Technical Problems with Teacher Files and How to Solve Them

I frequently get technical questions regarding downloading/opening/printing my teacher-created materials.  Although I am no technology whiz, here are some ideas about how to solve a few common problems.

PROBLEM 1:  HELP!  THE FILE LOOKS OR PRINTS WRONG!

I once had a file that looked great on the screen, but printed with all of these black boxes instead of text!  Help!  Printing wrong AND using up more ink than I ever imagined is a teacher nightmare!  

     SOLUTION 1:  Download the latest version of Adobe Reader.  Just click HERE.  All of my files and probably 90% of the files on teacher sites are PDFs.  They are meant to be opened with Adobe Reader.  Now, my Mac with open them with Preview usually, but I have to remember that this program makes the margins, etc. just a bit different.  Opening with file with the latest version of Adobe Reader usually solves a myriad of problems.  

     If the file STILL looks wrong (such as you see it on the screen correctly, but the dotted lines won't print), then open the file with Adobe. Go to "print." Then, click on "advanced settings" and choose "print as image." 

PROBLEM 2:  HELP!  I CAN'T OPEN THE ZIP FILE!  

As a teacher-author, when you have several files to bundle, this is the most efficient way to bundle them.  No one wants to receive one huge file with 300 or 400 pages to scroll through, right?  Instead, we place separate files into a ZIP file.  

     SOLUTION 2: If you have a Mac, just save the zip file to your desktop and double click it to extract the folder within.  It will magically appear on your desktop!   If you have a PC, it might be that simple . . . or not!  When I had a PC, I purchased a program called WinZip.  It looks like there is now a free trial WinZip available on their official site.  Click HERE to take a look.  

Here's a page that offers more ideas for opening these files:  How to Open a .Zip File Without Winzip.    

Another easy solution to this problem is to download the file on another computer.  Some operating systems will open the .ZIP file automatically.  

PROBLEM 3:  HELP!  THE PAGE ISN'T PRINTING CORRECTLY!

Let me just say that I have come to regard printing and laminating as an art form--or perhaps it should be an Olympic sport!  I am constantly looking for ways to use less colored ink, print with different margins, print posters, etc.  

     SOLUTION 3:  There is really no one answer here, I'm afraid.  Your answer to this will depend on the program AND take some searching, as well as trial and error printing.   For example, I like to open my files with Preview on the Mac.  I click "Print," then I look for options.  

If you are missing some of your page (such as missing borders or titles, or the margins are wrong), then click on "Print Entire Image" or change the scale.  

Click on the bar that says "Preview" to find more options . . .

In the picture above, I clicked on the bar with "Preview," then I clicked on "Print Options."  This is where I usually end up.  If you like to print things in grayscale to save ink, click that box.  Printing one page as a poster is great for group lessons or for things that decorate the room.  

If you are having major problems with margins, make sure that you have selected the correct paper size and that the scale is 100% or what you need.    

IF YOU ARE TRYING TO PRINT A POSTER, PLEASE VISIT ONE OF MY PREVIOUS POSTS FOR DIRECTIONS.  CLICK HERE.  

PROBLEM 4:  HELP!  IT SAYS THE FILE IS DAMAGED!

Most of the time, teachers assume that something is wrong with the file.  While this can happen, it is usually not the case.  This just happens.  It is just a glitch in how the file was downloaded. As you know, technology is great, but it never works 100% of the time.  This is one of those times that something failed to come from some server on the other side of the country through your wifi, arriving on your desktop in pristine condition.  If you think about it, I don't know why we don't have more damaged files.  

     SOLUTION 4:  The solution is to just download it again.  Now, if you download it 3 times and there is STILL something wrong, then please contact customer service.  

GENERAL SOLUTIONS:   

1.  Here's my secret "go to" solution for almost everything:  Google it!   It works almost every time.  You might have to search once or twice to find exactly what you need, but there is a lot of helpful info out there, especially when it comes to computer problems.  Keep in mind, though, that programs sometimes change with new versions, so you might find info that no longer applies.   

2.  Shut down the computer (or printer, or iPad, etc.).  Count to 10 slowly, then turn it back on.  I have absolutely NO idea why this works, but it often does!  

3.  Open the file on another computer.  The other computer might have a program that will open your file automatically.  It also works sometimes if you can print the file using a different computer and/or printer.  

Well, I hope you have found something here to help.  If I think of more problems/solutions, I will add them here.  

As always, thank you for reading!  

Getting Started on TPT: Making Products Video #1

    I made a short and hopefully not too boring video about getting started on TPT.  I have seen that several people are interested in how those of us already on TPT are making our products.  So, I answered the question briefly in my last blog post (including some links to graphics, backgrounds & fonts I use).  Now, I have posted a short video on how to get started making your materials using a common program, Word.

  

    This first video covers:

1) Formatting your document

2) Using text boxes

3) Inserting graphics

4) Making hyperlinks

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO!

