Poster Creator

If you have used the poster creator before, then you are already registered and can log in. Start the poster creator and use the 'Log In' form on the Log In/Register page to log in. Be sure to fill in your email address and password carefully - our forms are case sensitive.

Forgotten Password
If you have forgotten your password, fill in the email address you use for your poster creator account in the 'Log In' form and click the 'here' link in the text below the form on the Log In/Register page. A red message should appear telling you that you have been sent a reminder email. This will be sent to the email address given.

Forgotten Password And Email
If you have forgotten both the password and the email address, please contact us giving your name, organisation and a current email address. We will amend your account to use that email address and send you a password reminder to that email address.

Form Validation Error (pop-up message)
All fields in the 'Log In' form are validated before any information is sent to the server. This is just to check that required fields are filled in, information given is in the required format for the field and that no illegal characters appear in any of your entries. Error messages for validation will appear as pop-up message boxes and will instruct you on how to correct your error.

Server Error: Unrecognised email address! (red message)
This message appears when you log in and the email address used does not match any of the accounts held in our database. Please check the following:

• Have you typed in the email address correctly? Remember, our forms are case-sensitive.
• Is the email address still valid/current? If not, please contact us giving your name, organisation and a current email address. We will amend your account to use that email address and send you a password reminder to that email address.

Server Error: Incorrect password! (red message)
This message appears when you log in and the password used does not match that used for the account. Please check that you have typed in your password correctly, remember our forms are case sensitive. If you still get this message then follow the instructions given for forgotten password.

If you have not used the poster creator before, then you will need to create an account before you can log in. Start the poster creator and use the 'Register' form on the Log In/Register page to create an account. Be sure to fill in your details carefully - our forms are case sensitive. Note that your chosen password must be 6 - 10 characters long and only contain numbers and letters.

Once you have registered your account, you will be automatically logged in and sent to the Overview page.

Form Validation Error (pop-up message)
All fields in the 'Register' form are validated before any information is sent to the server. This is just to check that required fields are filled in, information given is in the required format for the field and that no illegal characters appear in any of your entries. Error messages for validation will appear as pop-up message boxes and will instruct you on how to correct your error.

Server Error: Your new choice of email address is already registered! (red message)
This message appears when you try to register a new account with the same email address as an existing one. No two accounts can have the same email address, so while you may have more than one account if you wish, you must use a different email address for each.

The Overview page is the hub of the poster creator and the main tool for managing your account and its contents.

1. When you log in you should arrive on the Overview page and your name should be at the top of the page.
2. You will be told how many posters you have and any posters you do have will be listed in order of creation, newest first.
3. You will be told how many uploaded images you have and these will be listed alphabetically.

If you have an image in your image list which does not appear or only partially appears when you select it for viewing on the overview page, please check that the image is the correct size (180 x 180 pixels or less).

Images are not resized for previewing, so any image larger than 180 x 180 pixels will only show partially from the top left down. Any image with a very large file size will take longer to load and so may not appear instantly.

If you arrive on the Overview page and your name doesn't appear or you know you have posters or images in your account and they are not listed at all, please contact us.

Start the poster creator and log in. On the Overview page use the dropdown menu, 'Choose your poster type' (top right of the 'Your Posters' section), to select which type of poster you would like to make and click 'Go'. You will then be sent to the poster creation/editing page for your chosen poster type where you can use the form provided to enter the details of your poster.

Your Poster Details:

• Poster Name: You must give your poster a name. The name should be something that you are going to remember later. A good example might be 'business: glass point'.
• Poster Background: Select a background for your poster. Each poster type will list the available designs in a dropdown menu. When you make a new selection, the background will change instantly and you can see what your selection looks like.
• Poster Text: There will be one or two text entry fields on the page for you to put text on your poster. If these are pre-filled, this is only our recommendation for text and you are free to change it or replace it as you wish. The dopdown menus above a text entry field give you the option to set the font, size and colour of the text in that field.
• Poster Images: There will usually be one or two dropdown menus allowing you to place an image in the poster. What you put in is up to you, i.e. a general picture, company logo or departmental stamp.
  
  If you have any uploaded images these will be listed in the dropdown menus. We may also add stock images for your use to the image selection, as in Compost Awareness Week posters. The maximum size of the image which can be used in any space will be given above its image selection dropdown.
  
  If you use an image larger than the space provided in the design, i.e. a 180 x 180 pixel image in a 180 x 90 space, the image's appearance will be proportionally resized to fit in the space provided, i.e. to 90 x 90. This only changes the size the image appears in an opened poster, not the actual image size.
• Preview: At any time during poster creation, you can use the 'Preview' button (bottom right of the creation/editing page) to see what your poster will look like and to see if your text and image(s) will fit in the space provided. You cannot access the detail entry form in this state so click 'Close Preview' to go back to the form view.

