PrintFX User Guide
this guide assumes you've already chosen a product and entered the design page. If you haven't, browse through our listing on the main menu bar and choose a product to get started!
Opacity measures how transparent an object is. 0% is completely transparent, and 100% is completely opaque.
Click the colored square in the object color dialog to open the full color palette, then click the color you need to close it. Our colors are industry standard approximations and may vary somewhat from screen to print. This is because the CMYK print spectrum is much broader than the colors available to a standard computer monitor.
Colors are also determined by the type of print you are ordering. A screen printed product will have a limited color selection, while digital color gives you access to a much broader spectrum.
Notice the Used Colors list on the top of your color picker. This helps you find recently used colors without browsing through the entire range of available colors. The background color can be selected from the bottom right. This is the background of your substrate, and can be applied to any object to make it appear transparent!
click and hold to rotate the object
click and hold to extend this face of an object. Objects always extend in all directions from the center point!
click and hold to scale an object evenly.
Design Module
The design module is a flash interface which enables the creation of original art at full print resolution. Mouse over a tool to learn more.- Text Tool
Clicking the Text Tool
adds a text box to your artboard and opens the text options dialog. In addition to the object options and color options available for all objects, you may choose from the following font options:- text - enter your message in this area!
- Font - select from a list of designer fonts. Note: Bold and Italic Fonts are listed separately and not all fonts have this option.
- Font Size - Set a font size (in points)
- Spacing - set the spacing between letters
- Leading - set the leading (vertical space) between lines
Basic Shapes
Every shape has the same basic options:- color - see below
- x / y coordinates on the artboard (0,0 is the top-left)
- height and width
- rotation
- duplicate - create a copy on a new layer
- Flip - reflect horizontally or vertically
- The square line thickness (stroke) or corner radius may be adjusted. Adjusting corner radius value creates a rounded corner.
- the ellipse line thickness can be adjusted.
- a line may be solid or dashed. The dash length and spacing between each dash is adjustable
- A star's line thickness and number of points can be adjusted. Additionally, a star's inner and outer radius (the areas between the points) may be adjusted.
- A polygon's line thickness and number of sides may be adjusted
- The cursor tool returns the design module to a default view and releases the focus from all objects. This should hide any fly-up menus and provide a clearer view of your project.
The
Color Replacement Tool switches EVERY OCCURANCE of a color on a design.
For example, an image made of several blue squares can be switched to
an image made of several yellow squares simply by using this tool.
First, select the color to be swapped (the currently used color) using
the top color box. Next, select the color to substitute from the bottom
box. Click Replace color and all objects with the top color will now be
replaced with the bottom color!
Elements
are design components to enchance your product. When clicked, the
elements button provides a dialog box listing the categories on the
left and showing the elements from that category on the right. All
elements have 1-4 colors which may be changed. To add an element to
your sign, simply click the thumbnail inside the dialog. The element
will appear on your design area, and may be adjusted using the
available handles or the color options in the floating dialog nearby.
Graphixbacks
™ are color-customizable, complex images designed to provide a
designer's edge to any project. The graphixbacks button opens a dialog
listing graphixback categories on the left and displaying thumbnails on
the right. Click a thumbnail to add that graphixback to the artboard,
then choose custom colors from the floating dialog box nearby or use
the handles to adjust the image.
The My Images folder stores any art uploaded to your account, and gives
you the ability to add more. Be sure to read the file limitations, due
to the print process they are rather strict. ONLY the filetypes listed
are supported, and files may be no larger than 50megabytes. Uploading a
file larger than 10megabytes may take some time as the file must move
through several places within our system. Uploaded files are stored for
60 days.
To Upload a File, click the browse button, then select a file. Be sure to check the requirements: Less than 50mb, less than 32 characters in the filename, correct file type, no spaces in the filename. Upload your file and it will appear in your library. Click the thumbnail to send the file to your artboard!- This is the product you are currently viewing.
The Product Options link returns you to the entry screen of the design module without losing your work. Here you can set your product's size along with any special options. Watch for information icons to elaborate on special options like polepockets.
This page also displays information about your product. Learn more about what you're buying or browse a gallery of examples by clicking the link on the left.- Enter your Quantity here and your total and price per item update automatically! Quantity minimums are determined by either square footage or cost of production. Try different quantities to see different price breaks, or click the information icon to the right for a listing of minimum order, maximum order, and any discounts applied between.
Click to view a listing of price breaks available for your product and any minimum or maximum quantities / square footage. Remember, prices update automatically in the "total" area and are calculated using the information displayed here. Any order below the minimum will cost significantly more, so be sure to try different sizes to find the most cost effective way of printing your custom art!
- The total cost of your order before shipping. Automatically updates based on size and quantity!
- Click here to view your cart. Items stay in the cart until you logout or until they are purchased. This will soon be replaced with a link to "continue" which will allow you not only to send items to your cart, but to save for later use or release as a publicly reprintable template!
