Mr Bilby can take you

General

The instructions on this page will attempt to help those having trouble printing their Membership Cards.

The cards are intended to be printed at Business Card size, which is approximately 90mm by 52mm.  The cards can be printed at larger sizes, though the results won't be great (see below for more details).

If required, use the handy link to ZDNet's Download library (at the bottom of this page) where you should be able to download the necessary software if you don't already have it.

Image Formats

Membership Cards are JPEG image files.

Most "paint" and "word processing" programs can handle JPEG files, however you will need a program that allows you to specify the size of the printed output.

Some Examples

There are literally thousands of programs out there that you can use to print your Membership Card.  The examples used were chosen because they are popular and are familiar to the author.

Example 1: Printing with Paint Shop Pro version 8

Paint Shop Pro (PSP) is a popular Shareware program for Microsoft Windows.  Once you have opened your file in PSP you will need to set the size at which it is to be printed.  In version 8 this is done by selecting the Resize option in the Image menu.  On the Resize form in the Print Size section enter the image size (Height 5.2cm).  Make sure that Lock aspect ratio is ticked and the Width will automatically be set to about 9.2cm.  Now select Print from the File menu and make sure that the Fit to Page option is not selected.  Here you can select the page offsets so that the image prints just where you want it on the page.  The default is to print in the centre of the page, select Custom offset to change this.  (Note: in much earlier versions of PSP this is also where you specify the print size.)

If you wish to print your card at a larger size, as a certificate rather than a card, on the Print form, choose fit to page and choose Landscape Orientation.  This will print your card as a full page certificate.  For a Colour card, due to the low resolution of the image, the results look a bit "jagged".  Printing with the Orientation set to Portrait, so that the card takes up about half the page, produces a better result.  A bit of trial and error might be required to get the best result.

Example 2: Printing with Microsoft Word 2000 (also for MS Word 97)

MS Word is by far the most popular (though not necessarily the best) word processor for Microsoft Windows (and Apple Mac).  In Word select Picture for the Insert menu and from the sub-menu select From File.  Select your Membership Card file and click the Insert button.  Once the file is inserted in the document, right click on the Membership Card picture and select Format Picture from the popup menu.  Select the Size tab on the Format Picture form and enter 5.2cm as the picture Height.  The Width, approximately 9cm, should be automatically updated (check Lock Aspect Ratio if it is not).  You can now print your card just as you would print any other Word document.

If you wish to print your card at a larger size, as a certificate rather than a card, select Page Setup from the File menu and on the Paper Size tab select Landscape Orientation.  Use the the Size tab on the Format Picture form to adjust the picture size until it fills the page.  See the note in example 1 above regarding the quality of the larger prints.

Example 3: Printing with a MS Word "template"

The 2 examples above work best if you are printing your card on "plain" paper.  If you have Business Card stationery, it is best to print using a template set up for the stationery in your word processor.  If you use MS Word and your Business Card stationery is the standard 10 cards to a page with each card approximately 52mm by 90mm, you should find the Zipped MS Word document available below useful.  The document uses a fixed size table to represent the 10 cards on an A4 sheet.  Follow the instructions in example 2 above to Import your Membership Card into one of the cells in the table in the document, and it should be automatically sized and positioned to print on a business card.

Still Stuck?

Check the manual or the help file for the software you are using.  If you are a child, ask an adult to help you.  If you are an adult, ask a child to help you!

Links (Note: the links to external web sites will open in a new browser window)

ZDNet Download Archive

Paint Shop Pro

Business Cards template for MS Word