Once you have finished entering your poster details click 'Save' (bottom right of the creation/editing page) to save your poster to our database. A green message box will appear telling you your poster has been saved. If you wish to continue editing your new poster simply close the box and carry on.

If you have finished with the poster, click 'Back' (bottom left of the creation/editing page) to return to the Overview page where you can use the 'Open' button to open your new poster in Adobe Acrobat Reader. This will allow you to view your poster and print or save it as a pdf to your own computer/network.

Note: Clicking 'Back' BEFORE you have saved your poster will mean that any details you entered in the form will NOT be saved to our database and you will return to the Overview page. If you click 'Back' AFTER saving just means that no further changes will be made to the poster and you will return to the Overview page.

Form Validation Error (pop-up message)
All fields in the 'Log In' form are validated before any information is sent to the server. This is just to check that required fields are filled in, information given is in the required format for the field and that no illegal characters appear in any of your entries. Error messages for validation will appear as pop-up message boxes and will instruct you on how to correct your error.

My image is too large for the space provided
If you use an image larger than the space provided in the design, i.e. a 180 x 180 pixel image in a 180 x 90 space, the image will only display partially from the top left down. This is because images are not resized for previewing. When the poster is saved and opened, the image will be proportionally resized to fit in the space provided, so that 180 x 180 image would be resized to 90 x 90.

Note: This only changes the apparent dimensions of the image as it appears in the poster, not the actual dimensions of the image file itself. Images with dimensions larger than 180 x 180 pixels (our recommended size) or which have a very large file size will still be useable but will slow things down.

You can check whether your image will be need to be resized or not, when the poster is opened, by viewing the poster in 'Preview' mode. The image will not be resized in preview but it will be truncated to show whether the image fits the space or not. If it doesn't fit, then it will be resized to fit when the poster is opened.

Start the poster creator and log in. On the Overview page find the name of the poster you wish to edit in your poster list, click on its name to select it and then click 'Edit' in the button column to the right of the poster list. You will then be sent to the poster creation/editing page for your chosen poster where the detail entry form will be populated with the existing details for the poster you have selected. Use the form to edit the poster details you wish to change.

At any time during poster editing, you can use the 'Preview' button (bottom right of the creation/editing page) to see what your poster will look like and to see if your text and image(s) will fit in the space provided. You cannot access the detail entry form in this state so click 'Close Preview' to go back to the form view.

Once you have finished entering your poster details click 'Save' (bottom right of the creation/editing page) to save your poster to our database. A green message box will appear telling you your poster has been saved. If you wish to continue editing your new poster simply close the box and carry on.

If you have finished with the poster, click 'Back' to return to the Overview page where you can use the 'Open' button to open your poster in Adobe Acrobat Reader. This will allow you to view your poster and print or save it as a pdf to your own computer/network.

Note: Clicking 'Back' BEFORE you have saved your poster will mean that any changes you entered in the form will NOT be saved to our database and you will return to the Overview page. If you click 'Back' AFTER saving this just means that no further changes will be made to the poster and you will return to the Overview page.

Form Validation Error (pop-up message)
All fields in the 'Log In' form are validated before any information is sent to the server. This is just to check that required fields are filled in, information given is in the required format for the field and that no illegal characters appear in any of your entries. Error messages for validation will appear as pop-up message boxes and will instruct you on how to correct your error.

My image is too large for the space provided
If you use an image larger than the space provided in the design, i.e. a 180 x 180 pixel image in a 180 x 90 space, the image will only display partially from the top left down. This is because images are not resized for previewing. When the poster is saved and opened, the image will be proportionally resized to fit in the space provided, so that 180 x 180 image would be resized to 90 x 90.

Note: This only changes the apparent dimensions of the image as it appears in the poster, not the actual dimensions of the image file itself. Images with dimensions larger than 180 x 180 pixels (our recommended size) or which have a very large file size will still be useable but will slow things down.

You can check whether your image will be need to be resized or not, when the poster is opened, by viewing the poster in 'Preview' mode. The image will not be resized in preview but it will be truncated to show whether the image fits the space or not. If it doesn't fit, then it will be resized to fit when the poster is opened.

Start the poster creator and log in. On the Overview page find the name of the poster you wish to delete in your poster list, click on its name to select it and then click 'Delete' in the button column to the right of the poster list. A message box will pop up and you will be asked to confirm your deletion request.

If you click 'Back' on the message box, your poster will not be deleted.

If you click 'OK' on the message box, a red message will appear telling you poster has been deleted successfully and your poster will be deleted from our database. None of the images you have used in it will be deleted and any copies you have of your poster on your own computer/network will remain intact.

