MyCreativeShop - Professionally Designed Brochures and More for Thousands of Dollars Less
 

Let's Get Started!

Getting Started - The first thing you must do to make MyCreativeShop your creative shop, and start producing your customized marketing materials, is to become a member. Simply fill out the form on the purchase page. Make sure all the required fields are filled in, decide on a user name and password, and make your purchase. Your user name and password will be required each time you sign in, so be sure to write it down somewhere safe.

Signing In – By now you have already become a member. On the main home page, click on the “Sign In” button located on the top menu bar. This will bring you to the Sign in Page. Enter your username and password, and click Submit. You will be taken to your own Personal Home Page.

Note: If you have forgotten your User Name and Password, simply click on “Forgot Your Password,” and follow the instructions. An email will be sent to you with the appropriate information.

The Personal Home Page – Your personal home page is exactly what it sounds like, it's a personalized page that will contain all of your MyCreativeShop information. This is the page where you will start and end each session for the work you produce. On your personal home page you will see YOUR name at the top, and under it you will find two large folders—the Work in Progress folder and the Archive folder. These are the two main folders that hold your work. Upon selection, they will have a menu giving you all the options you have available.

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Exploring the Personal Home Page

Work In Progress Folder - The work in progress folder is where you will begin a new project, work on a current project, delete an old project, preview your work, get a link you can email for others to preview your work, go to you're My Images Page, order a press ready file, or get a printing quote. Once you click on this folder, all of these options will be available to you. The Work in Progress folder also shows a preview of all current work. You can select the project you want simply by clicking on it. To name or rename a project, simply click on the area of type and re-type the name you wish. After you have completed a project, and have ordered a Press Quality File, you project is moved to the Archive Folder. It will remain there for as long as you need it.

Archive Folder - The Archive folder is where all completed work is automatically stored. Once a project goes into the Archive folder, it remains there for the life of your membership. You can work on projects in the Archive folder by selecting the “Work on Past Project” button. This will allow you to update and make all the changes you wish. When you return to your Personal Home Page, you will find your project in the Work in Progress folder, with the original will remaining in the Archive Folder. Be sure to rename your piece to keep it separate from the original. In addition to working on a past project, you can Preview your project, send a Preview Link, order a Press Quality File, or reprint your past project.

Starting a New Project - The Start New Project button does exactly what is says. It guides you through the steps of starting a new project. Every time you wish to begin producing a new project click on this button. There is never a charge to start a new project, so work on as many as you wish.

Work on Current Project - MyCreativeShop lets its members save their work at any time during the creative process. Once you have saved a project, it goes into the Work in Progress Folder on the personal home page. The Work on Current Project button will enable you to start working on any of your previously saved projects. Just highlight the file you wish to work on by clicking on it, and then click the Work on Current Project button, you will be taken directly to the workspace where it was last saved.

Preview Project - There are two ways MyCreativeShop allows its users to preview their work. The first, is to Preview it on your computer. The “Preview Work” button will bring up a screen with your work enlarged for your own personal viewing, checking and proofing. You will also notice in this area, we have provided a “Zoom Tool.” This will let you navigate around your project at much greater detail. Once you have “zoomed in,” simply click, and hold down your mouse over your project. You can now “drag” portions of your work into the enlarged viewing area.

The second way to preview your work, is to send a preview link. This will allow someone else to view your work. By clicking on “Send Preview Link” you will be given a link that you can paste into an email or text file and send to any person you wish to show your work to. Whoever receives the file can then click on the link and see a preview of the work that you have produced. This is great for getting approval from your boss or showing your work to family and friends.

Get Press Ready File – The “Get Press Ready File” button is how you submit your completed work. Once you are satisfied with your project, click on the “Get Press Ready File” button. You will be taken to the checkout page where you place your order for the press ready file to be prepared for download and or received on disk. An email notification will be sent to you when your artwork has been professionally prepared (completed) and fully assembled in a high quality, press ready, PDF format. This file can easily be given to the printer of your choice to produce your promotional materials. You may also use one of our “Trusted Partner” printers.

What’s a Press Ready File?

