Lettering Delights' Try Me Now Tool

Today's post comes from Lettering Delights. This was posted on the LD Facebook page on Thursday but it is such a great explanation of the Try Me Now Tool that I requested to reprint this on my blog for those of you who do not have a Facebook account.

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Thursday's Tip: Try Me Now Tool Tutorial
by Lettering Delights

The Try Me Now Tool is designed to help you avoid the hassle of having to download and install all of the products you purchase from LetteringDelights.com. Not only do you have instant access to your products online, but you don't have to use up your valuable hard drive space. Plus, you can copy, save and print images directly from the Try Me Now Tool.

To access the Try Me Now Tool, log into your account on LetteringDelights.com and then click on My Library. Select the type of product you want to use (lettering or graphics) and select a product. On the right side of the product, you will see a box with a wrench in it. This is the Try Me Now Tool.

Use the Try Me Now Tool to create titles instantly (using alphabets or fonts), select a single graphics image from Graphics Sets or Clipart Sets, pick a single doodle image from the DoodleBats set, etc. Plus, you will have access to all of your freebies including the ones received when signing up for our creative newsletter.

Make your first title
For quick and easy titles, simply

1) select an alphabet from your library,

2) type a title (you can make it larger or smaller by changing the resolution),
3) save to your hard drive.

Your title will be saved as a PNG file (or .jpg if you are using an older alphabet). The title will be saved with the name you put in an underscore and then the name You can then open the title in a variety of programs to print or add to digital designs.

If you don't see an product to fit your project in your library, visit our huge selection of alphabets, graphics sets, fonts, etc. for sale. You can instantly add more products to your library.

Print your title or image
You can print the title or image directly from the Try Me now Tool, or you can open the saved image and print from another program. You can use a word processor, desktop publishing or graphics programs or incorporate into digital page designs.

To print your title or image, click on the "Print Now" tab located underneath your image preview inside the Try Me Now Tool. From here, you can select your print options such as image size and position, page layout and paper size. You can also print from any program that supports images. Open your program, create a blank document, insert the title, and click Print. Many of our customers use Microsoft Word to print their titles; see below for more information about printing from Word.

To print from Microsoft Word
Open a blank document. Select Insert, Insert Picture from File, and browse to find the location of your title image. Click OK. Click Print to send the title to your printer.

Change the size
You can preview and save titles in three different sizes to fit your project: small, medium or large. Each size will deliver a crisp image at the saved size. The title will be saved as a high quality PNG file.

To resize a title in many programs, including Word, click on the title to select it; when the corners appear around the image, hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse to resize the title.

To size the image to exact dimensions, right click on the image, select Size, and enter your required size in inches. You can always size down a title in a word processing or graphics program, but we do not recommend sizing up a title because image quality will decrease.

Graphics programs such as Photoshop also allow you to enter the exact pixel dimensions to resize the title image.

Can I copy and paste titles to another program?
You can right-click on the title you created, select Copy and then Paste it into another program (with Internet Explorer there is a Copy button). However, we recommend saving instead. For Windows users, copying a transparent alphabet will use the Windows clipboard, which will remove the transparency and replace it with a white background. You can keep transparency by saving the products as a PNG image and then opening it in another program.

What does "transparent" mean?
Transparent alphabets have no white background around the letters and the graphics have no white background around the images. They can, for example, be put on top of a colored background, and that background will show up right behind each letter. Preserve the transparency of your titles by saving them as PNGs. Transparency allows you maximum creative freedom to layer your titles.

Nontransparent alphabets and graphics have a white background, which is evident when layered on top of a colored background. Our more recent alphabets and graphics are transparent. Our older alphabets and graphics, however, were offered as JPGS, which do not support transparency.

How is an alphabet different from a font?
Fonts are only black and white; they can be changed to a single color in some programs (such as Word). Lettering Delights alphabets are images rather than fonts. In a Lettering Delights alphabet, each letter is a full-color illustration or image. Without the restrictions of font files, our artists can design alphabets in an endless variety of themes, from flowers to holiday ornaments to soccer balls and more.

To type with alphabets, use the Try Me Now Tool or install them into the Creative Delights Companion.

Can I change the color of an alphabet or graphics image?
You cannot change the colors in the Try Me Now Tool or in a word processing program. You can however, modify colors in Photoshop or similar programs.

Can I change the color of a font?
Yes you can, but only the black portion of the font. Inside the Try Me Now Tool, click on the color pallet to the right of the title you typed. Select a color and click on the Select button (bottom left). The color should be applied to your font. Hint, using thick black fonts works best to see the change of color.

Create vertical titles
You can create a vertical title by typing and saving each letter separately and then lining them up vertically in Word or the program of your choice. Or, you can download the Creative Delights Companion program.

Mix and match products
You can only use one product at a time in the Try Me Now Tool. As with creating vertical titles, you can, however, type and save each letter separately or select a single graphic image and then arrange them in order in Word or another program.

Rotate titles and images
From a word processing, desktop publishing or graphics program, you can rotate your titles and images. For example, in Microsoft Word, click on the title to select it, and click on the circle that appears above the middle of the title. A circular arrow will appear. Hold the left mouse button down and drag to rotate the title image.