If you experience any problems deleting a poster, please contact us.

Start the poster creator and log in. On the Overview page find the name of the poster you wish to open in your poster list, click on its name to select it and then click 'Open' in the button column to the right of the poster list. The 'Opening File' dialogue box for your browser will appear. Click 'OK' or 'OPEN', depending on which browser you are using, to start Adobe Acrobat Reader and open your poster.

Doing this may also cause your browser (Mozilla, Firefox) to open a 'downloads' box which you can close. This is simply your browser letting you know you have opened a file from the internet, it does not mean you have actually downloaded it or stored it on your computer/network. You must use the 'Save' option on the 'File' menu in Adobe Reader to do that.

Please make sure you do have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your machine.

If you do have Adobe Acrobat Reader, try opening the poster again. Please ensure, in the 'Open File' dialogue box, that you have the 'Open with Adobe Reader' option selected before clicking 'OK' (Opera, Mozilla, Firefox) or that you have clicked the 'OPEN' button (Internet Explorer).

If your poster takes a long time to open, please remember that this may be due to the file size of any image you have used in the poster. Excessively large file sizes will cause the poster creator to run slowly.

If you experience any other problems opening a poster, please contact us.

Start the poster creator and log in. On the Overview page click 'Upload New Image' (top right of the 'Your Uploaded Images' section. You will be sent to the Upload Image page where there is a form for you to use to upload your images.

Note: You are only allowed 10 images in your uploaded image collection and you will not be able to access the Upload Image page if you have 10 images. To upload more images you must delete at least one image first.

Your Image Details:

• Image Name: You have to give the image you are uploading a name. This is not a file name, just a name to be used to refer to it in the image list and image dropdowns. You should make it descriptive so that you will remember the image it refers to, good examples being 'compost bin' or 'company logo'.
• Image Source Location: Use the browse button to find the image file on your computer/network that you wish to use as the source file for your image.
• Image Requirements: Your uploaded images must be in either gif or jpg / jpeg format (file extensions: .gif .jpg .jpeg, case is unimportant). Please try to ensure that your images are at least 150 dpi in depth and are no larger than 180 pixels wide and 180 pixels high. This will ensure no loss of clarity when the poster is printed.
  
  If you upload an image which is larger than 180 x 180 pixels, it will not appear fully in the image viewers on the poster creator page or the poster creation/editing pages. It will, however, still be useable. This is because images are not resized for previewing but are resized to fit the space allowed when a poster is opened. Note that any image with a very large pixel area and/or file size will slow the poster creator down considerably.

When you have named your image and chosen a source file, click 'Continue' and the image will be uploaded to our server and added to your account, under the name chosen, as part of your uploaded image collection.

A red message will appear to tell you your image has been successfully uploaded and will also tell you if you have reached your maximum of 10 images. If you have 10 images you will not be able to upload any more images without deleting at least one and should click 'Back' to return to the Overview page.

Form Validation Error (pop-up message)
All fields in the 'Log In' form are validated before any information is sent to the server. This is just to check that required fields are filled in, information given is in the required format for the field and that no illegal characters appear in any of your entries. Error messages for validation will appear as pop-up message boxes and will instruct you on how to correct your error.

Server Error: You have already used the name, "--------", for another image... (red message)
This message appears when you try to name a new image with the same name as one already in your collection. No two images in your uploaded image collection can have the same name, so you must use a different name for each.

Server Error: You have already uploaded "--------" into your collection under the name "--------" (red message)
This message appears when you try to upload a new image source file with the same source file name as one already in your collection under another name. No two images in your uploaded image collection can have the same source file name, so you must use a different source file for each.

For example, you cannot upload a file called 'mypicture.gif' if you already have a source file called 'mypicture.gif' in your collection under another name.

Server Error: "--------" has not been uploaded... (red message)
This message appears because you are only allowed 10 images in your uploaded image collection. If you have 10 images you will not be able to upload any more images without deleting at least one and should click 'Back' to return to the Overview page.

Server Error: An Error occured. Please check the attached file (red message)
This message appears when there is a transfer problem in uploading your file. The actual server error will be displayed with it. If this should occur, please contact us, quoting the server error, and we will help you resolve the issue.

Start the poster creator and log in. On the Overview page find the name of the image you wish to edit in your image list, click on its name to select it and then click 'Edit' in the button column to the right of the image list. You will be sent to the Edit Image page where you will have a choice of editing the image's details or swapping another image in your collection for use instead of it in your posters.

Edit Image
You can change either the name and source file of the image you selected, or both at once.

• Image Name: Renaming the current image simply changes the name the source file is stored under. The new name will appear in your poster list.
• Image Source File: Changing the source file will overwrite the current source file with the new one. This allows you to exchange one image within your collection for another outwith your collection and consequently the new image will appear in all posters the current image is used in instead of it.

