Image Pak Tips and FAQ
The Following Is A Collection Of Image Pak User Tips & FAQ’s
Stay tuned throughout the school year for tips, techniques and procedures submitted by the Image Pak user community. If you have an application of Image Pak or a short-cut you have discovered, be sure to submit that tip to Image Pak technical support.
Windows
Q: How do I access the instruction manual?
A:
The instruction manual is installed on your computer at the time you
install the Image Pak application. Just click the Start button and
point to Programs/ImagePak 5/ImagePak 5 PDF manual. You will need to
have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your PC. This is a free
application that can be downloaded from the Internet at
http://www.adobe.com.
Q: Can I use the Herff Jones images in other programs besides Image Pak?
A:
Absolutely! There are numerous other applications that have approved
Herff Jones images for use in their programs. If you have questions
about a specific program, contact your Herff Jones representative.
Q: I assigned the First Name field to my Follett bar code, but when I read the bar code I only get numbers -- what's going on?
A:
The Follett bar code, by definition, uses only the field that lists the
student identification number (by default this field is called
"Identification"). No matter what field or constant text is assigned to
the Follett bar code, it will always use the identification number.
Q: My badge I designed looks great on the preview
screen, but it always comes out messed up when I print it on my HP
Printer. What am I doing wrong?
A: You're not
doing anything wrong. Your HP printer just needs to be adjusted
slightly. To correct the problem, open your Printers Folder and
right-click on the HP Printer Icon. Select Properties and then from the
Graphics tab make sure the "Use raster graphics" (or a like property)
option is selected. Then click OK. Your printed badge should now look
just like your preview.
Q: What does "Show Twain Device User Interface" mean?
A:
In the "Acquire Photos" screen, the user has the ability to use any
Twain-compliant photo acquisition device to import images into
ImagePak's database. Twain devices, when called, usually display their
own interface to help users acquire images. When the desired image has
been aquired, the image is "sent" to Image Pak usually when the Twain
device's interface is closed.
Image Pak, however, also allows the user the time-saving step of bypassing the default Twain device's interface and directly acquiring an image. How this is done, however, depends upon each Twain device. For example, the Kodak DC210 Digital Camera will "send" the last image taken. Other devices could "take" a picture the moment the device is accessed and "send" that image. It is recommended that the user gain experience using the Twain device to determine how it responds.
It has been found, however, that some Twain devices do not work well
without showing the Twain interface. If your computer "hangs" or
"freezes up" when attempting to use a Twain device without its native
interface, it is recommended that the native interface always be used.
This can be assured by checking the "Show Twain Device User Interface"
check box under the Twain Preferences section of the Aquire Photos
screen.
Q: Why does the Import a Foreign Database tree name the fields of my text file after the first record in the text file?
A:
Image Pak does this because it searches the first record of the text
(or spreadsheet, etc.) for names to assign to the fields. To avoid this
and other possible problems, it is best to add a first record to the
file giving names to the fields. For example, add this first record:
"Identification","FirstName","LastName","Teacher","Grade"
for a text file that contains information like this:
"983524","Gogh","Van","Gaugin","10"
"123865","Monet","Claude","Manet","12"
Q: I have uninstalled Image Pak 5 using the
"Add/Remove Programs" Control Panel; why do I still have images and an
ImagePak database (*.vlb) on my computer?
A:
Windows uninstall can only remove programs and supporting files that
are installed. Since Image Pak 5 creates and imports files whenever it
is run, the uninstall cannot be aware of these; therefore, it cannot
remove them. This will nearly always result in Image Pak databases,
import logs, and imported images remaining behind after an uninstall.
In order to remove all Image Pak files, follow these steps:
1) Before proceeding, verify that this copy of Image Pak is not being used by any other personnel
2) Run the "Add/Remove Programs" Control Panel applet and remove ImagePak 5.
3) Close the Control Panels and open Windows Explorer.
4) Navigate to your "ImagePak 5" Directory (or wherever you installed Image Pak).
