|
|
| This is the User Guide from the new PhotoCard 7.0. The screenshots are from PhotoCard running on an iPhone 4. The features are the same on an iPad or iPhone 5, but the screens differ slightly.[1] |
|
Introduction:
Using PhotoCard on an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, you can create printed or email postcards to
send to your family and friends. Each card can have one of your photos or a Bill Atkinson
original nature photo on the front, and your message and other decorations on the back.
You may send an unlimited number of PhotoCards, and you can send them to anyone who can receive
email or postal mail.
When you first launch PhotoCard, you will see a default photo for the card front and a toolbar across the bottom of the screen. (On the iPhone, to hide the toolbar to view all of the photo, tap on the photo. Tap again to show the toolbar.) |
|
Getting started: To begin, you will enter your name, email, and password for your PhotoCard account, which lets you share your credits (needed to send print-and-mail cards), custom stamps and stickers, and sent card history, with all your other iOS devices. Once you sign into your account, PhotoCard will keep you signed in until you choose to sign out. Settings: To customize the app, tap on the 
button. Settings has a "Buy Credits" button and shows how many credits you have.
It shows the number of cards waiting for internet connection in order to be uploaded. And in 7.0,
it has settings to enable two new features: "Offer printed postcard with emails"
and "Set and display default caption".
Although you only need one account, there can be more than one account on an iOS device. This is handy if you share your iPhone or iPad with others but want to keep your PhotoCard data private. You can sign out on the "Account" screen, and let someone else sign into his or her account. User guide: You can tap the  button in the toolbar to show the PhotoCard
User Guide. Read it from top to bottom or use the Topics listing to jump to an item of interest.
|
|
Starting a new card:
To start a fresh card, tap the  button and choose "Erase" from the dialog.
This will discard any existing message, the address and stamp, stickers and voice notes,
and will let you choose another photo to start a new card.
(If you want to keep the same photo, instead of choosing a new one, when the menu appears with photo choices,
just choose Cancel.)
|
button to bring up a scrolling
library of nature photos. The full version of PhotoCard includes 220 original nature photographs
by Bill Atkinson, and the lite version includes 20.[2]
button to use one of your
own photos instead of one from the PhotoCard library. This can be a photo you've previously
taken or a new one that PhotoCard allows you to take if your iOS device has a camera.
|
Flipping between the card front and back: Once you've chosen a photo, tap the  button
to flip the card over to show the back side. (There's a button on the back that lets you
flip to the front side to review or change the photo.)
The card back toolbar has buttons that allow you to choose a font, to choose any number of stickers and/or voice notes, and to perform actions such as sending the card. |
|
Entering a message: Tap in the message area on the left side of the card and the keyboard will appear so you can type a message. When you're done typing, tap the hide keyboard button to dismiss it. To make corrections or copy and paste, press and hold to bring up the text magnifier.
|
|
button to change the font or its size.
If you haven't yet entered a message, sample text will be displayed on your card.
Choosing stickers:
You can tap the  button to choose some decorative
stickers for your card. (It is best to enter your text message before placing stickers so you can see how they
will look together.) Tap sticker thumbnails to select them, then tap "Done" and you will see the selected
stickers stacked on the left side of the card.
Positioning stickers: There are various things you can do with stickers — Drag stickers to position them, or drag them off the card to delete them. (PhotoCard will reposition any sticker that would overlap the address or stamp.) You can tap on stickers to bring up handles for resizing or rotating, or double-tap on stickers to duplicate them. You can drag a sticker left and right several times to flip it horizontally. |
|
Adding voice notes: Add sound with the  button.
If your device has a microphone, this will bring you to the voice recording studio,
where you first can choose a talk bubble and then record a voice note.
(When your card is received by email, downloading and/or tapping on the sound enclosure
will play your recorded message.)
|
Choosing a stamp:
Tapping in the upper right corner of the card will bring up the stamp library.
Tap a stamp in the library to choose it for your card. (In case you forget,
PhotoCard will prompt you to choose a stamp before you send the card.)
|
Making a custom stamp: At the bottom of the stamp chooser, you will find an option to "Make a Custom Stamp." Tapping this will bring up the stamp maker where you can choose an image from your device's "Photos", crop it to show the portion you want, and make it into a personalized postage stamp. Making a custom sticker or signature: At the bottom of the sticker chooser, is "Make a Custom Sticker." Tapping this brings up the sticker maker where you can choose your photo and crop it. Unlike stamps, stickers don't have to be rectangular. If you want, for example, an oval-shaped or irregular-shaped sticker, or a signature with transparent portions, "Edit Mask" will take you to a view that offers tools to make a rectangular image into a non-rectangular sticker. If you tap "How To" in the mask editor, you can read detailed instructions for these tools. |
Making custom items:
PhotoCard now offers ways for you to design and use your own stamps and stickers.
