HELP! What is the best way to create a "template" for someone to add their own information to what I have created? Also, Is there a way to create something like this that is accessible in programs other than Corel?
Thank you so very much!
I've made a few templates and they usually require some tweaking before they work like I want them to.
When I want to be able to "fill in text" I create a text box and set it for a font that should be on every machine - Ariel seems to work about the best for this. I also make sure I don't have any objects locked because I often cut and paste the template into projects I'm currently working on. If objects are lost they will get "left behind" in the copy/paste procedure.
As far as being able to use the template in other programs I think you'll find that it's next to impossible. Creating an editable PDF may be an option but you're likely to run into the odd pothole heading down that road. What you would ultimately like to do would require some serious programming that would likely run into a lot of money.
There are a lot of "Web to Print" companies that allow you to edit forms, pick from a limited selection of fonts and clipart and then submit that for business cards and the like. Websites like this usually use a database back-end along with the PHP scripting language to create "on-the-fly" web pages tailored to the client's input then the information is selectively extracted from the page to create a pre-press PDF ready for printing. Even the address labels are created from the clients input for shipping purposes. I would suspect you would require a minimum of a few thousand dollars to set up something like this.
The templates I created for my own purposes allow me to create a proof and quote that have the same look and feel. After I have the file complete I "Publish to PDF" ( File > Publish to PDF... ) and e-mail that off for customer approval. If any changes are required the customer can use the "Post-It Note feature" in Acrobat Reader to indicate the changes necessary. For what I do it's the perfect solution. If they don't bother using the "Post-It Note" feature then they tell me what they want for revisions in an e-mail reply.
Here's a shot of what my page looks as soon as I start a new file using my "Proof" template:
Each of the white boxes is a "text box" so all I have to do is click in the white box with the "Text Tool" and essentially fill in the blanks. I add the design in the large white box above the rest of the form, File > Publish to PDF... and save it to the same folder as the CorelDraw file I've just created.
My templates are a real time saver and allow me to have a common look and feel to my proofs, quotes and invoices.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Nice... I like your proof "template".It sounds like you just have to be creative in designing your "template, huh? I have a realtor that wants a template with her logo, etc. then change the house details periodically. I guess I need to figure out the easiest way to do that.
Thanks for your input...every bit helps in one way or another!!
Connie