Swap Images
You can change which image is used in your posters by exchanging one image in your collection for another . This process will not delete any images from your uploaded image collection. It allows you to exchange one image for another within your collection in the poster details stored in the database. The new image will appear in all posters the current image is used in instead of it.

Form Validation Error (pop-up message)
All fields in the 'Log In' form are validated before any information is sent to the server. This is just to check that required fields are filled in, information given is in the required format for the field and that no illegal characters appear in any of your entries. Error messages for validation will appear as pop-up message boxes and will instruct you on how to correct your error.

Server Error: You have already used the name, "--------", for another image... (red message)
This message appears when you try to rename an image with a name already used for another image in your collection. No two images in your uploaded image collection can have the same name, so you must use a different name for each.

Server Error: You have already uploaded "--------" into your collection under the name "--------" (red message)
This message appears when you try to replace the current image source file with a new source file which has the same file name as one already in your collection under another name. No two images in your uploaded image collection can have the same source file name, so you must use a different source file for each.

Although you may not replace the current image with a source file already in your collection under another name, you may replace it with one which has the same name as itself because you are not duplicating the image but overwriting the existing version.

Server Error: An Error occured. Please check the attached file (red message)
This message appears when there is a transfer problem in uploading your file. The actual server error will be displayed with it. If this should occur, please contact us, quoting the server error, and we will help you resolve the issue.

Start the poster creator and log in. On the Overview page find the name of the image you wish to delete in your image list, click on its name to select it and then click 'Delete' in the button column to the right of the poster list.

You will then be asked to confirm your deletion request and a red message will appear at the top of 'Your Uploaded Images' telling you how many posters the image is used in. If it is used in any posters, a 'Show List' button will also appear with this message so that you can see a list of the names of the posters the image is used in.

If you click 'Back'on the message box, your image will not be deleted and, if it is used in any posters, you can use the 'Show List' button to see which of your posters the image is used in. The button will then change to 'Close List'.

If you click 'OK' on the message box, a red message will appear telling you your image has been deleted successfully and your image will be deleted. It will also be removed from all posters held in our database in which it appears. Any copies you have of your poster on your own computer/network will remain intact.

If you experience any problems deleting an image, please contact us.

Start the poster creator, log in and on the Overview page click the 'Edit My Account' button at the bottom of the page. You will be sent to the Edit Account page where you can edit your account details. The form will be pre-filled with all of your details except password.

Simply change the details you wish to change (you can change your password at the same time as your personal details) and click 'Update Account'. Your account will be updated and a red message will appear confirming that the account has been updated and listing which details were changed. If you are happy with your changes just click 'Back' to return to the overview page.

Form Validation Error (pop-up message)
All fields in the 'Log In' form are validated before any information is sent to the server. This is just to check that required fields are filled in, information given is in the required format for the field and that no illegal characters appear in any of your entries. Error messages for validation will appear as pop-up message boxes and will instruct you on how to correct your error.

Server Error: Your new choice of email address is already registered! (red message)
This message appears when you try to change your email address to one used for another account. No two accounts can have the same email address, so while you may have more than one account if you wish, you must use a different email address for each.

Edit Image Details:
This useful feature allows you to change the name of an image stored in your uploaded image collection or overwrite an image source file in your collection with another from your computer/network.

• Changing the image name has obvious advantages if you feel you have a better descriptive name for an image or want to upload a similar image and wish to differentiate between them.
  
  For example: if you have an image called 'compost', you might prefer to call it 'compost: leaves' so that you could add another similar image which you could call 'compost: grass clippings'.
  
  
• Changing the image source file has wider-ranging advantages. While you can't replace an image source file with a source file you already have in your collection under another name, you can replace it with one named identically to itself or any other file in the correct format.
  
  This is especially useful if you have updated an image you have been using, such as a logo, and want to update your posters, but you have no space in your collection to add it directly using 'Upload Images'.
  
  Instead of having to delete an image, upload the new version and then go through all your posters putting it in, you can just overwrite the source file of the current version in your collection with the new version from your computer/network. All your posters will be updated to use the new version, whether it has the same or a different file name from the original.
  
  For example: You could replace an image, 'mylogo.gif', stored under the name, 'my logo', with a new copy of 'mylogo.gif'.

Swap Image:
This useful feature allows you to change which image you use throughout your posters by swapping one image in your collection for another in use, without having to go through each poster individually and remake the selection.

For example: If you have used an image from your collection, 'firstImage.gif', in a few posters but would like to use another image in your collection, 'secondImage.gif', you can use 'Swap Images' to do just that. Both images remain in your collection but which one is used has been changed in the poster details stored.