Your favorite picture of your child, for example, can be made into a postage stamp that
you can use on your cards. And custom stickers are ideal for creating a "signature"
or a personal decoration. Once you have paid a small fee for processing
and registering your custom stamp or sticker, you can use it as often as you like without
further cost.
|
|
Addressing a card:
To address a card, tap on its right side to display the "Enter Card Address" screen. Then tap
the Contacts button on the right and search for, or scroll to, an existing contact.
Once you are viewing that contact's information, tap one of the email or postal addresses to choose it.
To send to someone not already in your Contacts, tap the "+" button to add a new contact. Or to send to someone
you've sent to before, tap "Recent". If you like, you can enter the name and address into the fields
by typing.
A shortcut: For U.S. postal addresses, you can simply enter, into the "Postal" field, the house number and street name on the first line, then just the zipcode on the second line. PhotoCard will fill in the city and state. |
button to make a new mailing
list or to use one previously created. (On the "Mailing Lists" screen, the "+" button will prompt you
for a list name. You can then add email or a postal addresses to the list.) When you tap "Done",
your cards will be addressed to the members of that reusable list.
|
Sending cards:
Once your card is addressed, tap  to send it.
You can send PhotoCards to anyone who can receive email or postal mail. The recipient does not need to have
PhotoCard or an iOS device. A card received as email will look like a larger, higher resolution
version of the card front and back. To the left is an example.
If you have chosen a postal address rather than an email address for your recipient, your custom 8.25 by 5.5 inch PhotoCard will be professionally printed on heavy card stock using an HP Indigo digital press. Then it will be coated on both sides and sent by US First Class mail. |
|
To post a card to an email address, tap the
button and choose "Send Postcard by Email". An emailed PhotoCard
is sent using your device's email app. If you send cards when you are not connected to the internet by
Wi-Fi or cellular, they will automatically be sent the next time your device does connect.
To post a card to a postal address, choose "Send Postcard by Mail". If you post cards when you are not connected to the internet, they will be saved and uploaded when you next run PhotoCard while connected. Important: for print-and-mail cards to upload, you must be running PhotoCard. This differs from email. |
| Using default caption for return address: At the bottom of the PhotoCard "Settings" view, you will find a switch to "Set and Display Default Caption". If enabled, this will show the line of text you enter, across the bottom of the card back. This can be used to display your return address or other information. (Note that it will only show when you are using one of your own photos, not a built-in one.) |
|
|
Gifting a printed postcard:
Because you may not know the postal address of someone you would like to send a print-and-mail postcard to,
PhotoCard gives you the option of having the recipient provide his or her address. If you turn on the PhotoCard setting
labeled "Offer Printed Postcard with Emails", your emailed cards will be sent with this text at the top:
"(sender name) has offered you a gift. To receive a free printed version of this postcard, tap here.
This offer expires in two weeks."
If your recipient taps on the link, a web form like the one shown below (with your name as sender name) will accept his or her name and address. And your account will be charged the appropriate number of credits for a printed card sent to a domestic or international address. |
|
Sharing a card to social media:
The button gives you options to share a
PhotoCard to Facebook, to Twitter, or to
save it in the "Photos" album. (Note that this only works with iOS 6.0 or later.)
Tap the button and choose "Share Postcard". Because you will be sharing to
a wide audience, PhotoCard hides the recipient's name and address before sharing your card.
|
|
|
Viewing previously sent cards:
Tap and choose "View Sent
Postcards" to view cards you've already sent.
This will show your sent card history with the most recent cards at the top. To show just a
portion of the history, you can type a name, text from messages, or a date into the search box.
Tap on an entry in the list to see a preview. Tap on the preview to replace the current card
with the sent card. (To delete an entry from the history list, swipe horizontally on it
to bring up a "Delete" button. Note, however, that the card itself has already been mailed.)
|
|
|
Editing sent card history: Tap "Edit" (adjacent to the search box) to alter the sent card history. You will then be able to select one or more cards by tapping on them. At the bottom of the screen, buttons will appear so that you can "Delete" or "Sync" the selected cards. (Sync lets you view older sent cards on your other iOS devices. Note that cards sent with PhotoCard 7.0 automatically sync.) |
|
More information: We hope you enjoy using PhotoCard by Bill Atkinson. If you find a bug or awkwardness, wish to suggest a feature or give feedback about features you liked and disliked, please send an email or a PhotoCard to billatkinson123@gmail.com [1] iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the USA and other countries. [2] Please note that Bill Atkinson nature photographs are all copyrighted works of art. Included in your purchase of the PhotoCard application is a limited license to print and send any of the included photographs in PhotoCards for non-commercial purposes. |