Macintosh Lab User Tips

• Can’t find the applications? They are in 2 places:

1. Click on the application icon in the dock -OR-
2. Click on Macintosh HD » Macintosh HD Window (on side bar) » Applications Folder

• Dock Options: Apple Menu » Dock
  
  
• Internet Options: Safari or FireFox
• To quickly access the desktop: F1
• To find missing windows (in the program you are in): F10
• To find missing windows (in all programs): F9
• To eject a CD/DVD or USB Drive: drag it into the trash or select the disk/drive icon on the desktop and choose File » Eject. If a CD or DVD is not readable by your Mac, press the "eject" key on the upper right corner of your keyboard to remove the disk.
• To empty the trash: click and hold on the trash can until given the “empty trash” option or click Finder » Empty Trash
• To add fonts: Use the Font Book application (in Applications Folder): File » Add Fonts (Be advised, not all fonts will work on these computers. It must be compatible with Mac OS X.)

 

How to Scan

How to scan using the CanoScan U656 USB-powered scanners:

1. Launch Photoshop: File » Import » SANE.
2. On the SANE dialog window, select the Geometry tab and be sure the scanning area is set to "Letter" size.
3. In the SANE dialog window Resolution tab, slide the resolution to 300 dpi or the resolution you need for your project.
4. Click the Scan button.

Sometimes the scanners loose their connection to the computer. If an error message is given or the scanner does not respond, try the following steps in the order below to remedy the problem.

• Make sure you are actually connected to the small silver U656 scanner
• Check the USB connection. Try unplugging, then reinserting the USB connection into the back of the iMac. Try the same at the back of the scanner.
• RESTART the computer and it will reconnect. If not, ask the lab technician for help.

How to scan using the Epson

The Epson V500 is installed on the first computer of rows 1-3.

1. Open up Photoshop CS3
2. On the top menu go to File » Import » EPSON PERFECTION V500
3. Either click scan for auto scan or go to customize to edit settings for the scan.

If you need to scan slides or transparencies, please see the student assistant on duty. The templates are in the metal cabinet in the corner of the room. To get detailed instructions using the software, either use the Help menu or visit Epson's website.

How to scan using the CanoScan

The Canon 8400F is on first computer of the back row.

1. After logging in and the finder menu opens on the center of the screen select "Applications" (located on the side of the finder menu.) If no window appears, and all you see is the desktop, simply use the keystroke, Command-Shift A. (The command key is the Apple key.)
2. There will be a folder called "CanoScan Toolbox X" and then select the program "CanoScan Toolbox X" in the folder.
   
3. A tool bar will open. Click on the button called "Scan-1"
   
4. A menu window will open. You can change any resolution or picture settings you need.
   
5. After that under the "external program" section select set and then specify the program to send it to which will most likely need to be Adobe Photoshop CS3.
   
6. And then press Scan.

If you need to scan slides or transparencies, please see the student assistant on duty. The templates are in the metal cabinet in the corner of the room. To get detailed instructions using the software, either use the Help menu or visit FixYa's CanoScan 8400F Manual.

 

About Resolution for Printing

300 dpi (dots per inch) is a good standard resolution at which to save digital photographic images. However, it is important to know the final output type and size of your design so you can design with efficiency and minimize potential problems with printing output.

• Final output is high-quality offset printing: Images should be saved at 300 dpi by the physical size the image will be reproduced. For instance, a photograph that will be reproduced via offset printing at 4" X 5" will be a resolution of 1200 pixels X 1500 pixels at 300 dpi. (Multiply the inch dimensions of the image by 300 to get the pixel dimensions.)
• You will very likely need to play with the scale of images before you determine the final output size. If your scanned image will be an element on a layout with other typographic and graphic elements, you'll probably want to scan your image a bit larger than you think you need. However, when you have finished the "design" stage, you may need to reduce the resolution in the print-production stage of your project.
• When printing imported or placed images with a resolution higher than 300 dpi at the final output size, slow processing times may occur. Scaling-down images that are "imported," "inserted," or "placed" in applications such as InDesign, Illustrator, Word, or PowerPoint are in effect increasing the resolution of the outputted image. IMPORTANT: You may want to reduce the resolution on these images with Photoshop or another image editing program to minimize printing problems.

About Resolution for the Screen or Projection

If there is no chance that your images will be needed for printed output, then you'll probably be fine with scanning your images at a resolution lower than 300 dpi. In fact, you probably don't even need to worry as much about dpi as you would actual pixels.

• Resolution for the screen and projected presentations: The rule of thumb for web page design and digitally-projected presentations for any image is currently 800 pixels by 600 pixels. Of course, as monitor and digital projector resolutions improve, these dimension standards will increase, but you don't want to make your images larger than what will fit on your audience's monitor screens.
• Protecting your images for web: If you are uploading original art for the web, remember that larger resolution images will produce better prints. If you want to avoid people printing your images without permission, you may want to keep the resolution just large enough to show on the screen.
• Saving for Web in Photoshop: When working with images for the web, it is more important to know the actual pixel dimensions than the dpi. If using Photoshop, choose File » Save for Web... and the dialogue window will allow you to change the compression and the pixel dimensions with a live preview.
• Digitally Projected Presentations: It is best to know the resolution of the digital projector on which your presentation will be shown to get the best quality possible. It is likely to be a higher resolution as projector standards improve. Most digital projectors of today will handle a resolution of 1024 pixels by 768 pixels. If you are creating a PowerPoint slide show, it would be a good idea to know the resolution and aspect ratio of the projector you'll be using when designing your presentation.
• Batch Processing Images: Use the installed Adobe Bridge and Adobe Creative Suite to have access to many tools that will automatically batch-reduce your image resolutions for web galleries and projected presentations.