A Press Ready File is the completion of your project—making it “print ready.” Our designers take your projects, do all the color conversions, color adjustments, assembling of photos, final mechanical preparations, and anything else a printer will need — so you don’t have to! Your project is then thoroughly checked, and professionally produced in a high quality, high resolution format — ready for printing.

Simple download your file or have it sent on CD. The choice is yours!

Please note: Because the World Wide Web and traditional printing differ greatly, the image you are working with online, is simply a low resolution representation of your project. It is not the file that will go to your printer. All work must be professionally assembled to meet traditional printing standards.

Get A Printing Quote & Ordering Your Project - MyCreativeShop has supplied its customers with pricing from some of the most trusted printers. If you like the pricing you see you can place an order to have it printed. It will save you both time and energy. You will also be given the option of getting a proof. A proof will help guarantee the quality of the print job, and to ensure your work is correct. Once completed, your project will be delivered to your doorstep.

Get a Prepress Proof – A Prepress Proof is the best way to review your work prior to printing. It is also a great way to have others see your work as well.

Avoid mistakes! MyCreativeShop highly recommends a color Prepress Proof prior to printing.

A Prepress Proof is used to simulate how the printed piece will look. MyCreativeShop's color Prepress Proofs are prepared as low resolution Acrobat® files, and emailed directly to you. They can be viewed on your computer, printed to a color printer, or sent to others for viewing. Because of differences in equipment, paper, inks, and other conditions between color proofing and production pressroom operations, a reasonable variation in color between color proofs and the completed job is to be expected. In addition to viewing color, a Prepress Proof will show all photos, positioning, cropping, headlines, body copy, spelling and grammar etc. A Prepress Proof is your last chance to view your project prior to printing. For a very little cost, it is a wise investment!

Please note: Because the World Wide Web and traditional printing differ greatly, the image you are working with online, is simply a low resolution representation of your project. It is not the file you will receive as your Prepress Proof. All Prepress Proofs are professionally assembled to simulate how your printed piece will look, and are prepared to meet traditional printing standards.

Delete Project - Once you have selected the project you want to delete simply click the “Delete” button. This is an undoable procedure. Once a project has been deleted you can't get it back. MyCreativeShop will not have it on file, and cannot retrieve it in any way. So, be careful!

Go To My Images Page - Clicking on the “My Images” button will bring you to the “My Images” page. This is the page where you will upload your images and logos (see uploading logos and uploading images), as well as view all of the images and logos that you may have stored in this folder.

Signing Out - Once you have completed your work for the day, you will need to “Sign Out.” This ends your session. The “Sign Out” button can be found within the top menu buttons of the personal home page.

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How to Begin a New Project

Starting Your Project - To start a new project, click on the “Start New Project” button on your personal home page. You can find this under the “Work in Progress” folder. Once selected, you will be presented with selections that will determine the type of work you wish to produce.

Pick Your Category - Your next step consists of selecting a theme that best suites your business or particular needs. To make a selection, click on the button beside the theme you wish to use. After your selection has been made, click Continue. The theme of you project can be changed at any time on the workspace, so don't worry if you can't decide, or have changed your mind. You can combine as many themes as you wish!

Pick Your Project - MyCreativeShop gives its customers a wide variety of projects to choose from, and is always adding new ones. Read through the selections and decide which project best suites your needs. You can see a preview of the different types and styles of projects in the area beside the selection box (example: if you select a three panel brochure, the image that appears is a three panel brochure). Once you've selected the piece you wish to work on, click Continue.

Note: There is never a charge to pick a project, so if you change your mind, and want to start a different one—go ahead! Explore as many as you want, for no extra charge!

Specifics - Most projects MyCreativeShop gives you have many options and versions to choose from. For example, the large brochures come in 8, 12, 16 and 20 pages, and the small brochures come in regular or self-mailer. On this page you will be deciding on the specifics of your project. Once you have made your selection, press Continue.

Pick Your Template - Your next step will be deciding on the template you wish to use. There are many different templates or designs for each project. Take the time to explore them all. Once you have proceeded to the Workspace, it is difficult to go back. So, if you find you would like to use a different template, simply return to your personal home page, click on “Start New Project,” and follow the steps. You can save as many templates as you wish for no extra charge, so feel free to try and compare them all!

