Project Objectives : Describe and show the making of a single QSL card file (3.5" x 5.5"   or   90mm x 140mm card stock), with the orientation of the card, in the Designer Module, being setup with the longest side of the card being left to right (horizontal). But, the outputted card will be placed into the printer tray with the longest side being top to bottom (vertical). And, in this case, a scanned photo file of the pre-printed QSL card stock is used as a Template within the designer module.

Start project by "scanning" your pre-printed QSL Card stock. In my case, I did the scan with some of the black background of the scanner showing. That way, I would see exactly where the true outline of the QSL card stock is at. This capture shows my photo program's screen with the card and the background of the scanner.

Click-on the thumbnail photo (right) and you will see the outline of where I used the "Selection/Standard Selection TOOL" within my photo program - so that I could select the true outline of the card stock. You will see a dotted-line around the outside perimeter of the card stock. Go to the photo program's: main menu / Edit / Copy / Edit / Paste / As New Image

My pre-printed QSL card stock photo file (right), after I have completed the previous step. Go to the photo program's main menu: File / Save as ... / PATH the "Save in: " directory over to the Labels directory of your DXbase program. See next step for screen-captures of this Pathing.

This multiple screen-capture shows the various steps that I took to PATH over to the Labels directory of DXbase. Once in the Labels directory, setup the "Save as type:" as JPG .. then type-in the filename of your choice in the "File name:" box .. in my case, I typed-in: dxbaseqsl01big.jpg Press the Save button.

Open the DXbase program. Go to DXbase Main Menu, Tools / Design labels ... The photo (right) shows what the screen will look like. I have placed red arrows next to the items that you will want to change and make sure that they read as shown. Click OK.

This photo shows what the next window looks like after the window first opens. The red arrow is pointing to the default File name of    *.crd

This photo shows the change of the File name from *.crd to TemplateQSL.crd. Press on the Open button. Note: the naming of your crd filename is up to the user. I am only showing an sample filename.

This photo shows the following window, which is the "Project Wizard" window. Since we will not be using the Project Wizard, press the Cancel button.

This photo shows the open workspace and the full designer module Since my printer is setup as Portrait mode and 8.5" x 11" by default, this is what the workspace starts with. Yours might be (Metric) A4 or Hagaki Card 100mm x 148mm or, (US) Letter 8.5" x 11" or Post Card 4" x 6".

Go to the Designer Module's main menu / Project / Page Setup... The photo shows what the initial Layout window looks like.

Within the Layout window (Page Setup TAB) make the following changes, depending on your choice of paper size for the printer setup - shown in photo is Post Card 4" x 6": For Post Card 4" x 6" (USA) : (1) Change Horizontal Size to 5.500 (2) Change Vertical Size to 3.500 (3) Change Vertical Offset to 0.400 For Letter 8.5" x 11" (USA) : (1) Change Horizontal Size to 5.500 (2) Change Vertical Size to 3.500 (3) Change Vertical Offset to 4.900 For A4 210mm x 297mm (Metric) : (1) Change Horizontal Size to 140.0 (2) Change Vertical Size to 90.0 (3) Change Vertical Offset to 118.0 For Hagaki Card 100mm x 148mm (Metric) : (1) Change Horizontal Size to 140.0 (2) Change Vertical Size to 90.0 (3) Change Vertical Offset to 8.0 Make sure that the Horizontal Number is a 1 and the Vertical Number is also a 1

Within the Layout window (Export Media TAB) this capture shows that the window will look like when first opened.

Within the Layout window (Export Media TAB) make the changes as noted in the screen-capture (right).

Within the Layout window (Printer Selection TAB): Checkmark the box next to the phrase that says: Use physical paper size and not the printable area Press the "Select" button, so that we can go in and setup the printer.

The photo shows what the initial Print Setup window looks like.

The photo shows what changes are made in the Print Setup window. Note: Since my printer does not have "User Definable" as a paper size selection, I select the 4 X 6" size. You can select (USA) Letter or Post Card 4x6; or, (Metric) A4 or Hagaki Card Mark the Radio Button for "Landscape". Then press OK.

