worker jederman, Dilbert. A good resource if you like comic strips and cartoons, or just need a daily yuk. Do you know of an interesting site you would like to share? Let me know about it and I'll put it in a future newsletter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's it for June. Look for our next newsletter in about 3 or 4 weeks... -- Bill bill@sorcerersoftware.com Sorcerer Software http://www.sorcerersoftware.com