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Navigating the Workspace

The Workspace - The Workspace is where you put all your information together, and will build your project. The Workspace consists of the following areas:

1) Your template or project layout.

2) A “changing” Palette window located to the right. The palette window shows specific details for “tools” and available options for them. Your “tools” consist of type, color, and images (including logos). And, because your “tools” are more about making choices, your work is fast, easy, and fun! To change type or color, run your mouse over the options (in the palette), and click on them. Other options will appear, and you can make additional selections.

3) The third area, is a large window on the bottom. This is where you type copy, select pictures, and make color choices.

Just as the workspace is divided into 3 simple areas, 3 simple categories allow you to build professional looking pieces—just like the pros! They are the following:

Photos
Copy
Color

Easily flowing, from one area to the next, you can select your photos, type your copy, and pick colors. You can complete an entire page, or move on to the next. You can work on all colors, or all photos, the choice is yours!

Try This:
Click directly on an area you wish to work on, or make “active.” It can be a color, a photo, or type area. A RED BOUNDING BOX will appear, highlighting that area. Information for that area appears in the “Palette” on the right. You can also “locate” the next area available, by clicking on the button labeled “Next Area,” or “Previous Area.” Try clicking on these buttons. You will notice the RED BOUNDING BOX will move around highlighting the different sections. When you are ready to go to the next page, click on “Next Page,” or “Previous.”

MyCreativeShop lets you work in any order you wish. Random, organized, or any combination. How you complete your work is up to you. You can do it all at once, or over a period of sessions!

When you are ready to preview your work, simply save it, and return to your personal home page. Here you will find a “Preview Project” button.

To finish your day's work or end your session, go to your personal home page, and sign out. If you have any questions during the workspace process, you can access this Help area, or refer to “Helpful Hints,” available on the workspace.

IMPORTANT! Be sure to save all work before returning to your personal home page. Any unsaved data will be lost.

Suggestion!
Explore the workspace area. Click on different items and regions. See what each does. Have fun, and get familiar with YOUR workspace. You won't hurt anything by exploring, and you'll start to see how easy it is to look like a pro!

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About Text Areas

Copy - The copy sections are made up of several areas—headlines, body copy, and captions. Some brochures may also have “special,” unique text areas. You will know you are on one of the copy areas when the RED BOUNDING BOX appears—making that area active.

All MyCreativeShop projects come with preformatted type styles and sizes. You can use the existing styles, or choose your own. If you wish to use the existing style, simple highlight it in the bottom palette, delete it, and begin typing. You may also paste your copy into this area.

Here's How Type Works:
When you first get to one of the areas highlighted by the red bounding box, you will need to select your type style and type size. Once selected, click continue. This will turn the “ghosted text” in the bottom palette to black—making it “active.” You can now begin typing. If you wish to change type styles or type sizes, click on “Change Style” or “Change Size,” and repeat the procedure above. Changes you make to one page will be reflected in all other pages. If your text is too large or too long, a warning will be given. You will need to reduce the size, or edit your copy.

IMPORTANT!
Check all pages to make sure you have not caused any text to overflow and be hidden behind the red bounding box.

Other Type Options:
Bold, Italic, Line Spacing, and Indents, are also available as buttons, and can be found in the palette on the right side. You can read more about these options in “Helpful Hints.”

Spelling and Grammar:
It is recommended to type copy in a word processing program and then paste it into the workspace. This will allow you to use your programs spelling and grammar checker.

BE CAREFUL!
Do not format copy in your word processing program. Doing so, will cause all text to be un-readable. You must do all formatting on the workspace.

MyCreativeShop has allotted extra room for body copy and multiple headlines, and has designed each layout to work with more or less text. If you find you don't need as many headlines, captions, or the full allotment for body copy, simply leave it blank. You work will still look great!

To save your typed work at any time, you can select the Save button. To continue onto the next area of copy or headlines, simply click Next or Previous.

Suggestion!
Explore the workspace area. Click on different items and regions. See what each does. Have fun, and get familiar with YOUR workspace. You won't hurt anything by exploring, and you'll start to see how easy it is to look like a pro!

