Tech Tips

We've put together a few technical tips to help you to better use and view the designs we create for you:

Include your logo graphic in your email signature:

This is a great way to build your business brand with every email that you send out. This is an especially effective tool if you send email to mailing lists. Be sure to create and use your signature file when you post on online forums as well!

Microsoft Outlook:
- Go to Tools > Options.
- Choose the Mail Format tab
- Select Signatures > Edit > Advanced Edit
- This opens your signature in Microsoft Word, so you can insert images (see Microsoft Word Tips, below). Then just click the save button and your signature should be set.

Mac OS X Mail client:
- Go to Mail > Preferences > Signatures
- Select Add Signature
- In another window, or in a web browser, open a GIF file of your logo. Copy and paste this logo into your email signature. Add any other details you would like to include, such as your name, address, phone number, fax, web address, tag line and any other details. Click on OK and then make sure that your new signature is selected in the drop-down menu next to Automatically Insert Signature.

In either case, only those who are using the same email client as you are, or a compatible client, will be able to see the image.

Microsoft Word Tips:

Inserting your logo or another graphic into Microsoft Word:

First, make sure that you have the correct file format for this application. The best file format is a TIF in RGB color mode. We provide logos in this format and designate them by using "RGB.tif" at the end of the file name. Then:
Choose Insert > Image > From File
Then select the image from your computer's hard disk.

Once you have your image in a Microsoft Word file, you should be able to change the size the of image by clicking on the image, and then clicking and dragging the boxes that will appear at the corners of the image when the image has been selected. To maintain the correct proportions, hold down the shift key while changing the size.

The best place to insert a logo that you want to show on every page of a document would be to insert it into the Header or Footer of a document. Create these by clicking on View > Header and Footer, and then follow the instructions for inserting an image, above.

Adobe Acrobat Reader Tips:

If designs are printing too small:

This can be remedied by turning off Acrobat's print-to-fit-page option.

In Acrobat Reader 7 and 6 on a PC:

Select Print
In the Page Scaling drop-down menu, select None

In Acrobat Reader 5 on a PC:

Select Print
Locate the Copies and Adjustments box
Deselect both Shrink Oversized Pages and Expand Small Pages

In Acrobat Reader 7, 6 and 5 on a Mac:

Select Print
In the Page Scaling drop-down menu, select None or Fit to Printer Margins

If designs are printing too large:

In Acrobat Reader 7 on a PC:

Select Print
In the Page Scaling drop-down menu, select Reduce to Print Margins

In Acrobat Reader 6 on a PC:

Select Print > Page Handling
In the Page Scaling drop-down menu, select Shrink Large Pages
In Acrobat Reader 5 on a PC:
- Select Print
- Locate the Copies and Adjustments box
- Deselect both Shrink Oversized Pages and Expand Small Pages
In Acrobat Reader 7, 6 and 5 on a Mac:
- Select Print
- In the Page Scaling drop-down menu, select Fit to Printer Margins

If the files you're viewing are fuzzy, blocky or chunky-looking on screen:

In Acrobat Reader 7 on a Mac or PC:

Select Preferences > Page Display > and make sure that Smooth Text, Smooth Line Art and Smooth Images are all selected

In Acrobat Reader 6 on a Mac or PC:

Select Edit > Preferences > Smoothing > and make sure that Smooth Text, Smooth Line Art and Smooth Images are all selected

In Acrobat Reader 5 on a Mac or PC:

Select Preferences > Display > and make sure that Smooth Text, Smooth Line Art and Smooth Images are all selected

PDF Troubleshooting:

First, please make sure that your entire file has downloaded. Depending on your connection speed, this process could take some time. If you continue to have trouble downloading the entire file, please contact us and we will email you a copy of the document.

If you are still experiencing problems after downloading the entire file, and you have a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or 5 installed on your computer, please try one of the following procedures to access the file:

Open the PDF file with your Adobe Acrobat Reader, instead of opening the file with your browser. To do this:
- Using your mouse, highlight the link for the PDF file, then right click
- Select Save Target As
- Select the location to save the file on your hard drive and click Save
- Open your Adobe Acrobat Reader
- In Adobe Acrobat Reader, select File > Open
- Navigate to the location on your hard drive where the PDF file was saved
Change the options in Adobe Reader. To do this:
- Select File > Preferences > General
- Under Options, locate checkbox next to Allow Background Downloading
- If there is a checkmark in the box, click on it to deselect this option
- Close Adobe Acrobat Reader

Visit Adobe's Web Site for online help at http://www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/topissueacr.htm

Saving a PDF:

To save the PDF document to your hard drive, click on the disk icon in the upper left corner of the PDF window. In the picture below, the PDF save button is highlighted by the red box.

Web Browser Tips:

If your website design or test page won't refresh in a Web browser:

We recommend clearing your history and cache—your browser is probably just displaying old files in its memory.

On Internet Explorer:

Select Preferences under either the Explorer menu
The Advanced window will include the options to clear the history and cache. Just click on both of those, and you're set.

About the Author

Erin Ferree is a brand identity and marketing design strategist who creates big visibility for small businesses. Through her customized marketing and brand identity packages, Erin helps her clients discover their brand differentiators, then designs logos, business cards, and other marketing materials and websites to reflect that differentiation, as well as to increase credibility and memorability. As the owner of elf design, Erin is passionate about helping small business owners stand out in front of their competition and attract more clients. Hundreds of small business owners across the US and Canada have relied on Erin to create content and visuals that support their brands.

Back to the Article Library

Did you enjoy this article?

I send a new article on designing and using logos, marketing materials, and websites out every month in my newsletter. They're sure to help your business stand out!

You'll also get a free copy of my special report, "Brand Basics for Small Businesses", which talks about the 5 steps to making your business brand create bottom-line results for your business, by email.

Get Articles | Learn More About The Newsletter

Small business logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

Brand Designs That Make You Shine

elf design, inc.
951-2 Old County Road, Suite 171, Belmont, CA 94002 | phone (650) 358-9973
Contact me for logo, graphic or web design services.
Learn more about my process and services.
Site Map | Privacy Policy

Is anything on my site bugging you? Leaving you confused? Or just not working? Please let me know!