5) Highlight the "Image Pak 5" folder and press the "Delete" key.
6) Confirm that you wish to delete everything in this directory.
7) If you know you have saved other Image Pak files (such as databases,
identification badge templates, etc.), remove these with Windows
Explorer as well.
Once this has been accomplished, all Image Pak 5 files should be removed from your hard drive. However, to make a complete uninstall, Image Pak's Windows Registry entries can also be removed.
To remove all Image Pak Registry entries, follow these steps:
1) Before proceeding, verify that any and all Registration Numbers
received for purchased Add-Ins for Image Pak are written down in a
easy-to-find location. Erasing registry entries will also erase that
registration status of any purchased Add-Ins. These Registration
Numbers will need to be re-entered if Image Pak is re-installed.
2) Access the Windows "Start" menu and select "Run"
3) In the "Open" text box of the Run applet, type "regedit" and press the "OK" button.
4) For ImagePak 5.5 (and greater) users: Find and double-click (open)
the HKEY_CURRENT_USER" node; for Image Pak 5.4.1 (and less) users: Find
and double-click (open) the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" node
5) Find and open the "SOFTWARE" node.
6) Find and open the "Valley Software Systems" node
7) Find and highlight the "Image Pak 5" node.
8) Press the "Delete" key.
9) Answer "Yes" to the confirmation question.
10) Close the RegEdit program.
Image Pak 5 should now be totally removed from the computer.
Macintosh
Q: I can't get Image Pak to work correctly when I launch it. What is going on?
A:
Some security applications can cause interference with Image Pak if
they are not configured correctly. To see if your security application
is affecting Image Pak, disable the security program and launch Image
Pak again. If Image Pak works normally, referr to your security
program's reference manual or call the company's technical support
number to determine the required settings.
Q: Where is the instruction manual located?
A:
The reference manual is located on the Image Pak application disk in an
Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF) file. To access the file, you will need to
install Adobe Acrobat Reader on your Macintosh. This is a free utility
that can be downloaded off the Internet at: http://www.adobe.com.
To locate the Image Pak for Macintosh reference manual, insert the
application disk in the CD-ROM drive. A window titled Mac Files will
appear on the desktop. Resize the window and you will find the Image
Pak for Macintosh.PDF file. Launch Acrobat Reader and open this file.
You may either read from the screen or print it out. If you fill out
and return the registration card that came with your Image Pak program,
you may receive a printed copy of the manual. Please indicate on the
registration card that you need a Macintosh version of the manual.
Q: How do I delete last years pictures and records?
A:
By default, Image Pak places the images and database files on your hard
drive (usually called Macintosh Hard Drive). To remove the database
files, double-click your hard drive and a window will appear. Locate a
folder called Image Pak 5 and double-click it. Delete the files you
created last year. Also locate the folder called Herff Jones Images and
double-click it. Delete the contents of the JPEGS folder, but don't
delete the JPEGS folder itself. Close all windows and relaunch Image
Pak After logging in, go to File/New and create a new, empty database
table and then import from the current Administrators Resource CD.
NOTE: If you placed the images and database file in a different
location, such as on a network volume, contact Image Pak technical
support for help.
Q: Can I get PICT formatted images for use in other Macintosh applications?
A:
Yes. Your Herff Jones Administrators Resource disk has a utility that
will convert the JPEG images on the CD to PICT formatted images. To use
this utility, you will need to install Apple's QuickTime application on
your Macintosh. QuickTime is free and can be downloaded off the
Internet at: http://www.apple.com/quicktime.
The JPGTOPCT utility is located on the Administrators Resource disk in
a folder called Tools. The file is in bin/hex format and can be opened
using Aladdin's Stuffit Expander 5. If you don't already have this
program, it can also be downloaded for free from the Internet at: http://www.aladdinsys.com.
Open the Readme.Txt file using SimpleText and follow the directions for
creating MacSchool images. This will create a folder named PCTFILEC in
a location of your choice. The image files in the PCTFILEC folder are
PICT formatted for use by any Macintosh application that uses picture
files.