www.belightsoft.com/disccover | Start of Help > Getting Started |
This guide describes how to create and print a disc label by using one of supplied templates. If you are creating your label from scratch, click New Blank (for empty document) or Open Recent (to load a document from your disk) Step 1.
1.1. When Disc Cover is running, but you don't see the Assistant on the screen, choose File > New from Assistant… in the menu.
By default, the Assistant opens automatically when you start the program.
1.2. Click a pop-up menu (1) to choose a template category. For example, if you are creating a label for your photo album, choose the Photos category. The list on the left displays all the designs from the selected category.
1.3. Select template names in the list (2) one after another to preview designs. Templates usually contain multiple elements (such as disc label, case cover, etc.). To preview them, click icons or arrow above the preview (3).
1.4. To edit or print the selected template, click Finish. Doing this will bring you to Step 3: Editing your label .
If you have chosen a design from Music, Photos or File&Data category, the Assistant can help you to import content into your document depending on the selected category. For this, click Next, to import the content later, click Finish.
The kind of data, that you can import at the second step, depends on which template category has been selected (see 1.3 and 1.4 above).
If the Photos category has been selected, the Assistant will offer you to import from your iPhoto library (steps 2.1 – 2.3).
If the Music category has been selected, the Assistant will offer you to import from your iTunes library (steps 2.4 – 2.6).
When you select the File&Data category, the Assistant lets you choose a folder to create a list of its content (steps 2.7 – 2.9).
Note: When the Assistant has been closed, you can import data using the Source panel.
The second step of the Assistant displays your iPhoto library.
2.1. Select an album or the whole library in the list on the left. The content of the selection will be displayed in the preview.
2.2. Click on a photograph in the preview to the right to select it. To select multiple items, click on them when the Cmd key is pressed.
2.3. Click Finish to proceed to editing or printing (see, Step 3: Editing your label).
Music
The second step of the Assistant displays your iTunes library.
2.4. Select an album or the whole library in the list on the left. The content of the selection will be displayed on the right.
2.5. Click on a photograph in the preview on the right to select it. To select multiple items, click on them when the Cmd key is pressed.
2.6. Click Finish to proceed to editing or printing (see, Step 3: Editing your label).
The second step of the Assistant lets you choose a folder on your hard disk to import a list of files.
2.7. Navigate to a folder, whose content should be listed. When the folder is selected, click Choose.
Note, that you should select a folder, not an individual file.
The name of the selected folder will be displayed in the left box, its content (files and folders) will be listed in the right box. You can navigate subfolders by clicking triangles next to folder names in the left box.
2.8. Select files and folders in the right box, which should be included into the list. To select multiple items, click on them when the Cmd key is pressed. Or, select a range of items by using the Shift key. To select all items, press Cmd-A.
2.9. Click Finish to proceed to editing or printing (see, Step 3: Editing your label).
Here, you can find brief information about editing the label content. For more detail, see the corresponding sections.
Some or all the steps below may be omitted.
3.1. Change the number or kind of design elements in your document.
A template loaded from the Assistant contains several elements (disc labels, booklets, etc.). You can remove unnecessary elements, or add more. If you have started your work from a blank document, you may need to add more elements.
Click the "+" icon in the toolbar to choose which design element to add. Click the "–" toolbar button to remove the current element.
To open elements on the editing canvas, click their icons.
3.2. Choose media for each label. (This can be done in the print dialog as well, but it is better to set up this now.)
3.2.1. Click a label icon to open it on the canvas.
3.2.2. Open the Design Element tab of the Inspector (menu: Window > Inspector > Design Element).
3.2.3. Click the Change Element pop-up menu and choose the Design Element From Layout item. A list of papers and printers will open.
3.2.4. Select a paper stock or printer tray and click OK.
3.2.5. Choose another design element in your document and repeat steps 3.2.1 – 3.2.4.
3.3. Import text data (song list, file list, etc.).
3.4. Edit text and graphics. For this, use tools located in the Inspector (menu: Window > Inspector).
4.1. (can be omitted) If you have several design elements, activate one which you are going to print. By doing this, you will help the program set paper in the print dialog correctly.
4.2. (can be omitted) Calibrate your printer. This is strongly recommended as a solution to avoid offset at printing. Calibration is possible only if you have specified type of paper or printer tray (see step 3.2).
4.2.1. Choose the File > Calibrate Printer menu item.
4.2.2. Check if paper (CD/DVD tray) and printer are selected correctly in the calibration dialog. For calibration, use those media (paper or disc), which will be used for printing.
4.2.3. Click the Print Calibration Sheet button.
4.2.4. If the printed artwork was printed with offset, you should enter the offset values into Horizontal and Vertical edit boxes. A value is the point on the calibration sheet, where the corresponding ruler crosses the edge of the actual label or disc.
After inputting the values, the calibration preview should display the artwork shifted in the same direction as the printed artwork.
4.3. Actually printing begins from here.
4.3.1. Click the Print toolbar button or choose File > Print in the menu to open the print dialog.
4.3.2. Make sure, that the correct media type is set in the Output and Paper Type pop-up menus.
The Select Format button lets to choose from all supported papers and printer trays.
4.3.3. Choose a printer if there are several printers installed.
4.3.4. Keep other settings unchanged.
4.3.5. The program displays labels contained in your document on the paper preview. Appropriate labels are laid onto the page automatically.
You can manage labels manually. To print some specific label, drag it from the left box onto a blank placeholder, or onto another label on the page preview to replace.
To clear the page, drag labels outside their placeholders and drop onto blank area on the page.
4.3.6. If you have not calibrated the printer before, it is still possible. Click the Calibrate Printer button, for this.
4.3.7. Click the Next button to move to the standard print dialog.
4.4. The standard print dialog lets you set up your printer and print or export your artwork to a PDF file.
4.4.1. Set the Presets pop-up menu to Standard.
4.4.2. Click the Copies & Pages pop-up menu (or Layout on Mac OS 10.5 Leopard) and set the media type and quality in the appropriate sections.
4.4.3. Click Print to start printing. Or, click PDF to export your label to a file.