The ruler tool displays units in the scale shown in the top right of the design area. Scale is always displayed in inches ("). Click and drag from the ruler to display a guide. When you're done with your guide, drag it off the artboard and it will vanish. GUIDES DO NOT PRINT and are for visual reference only.
- The ruler tool displays units in the scale shown in the top right of the design area. Scale is always displayed in inches ("). When you're done with your guide, drag it off the artboard and it will vanish. GUIDES DO NOT PRINT and are for visual reference only.
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The artboard is your design canvas. Art objects ( shapes, elements, graphixbacks, and uploaded images) can be added and adjusted within this area. Everything within the safe area of an artboard, toggled by the safe area button is printed. The default safe area for most products is a 1 inch margin on all sides. Apparel and custom-shaped products may have specific safe areas. Products like banners, rigid signs, and decals may be bled to the edge of the artboard, but due to the print process all art outside the safe area is not guaranteed to print clearly.
The zoom tool allows closer viewing of the artboard. 
Layers are created each time a new object is added to the artboard. Every layer supports the following changes: - drag-and-drop depth changes - drag a layer to place it above or below the surrounding layers
- Show/hide - click the eye to hide a layer without having to delete it! click the eye again to unlock.
- lock - prevent changes to a layer by clicking the lock icon. Click again to unlock.
- click the layer's default name to change it
- click the red "X" or press "delete" to delete the layer
- The product dimensions and ruler units are always displayed in the upper-right corner. Note that some specialty items and apparel may display the total artboard size instead. We're working on it.
Zoom in or out with these tools. Zooming larger than the viewable area produces scrollbars (pictured) for easy navigation. the "+" and "-" keys also zoom in and out, respectively.
Tip: Get around easier while zoomed in by using the hand tool: hold "h" the click and drag the canvas.
The fullscreen button expands the design module to cover the entire monitor. Product Options, Graphixbacks, elements, and uploaded image buttons are unavailable in this mode, but objects already on the artboard and shape objects can be added and adjusted.
- The safe area button overlays a red box on the artboard to indicate print margins. Anything outside the safe area may not print properly. Click once to show, and again to hide.
The Hand Tool moves the canvas without affecting anything on the canvas. This tool can be used to move around a working area while zoomed in, or to place an artboard to one side or the other to accomodate window space.
- The rotate canvas tool moves the canvas and everything on it 90 degrees clockwise. This updates on the individual object menu as well, so any art previously as 0 degrees would now have a rotation of 90, and any at 30 would have a rotation of 120.
Object Options: Color, Opacity, Size and Placement
Every object on the design area has the same core attributes: color, opacity, and dimensions. Simply clicking an object gives you everything you need to change these attributes.Colors
Opacity measures how transparent an object is. 0% is completely transparent, and 100% is completely opaque.
Click the colored square in the object color dialog to open the full color palette, then click the color you need to close it. Our colors are industry standard approximations and may vary somewhat from screen to print. This is because the CMYK print spectrum is much broader than the colors available to a standard computer monitor.
Colors are also determined by the type of print you are ordering. A screen printed product will have a limited color selection, while digital color gives you access to a much broader spectrum.
Tip:Custom colors are often available for screen printed products, so be sure to check the color names for site-specific options!
Notice the Used Colors list on the top of your color picker. This helps you find recently used colors without browsing through the entire range of available colors. The background color can be selected from the bottom right. This is the background of your substrate, and can be applied to any object to make it appear transparent!
Options, Size and Placement
The Size and Options menu displays the placement, dimensions, rotation, and options for the selected object. Every object has these core options, measured in microUnits. These units correspond with the units of your ruler and vary based on the size of your total art area. For example, a 12" x 12" artboard has approximately 40 microUnits to the inch.Tip:If you'd like to find out the MicroUnit-to-inch ratio of your artboard, the quickest way is to draw a line between two units and read the width. This will give you the number of Microunits per inch.
- X / Y Coordinates - Use these in conjunction with the ruler and guides to line up an object. Enter a value, or click and drag to use the integrated slider. Calculated from the center of the object (indicated by a red + )
- Height / Width - enter a value, or click and drag to use the integrated slider.
- Rotation - calculated in degrees clockwise. Negative values result in counter-clockwise rotation
- Duplicate - create a new object identical to the current selection. Focus will automatically move to the new object
- Flip - reflect object along vertical (first button) or horizontal (second button) axis. This does not rotate the object, it inverts its coordinate information and adjusts its axis appropriately.
- Alignment - Snap your object to the top, bottom, center, left, or right of the design area.
Handles
Handles appear whenever you click on an object, and adjust a particular dimension of that object. Objects always adjust around their centerpoint, marked with a +. click and hold to rotate the object click and hold to extend this face of an object. Objects always extend in all directions from the center point!click and hold to scale an object evenly.Learn More
We love hearing from you! Chat with an account representative using the link in the header, view our tutorials at www.print-fx.com/tutorials , or get answers to your in-depth questions at www.print-fx.com/faq.