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Choosing and Placing Photos

Photos – As with type and color, photo areas are also highlighted with a RED BOUNDING BOX. This is where your images are placed into the template. In addition to uploading your own photos, you can also upload and place your company's logo into the project (see uploading logos).

You will find a “drop down” menu, located on the right hand side of the bottom area. It is titled “Change Picture Theme.” This is where you will find all available photos and themes, along with an area titled, “My Images.” When you upload photos and logos, they will be located in “My Images.”

To place an image into your project, simply click the image you want. The image will then appear in that location. All templates in the workspace come with default images already placed in the picture areas. You can use the default images and skip the whole photo selection process, or create your own unique look by truly customizing your project with a unique selection of images from our library or those you have supplied. Remember, because you may have started your project with one theme, doesn't mean that you must stay with that theme.

Supplying Your Own Images:
To supply you own images, click on the Upload Images button (see upload images section). All instructions will be given.

Suggestion!
Explore the workspace area. Click on different items and regions. See what each does. Have fun, and get familiar with YOUR workspace. You won't hurt anything by exploring, and you'll start to see how easy it is to look like a pro!

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Logos And Images

Uploading Logos - MyCreativeShop makes it easy to upload logos and place them in any number of projects. You can upload your logo from the My Images page or on the Workspace page. Click on the upload logo and simply follow the instructions on that page. Once we have your logo, it will be placed online in your My Images page accessed through—and located under “Work in Progress” on your personal home page. You will also be able to access it on the workspace and place it into the designated logo areas on the templates.

Uploading Images - MyCreativeShop allows its users to upload 5 images a month for free. Every month you can keep adding to your images, and keep expanding your library. There is no limit to the amount of images you can store online. If more images are needed in any given month, for a minimal fee (one dollar an image), you can subscribe to the Personal Photo Feature. The Personal Photo feature is a great way to make your projects “truly yours.”

To upload an image simply click on the Upload Image button located on the workspace or on the My Images page (link to this page is located on the personal home page). Once you've clicked on this button, simply follow the instructions.

IMPORTANT:
You can only upload one image at a time. Images will not be available immediately.
It takes approximately one business day to prepare and size your photos. When uploading photos, be sure to include any specifics on how you would like your photo cropped. We don't want to exclude an important part of your image (example: the small man in front of the building is more important than the building). You can view all the images you have uploaded on the My Images page.

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Making a Splash with Color

Color – The color section is where you will be placing all of the color into your project. Just like type and photos, color areas are highlighted by a RED BOUNDING BOX. To move from one section to the next, you can click on next or previous, or you can click directly on a particular color area to make it “active.

When working with color, you will notice the palette on the right has now changed to reflect that information. In the palette, you will find a number of basic color swatches. Click on any swatch, and all ranges available for that color will appear in the bottom window. When you see the color you would like to use, click on it. It will appear in your project.

Here's a Tip:
At MyCreativeShop, we've made it so just about anything you do will look great! Our team of designers have taken the time to pre-determine the best color combinations for each particular project. Certain projects have more color choices than others, however, that doesn't mean you are limited. So, keeping things simple will always help create a much more professional look, no rainbows!

Suggestion!
Explore the workspace area. Click on different items and regions. See what each does. Have fun, and get familiar with YOUR workspace. You won't hurt anything by exploring, and you'll start to see how easy it is to look like a pro!

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Professional Custom Logos

The custom logo ordering process begins on the Home Page. Unlike the rest of the projects on MyCreativeShop, creating a custom logo is done entirely by the MyCreativeShop team of professionals.

A professional custom designed logo can bring renewed credibility and awareness to your company's name, products and services. And, at MyCreativeShop, our designers have had years of experience and an outstanding track record in creating just the right look. Rest assured, the image we create will be the perfect compliment to any of your professionally designed marketing materials.

All members to MyCreativeShop receive a discount on Professional Custom Logos, however, it is not necessary to be a member to get a custom logo. All you have to do is click on Create a Custom Logo, fill out the form, and place your order. You will be contacted through email with the first drafts of your logo. Once your decision has been made, we will send you a CD with your new logo in all the file formats you will ever need.

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