If you like video #1,
DON'T MISS VIDEO #2!!!  YOU CAN FIND IT HERE:
Getting Started on TPT:  Making Products Video #2

  
 
Thanks for reading (and watching)!
Teacher Tam

And, if you're ready to sell on TPT, jump right in!  There's an apple icon to your right that says "Sell on TPT with me."  Here's what would happen if you click it:    TPT gets at least 15% of your sales.  I would get 5% of their share (not yours) for the first two years that you sell on TPT.  If you decide to sell on TPT, I would love it if you joined me!  

How I Make My Classroom Creations

     I have had several people ask me what programs, graphics, etc.  I use to create my products for Teachers Pay Teachers and Teachers Notebook.  So, I decided to take a little time on my blog to answer this question and to encourage those of you who are hesitating to join TPT or TN as a seller.  What can it hurt to give it a try?  I am not aware of any business that you can start that has such little overhead.  It's awesome!--especially if making things for your classroom is already your hobby!  Plus, it is so rewarding just knowing how you are helping save someone else some prep time and making great educational items that are being used all over the world!

    Anyway, I have been making items since I started teaching back in 1997, although things have gotten a little more sophisticated since then.  I started out drawing my own little books.  The first ones taught long vowel sounds, then I went back to do short vowel sounds and sight words.  In 2005, I wanted 4 or 5 sets of the Bob Books to use in my guided reading groups, but they are so expensive!  So, I just started writing and illustrating my own (this set of 30 is now for sale on both sites).  I wanted to make as many copies as I needed and give them to whoever I wanted without worrying about copyright.  Of course, the only way I could do that was to be the author and illustrator!  But, I have to admit that I was hooked from there.

    Back to the question:  What program(s) do I use?  I just use plain old Word.  I put everything (text, pictures) in a text box and just remove the outline of the box.  Sometimes Word seems to have a mind of its own as to placement of text and pictures, so this makes it possible for me to put everything exactly where I want it or even overlap the pictures (png files).  After I have it created, I go to print and choose PDF, "Save as PDF" to make it a PDF file so it cannot be changed and the graphics cannot be extracted (because they are no longer my own). UPDATE: I started using iPages in 2014. It works almost exactly the same as Word, just better. There is no need for text boxes for graphics since you can drag and drop your graphics. I know that a lot of other teacher authors use powerpoint, but I found that this program did not work for my purposes.

    Next question:  Where do your graphics come from?  I have a Bamboo tablet to draw with and I create some of my own graphics with a program called "Rita."  Sorry, but it's Mac only, although plain old "Paint" on the PCs does pretty well.  "Rita" costs $20 to download online and it is SOOOOO easy to use and the graphics look pretty good.

   But, drawing my own graphics took way too much time.  I still draw some, but now I purchase most of them.  The 2 main things I look for on the graphics terms of use page are:  1) Can I use these graphics for my freebies?  and 2) Do I need to purchase an extra commercial use license?   (There are many other things to think about, of course, such as giving credit to the artist, but just read all the terms of use and follow it and you'll be okay.)  I like these 5 stores:

Educlips:      I absolutely LOVE her work! This is my favorite clipart shop! The terms of use are easy, too.


KPM Doodles                      She has some really cute stuff.  You
                                             can use it in your freebies and you can buy sets with full color & line art.

Creative Clips:     This is another favorite shop of mine! I really like to have the full color and black and white versions available in the same set. I also appreciate the clear, bold lines of the blacklines.

From the Pond                     She's a teacher-author-illustrator on TPT.  She recently started making more             graphics.  I just purchased some today!  There are a lot of freebies, too!

openclipart.org                    This site has clip art that is all public domain.  There are some great pics on here, the only problem is that they do not enlarge well.

     My suggestion to you is to invest in some graphics.  The more I sell, the more graphics I buy, then the more things I create and the more stuff I sell!
     And fonts . . . well, that seems a little trickier to me.  I have purchased a huge set of 10,000 for $20 from Ultimatefontdownload.  It has some cool ones, but I have not yet found THE font for me.  I looked into others, but they appear to be about $10 each and I'm not prepared to pay that just yet. You can find some fonts available on TPT for good prices. I have a couple of free fonts in my shop, too.

    Well, that's an overview of the program(s) I use and the clipart I buy.  If you have any more questions, just ask away below and I will try to answer them!

     There's an apple icon to your right that says "Sell on TPT with me."  Here's what would happen if you click it:    TPT gets at least 15% of your sales.  I would get 5% of their share (not yours) for the first two years that you sell on TPT.  If you decide to sell on TPT, I would love it if you joined me!  And don't worry:  We have a very active sellers community on TPT.  Lots of people contribute to the seller's forum so there are many teachers to answer questions and offer advice.  I have learned a great deal from just reading and participating on the forum.

Thanks again for reading and I hope you found this helpful!
Tammy