Modified:
Feb 21, 2023
Created:
Mar 25, 2007
Views:
8140
Author:
JH

Using Templates to order and deliver Print Packages

Using a special template to handle your packages is an easy and flexible solution for a wide range of package types.  Simply design a template big enough to fit in all of the sizes (eg.  6-5x7's and 4-4x5's), save it and add it as a new Layout Order to your price list at the "package" price in the Price List Setup (under Orders menu).  

When the client wishes to purchase this package, you can select the template (when in "Working with Layouts", "Thumbnail View") and double-click on it to add it to the album file. You can then drag images into the layout (see section below for useful shortcuts) then order it!

As a side benefit, if you are using ProSelect Pro, the Hi-Res Production module will generate the proper number of correctly sized images ready to send to the lab.  Depending on how you have setup your "packages" template you may not even need to duplicate multiple orders for the same images.

To add some extra pizazz to this, you can use an overlay image on your template to provide visual clues for both you and your client as well as extra items. As an example, see this QuickTip movie:  Setting up Packages using Templates.  The template and original layered Photoshop file used in this movie can be freely downloaded from our ProSelect Resources page. See the notes below on how to edit this file for your own purposes.

Useful shortcuts when using a Packages Template

  1. If your "Package" is for multiple copies of the SAME image, then you can hold the Shift key down when you are dropping an image into a template opening. The image will be automatically added into all openings at the same time!
     
  2. Likewise, in Cropping View, holding the Shift key down while dragging or using the Crop In/Out buttons will apply the same changes to all images in the Layout.

  3. If your package template is arranged with portrait orientated openings and you wish to add a landscape image, you can hold the Alt/Option key down when you drag and drop the image into the layout causing the image to be automatically orientated to match the opening (only in ProSelect 2015r2 or later).

Modifying the Sample Packages Template

The "Packages Template" sample on our ProSelect Resources page includes both the ProSelect template and the original layered Photoshop file so you can easily modify it for your needs.  After importing the Collection, the steps to do this are as follows:

  1. Open the Template Manager (under Templates menu in ProSelect).
  2. Choose the new "Packages" Category and the "Senior" Group. You should see the "Level 2 package" listed in the templates column.
  3. Select this template and click the Edit Templates button on the right to open the Template Editor.
  4. Click the Magnifying Glass icon next to the Overlay images file name ("Level 2 Package Layout_C1.png" in this case) to open the Resources window. The image should be already selected and shown on the right hand side.
  5. Click the Edit PSD in Photoshop button to open the original Photoshop file. 
  6. Make your changes to the file (see the QuickTip Movie referred to above) and save it back over the top of the original file.
  7. Click the Update PNG from PSD button to reload the updated file back into ProSelect. You should see your changes reflected in the preview image.
  8. Make sure this file is still selected and click the Select button to close this window.
  9. If you have changed or re-arranged the openings in the template you will need to adjust the positions of the opening in your template to match.
  10. When done, save the template and you can start using it.

Other Packages Information

For other options for working with packages in ProSelect:


KnowledgeBase Article: Using Templates to order and deliver Print Packages