This photo shows the workspace after making the Page Setup, Export Media Setup, and Print Setup. The workspace now shows a 5.5 X 3.5" blank card. Or, in the case of a Metric setup, it will show a 140mm x 90mm blank card.

We will only be using the "Base" layer for this project. Be sure that the Layers sub-window has the Layers TAB active. Then click-on the checkmark that is to the left of both the First Page and the Following Pages. The checkmarks will disappear.

This capture shows that the two checkmarks are gone, leaving the Base layer as the only layer that we will use. The capture also shows that the Designer Workspace has the Layout TAB selected.

We are now ready to bring in the QSL Template photo of our pre-printed QSL card stock. Go to Designer main menu: Objects / Insert / Picture This capture shows these actions -- Click-on/select Picture from this dropdown menu.

Since the photo file of our pre-printed QSL represents the full dimensions of the card, go to the intersection of the upper ruler and left ruler at 0, 0 ... the mouse cursor will already be a "cross". Place the cross-cursor at 0, 0 and hold down the left mouse button. Drag the mouse down and to the right of the workspace, stopping at lower-right edge of the workspace card (this will be at the intersection of 5.5 X 3.5" (for USA) - or - 140mm x 90mm (for Metric) ). Release the left mouse button. The workspace card will not be surrounded by a cross-hatch line.

This capture shows the cross-hatched line around the workspace card - indicating that this area is currently the active part of the workspace. Go to the Layers sub-window (upper-left of the whole designer window) and select the Objects TAB. You will see that there is now the word drawing (which is our picture area we have just made).

Go to the Properties sub-window and click-on the area to the right of the words Keep proportions - select the True statement. Staying in the Properties sub-window, click-on the whited-area to the right of the words File Name - you will see a small ICON of a folder come into view. Clicking on the folder will bring up the Open (file) window. Go to next step.

Capture shows the photo file selection (Open) window. Highlight the filename of our photo file. In this case it was dxbaseqsl01big.jpg Press the Open button.

Capture shows the photo's filename in the workspace area.

Go to the workspace and select the Preview TAB. The full pre-printed QSL card photo will be shown. We will temporarily use this as a template.

Put your mouse cursor in the gray-area of the workspace and left-click your mouse. The highlight/cross-hatch around the qsl card photo will be gone. We are now ready to make the Textboxes for our QSO data. With the Template photo, we do not need any GRID lines - because we can see exactly where we want to place the data textboxes.

Go to the designer's main menu: Objects / Insert / Text Double-click on the Text selection.

We will start with the "Confirming QSO with" data textbox. Take your mouse cursor and place it in the upper-left portion of the BOX where the other station's callsign will be located at. And, hold-down the left mouse button -- drag the mouse down and to the right, stopping at the lower-right edge of that BOX. Release the left mouse button. The BOX will now be highlighted with the cross-hatched outline.

Put the mouse cursor inside of the highlighted textbox. Right-click the mouse and select: Contents...

The "Paragraph Properties" window will open. Double-click on the blue-highlighted area that has the   ...

The "Edit Text" window will open. Click on the   + next to the word Variables.

In the Variables and Functions TAB, doubleclick-on the Variable CALL. This will place CALL into the whited-area. Press the OK button.

Paragraph Properties window is still open and now contains CALL -- go to Next Step.

In the Paragraph Properties window, look to the right and you will see Layout / Alignment ... dropdown the menu under Alignment and select "centered".

Capture shows the Variable CALL is now centered.

Go to the Appearance / Font area of the Paragraph Properties window and change the categories noted by the red arrows to the property that is shown in this capture. I have changed each of these from their default, to the selection of my choice. Your choice might be different. Press the OK button.

Capture showing the CALL textbox is finished for now. We will "move" it lower in the textbox in a later step. Click on the grayed-area of the workspace. The CALL textbox highlight will be gone.

