FAQs

Look here for answers to common questions. Note that these questions apply to all versions of Comic Book Creator and Storybook Creator, except as noted.
General Questions

1. How can I activate Comic Book Creator if my computer is not connected to the Internet?
If you cannot activate Comic Book Creator, call us at (800) 560-2993 or (949) 421-0488 between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM (PST), Monday through Friday. Make sure you have Comic Book Creator running in demo mode when you call, and have your CD Key ready.

2. Why am I getting "Error 2 when I try to activate Comic Book Creator?
"Error 2" means that your PC is not communicating with the Planetwide authentication servers. To solve this problem:

• Make sure that you have full Internet access on your computer because the software has to connect to our servers to authenticate your activation code.
• Make sure that you are not behind a firewall or proxy server, or have any programs blocking access to our authentication servers.
• Make sure that you have full administrative rights on your computer.

3. Why won't Comic Book Creator let me print or publish?
If Printing and Publishing are disabled in the File menu, you need to activate Comic Book Creator. Click Help, About Comic Book Creator, and click the Activate Product button. Contact Customer Service if you have further questions.

4. What types of files can be used in Comic Book Creator?
Comic Book Creator works with most standard file types, such as JPEG, BMP, PNG, and TIF image files; MP3, WAV, and WMA audio files; and animated GIFs. Comic Book Creator also accepts screenshots and videos from PC video games and DVDs, including those taken with Fraps. In addition to these file types, Comic Book Creator 2 works with AVI, MPG, MPEG, and WMV video files.

5. Why can I edit some balloons and not others?
There are two types of balloons in Comic Book Creator--Line (or vector) Balloons and Picture (or bitmap) Balloons. Each has its benefits.

• Line Balloons are drawn by the computer and are editable. You can move the tail of the balloon, or add a complement balloon.
• Picture Balloons are not drawn but are pasted the way clip art is added to a page. Because the balloon is an image, it can have more design features, such as ice, flames, etc., but its tail is not modifiable, and you can't add a complement balloon.
• You can tell the types of balloons apart in the Resource Browser by the icon in the lower left-hand corner of the thumbnail of the balloon. The multicolor shape icon designates Line Balloons. The blue camera icon designates Picture Balloons.

6. What file types can be output by Comic Book Creator?
You can output your comic book file as a PDF, JPEG, BMP, PNG, TIFF, EPS (level 2), or HTML file. You can even zip your files to make sharing them easier!

7. Can I publish and sell my comic book?
Comic books you create with your own artwork can be published and sold. Comic books and other products such as posters, advertisements, etc. created with licensed art cannot be reproduced for sale or distribution due to licensing guidelines.

8. How large a comic book can I make with Comic Book Creator?
There is no limit to the number of pages a single comic book can be.

9. Do I need a powerful PC so that I can run Comic Book Creator and a video game simultaneously, to take screenshots and capture real-time video?
The more memory you have on your PC, the better the program will run. Since you will be manipulating graphics, memory is the key to performance.

10. Can I use my own digital media in Comic Book Creator?
Absolutely!

11. What can I do if I get an error message when I try to publish my comic?
You may need to install a newer version of PDF Writer and Ghostscript to solve this problem. Go to Add/Remove Programs in your Control Panel and uninstall PDF Writer and Ghostscript. Then download the updates from the following links:
Ghostscript.zip
PDFWriter.zip

12. What can I do if I try to type in a word balloon, and the cursor moves, but no text appears?
Sometimes Windows needs to restart when new fonts are installed. If you haven’t done so since you installed Comic Book Creator, try restarting Windows and your problem should be resolved.

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Installation Questions

1. Do I have to be an administrator to install Comic Book Creator?
Yes. Since Comic Book Creator installs files into the Windows system directory, you need to have administrator privileges to do so.

2. Why should I install PD Particles™, Audacity™, and Fraps?
(Note: Comic Book Creator and Storybook Creator have different configurations and may have some or all of these programs.) PD Particles, Audacity, and Fraps are optional free software, included to enable you to edit your digital art and audio files, and take screenshots and real-time video from PC video games. PD Particles is a versatile graphics program that allows you to edit photos, sketch, draw, and create animations. Audacity allows you to edit audio files, whether they are pre-recorded audio files or files you record yourself. Fraps enables you to take screenshots with the push of a button, and to capture real-time video on your PC.

3. Is Comic Book Creator Vista-compatible?
Comic Book Creator 2 is Vista-compatible.

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