Work with the Date (Day) part of the pre-printed QSL. We will do some of the same actions as we did for the CALL Box on the QSL card. Main menu: Objects / Insert / Text   --   highlight the Day BOX. Select Contents. In the Paragraph Properties type-in Left$(DATE,2) This formula selects only the left 2 digits of the DATE Variable.

Once again, under Layout / Alignment -- select centered.

Under Appearance / Font -- make the selections as noted in the screen-capture. Press OK.

Screen-capture shows the highlighted Day textbox with the hardwired default for Day. Click on the grayed-area of the workspace. The Day textbox highlight will be gone.

From this point on, I will capture only the contents of each of the Variables or Formulas that will be used for the rest of the remaining the Boxes on the pre-printed QSL card. The process will be the same as what we just did above - only the Edit Text window will contain something different. Repeat the Layout Alignment and Appearance / Font as we did above.

Screen-capture shows the formula used for the Month textbox, with the hardwired default example for Month.

Screen-capture shows the formula used for the Year textbox, with the hardwired default example for Year. In my case, I only have room enough for 2 digits on my pre-printed QSL card.

Screen-capture shows the formula used for the UTC (Time) textbox, with the hardwired default example for Time. Note: the TIME Variable is 6 normally digits. But, I only want to show 4 digits for TIME.

Screen-capture shows the Variable used for the MHZ textbox, with the hardwired default example for MHZ.

Screen-capture shows the Variable used for the RST textbox, with the hardwired default example for RST.

Screen-capture shows the Variable used for the MODE textbox, with the hardwired default example for MODE.

Screen-capture showing the QSL card so far. Go to next step.

Hold-down the shift key and, except for the CALL textbox, left-mouse click on each of the other data textboxes. This action will highlight ALL of the textboxes we will be moving downward in the next step. Release the shift key. Go to next step.

Put your mouse cursor over the small square indicated by the blue arrow, and hold-down the left mouse button while you drag the highlighted/cross-hatched line downward. Stop dragging when you see that the data is in the middle of the box(es). Release the left mouse button. Bring the mouse cursor to the grayed-area of the workspace and left-click the mouse. Go to next step.

Left-mouse click in the CALL textbox. Put your mouse cursor over the small square indicated by the blue arrow, and hold-down the left mouse button while you drag the highlighted/cross-hatched line downward. Stop dragging when you see that the data is in the middle of the box. Release the left mouse button. Bring the mouse cursor to the grayed-area of the workspace and left-click the mouse. Go to next step.

Screen-capture of the QSL card so far.. only remaining items will be to program the Pse QSL and Tnx QSL. Go to next step.

Form the small textbox around the Box to the left "Pse QSL" by using the same process we used before -- Main Menu: Objects / Insert / Text

In this case, I want an "X" to be placed in the small box "if" the CFM Variable equals PSE. In the Edit Text window, type-in "X" (with the quote marks). Go to next step.

Setup the Appearance / Font (red arrows) and the Layout / Alignment / centered -- for this textbox Go to next step.

Keep the textbox highlighted (active) and now look to the lower left of the whole screen. You will see the "Properties" sub-window. Scrolldown in that window and find the: Layout / Appearance Condition Click-on the word True and a dropdown menu will appear. Select "Formula ..."

In the Edit Appearance Condition window, type-in CFM="PSE" Press OK

Repeat the same process (the above 5 steps) for the small box to the left of QSL Tnx .. But, when you are in the Edit Appearance Condition window, type-in CFM="TNX" Press OK

We are just about finished. Go to the upper-left portion of the designer window and highlight/select the word [Drawing] that is in the Objects sub-window. We have finished using the qsl card template and can now DELETE it from the finished QSL Card file. Press the Delete key. Look at next step's capture.

Screen-capture of the completed QSL card file - with the Template Photo file deleted. Go to Main Menu: File / Save (file will be saved with the filename of TemplateQSL.crd Exit the Designer Module.

Now, to use the QSL card file, go to DXbase Main Menu: Output / User Designer Labels ... Use the standard procedures for printing a "single" cardstock

Feed card-stock vertically.