Main Help Index

PAPERMAN 1.4S

Drag and Drop Image Compression

and the Ultimate Wallpaper Utility

©copyright 1994, SJHDesign

Paperman Help Index

Quick Start

System Menu Commands

The OPTIONS Dialog

View Window Commands

Image File Formats


Paperman Quick Start

This section is for those who don't want to read all the documentation and help files. The bare-bones essentials and general information that you need to use Paperman are here.

How To:

Load and Compress Your Wallpaper Bitmaps

Batch Compress your .bmp, .pcx, .tga and .tif images

Use Paperman as an image viewer

Convert Images to other formats

Supported File Types

Paperman can load files of the following types for viewing, compression or use as desktop wallpaper:

.BMP - Windows 3.x bitmap(Windows 3.x, OS/2 RLE types)

.PCX - Zsoft PC Paintbrush, Windows Paintbrush

.GIF - Compuserve(non-interlaced only)

.TGA - Targa Truevision

.TIF - Aldus-Microsoft(standard,compressed, group III and IV fax)

.JPG - JPEG compressed format

.WPG - Wordperfect Graphics Format

.PCT - Mac Pict format

.WMF - Windows Metafile Format

Paperman can save images in the following file formats:

.BMP - Windows 3.x only

.GIF - non-interlaced 89A only

.TIF - compressed only

.JPG - JPEG compressed format

(For more information on the various file formats, see Image File Formats)

Paperman Hotkeys

Paperman has four hotkeys that can speed things up for you:

Alt O - brings up the OPTIONS dialog. This dialog contains button boxes to set preferences like program mode, wallpaper style, the type of compressed file to convert your .BMP, .PCX, .TGA or uncompressed .TIF images to, whether to delete the original image after writing the compressed file, the degree of compression to use in writing JPEG files and other important program variables. If you don't read anything else, please read THE OPTIONS DIALOG section of INSTALL.TXT, an ASCII file included in this archive, or click on The Options Dialog for more information.

Alt N - loads the next image file in the Image Directory. If the program is in View mode, the image is loaded in a View window. If in Wallpaper Mode, the image is loaded as wallpaper. If the current mode is Compress Mode, Paperman loads the next non-compressed image. If you have all the images you want to view, load as wallpaper or compress in one directory,  you can specify that directory in the IMAGE DIRECTORY box of the OPTIONS DIALOG. Once you do that, you can use this hotkey to run a 'poor man's slideshow' and hotkey through all the images in the directory.

F1 - brings up this Help file

Alt F4 - closes the program

Operating Modes

Paperman has three operating modes. The operating mode can be chosen in the PROGRAM MODE section of the options dialog.

Wallpaper mode when in this mode, the program will load any image you drag and drop on it as Desktop Wallpaper. Unlike Control Panel, which only accepts .BMP files, you can load .GIF, .TIF, .PCX, .JPG and .TGA images as wallpaper. If the REPLACE ORIGINAL WITH COMPRESSED IMAGE box is checked in the options dialog, any .bmp, .pcx, uncompressed .tif or .tga image will also be replaced with a compressed file of the type chosen in Compression Options section of the options dialog.

View mode allows you to drag and drop any image in the above formats and have it loaded in its own view window. For details about the commands available in the view window, see View Window Commands.

Compress mode takes any non-compressed image you drag to the Paperman icon and converts it to the compressed format specified in the Compression Options section of the options dialog. Non compressed types include .BMP, .TGA, uncompressed .TIF or .PCX. If a compressed(compressed .TIF, .JPG, or .GIF) image is dragged to the Paperman Icon while the program is in this mode, it will not be loaded. Multiple files can be dragged and dropped in this mode.

NOTE: if you drag a .gif, .tif or .jpg file to the PAPERMAN icon while the  program is in this mode, a dialog will pop up telling you the file is already compressed. If you want to change the file format of a .gif, .tif or .jpg image, change the program mode(in the OPTIONS dialog) to VIEW, load the file and use the SAVE AS command to save the file to the desired format. When you hotkey through your image directory using the ALT N  hotkey, if the program is in COMPRESS mode and the next file is a .tif, .gif or .jpg image, the program will automatically skip to the next uncompressed file.


Loading and Compressing Wallpaper Bitmaps

If you have a directory full of large .BMP files that you use for wallpaper, you can compress them into smaller .gif, .jpg or compressed .tif files which Paperman can use for wallpaper. Load PAPERMAN, hit Alt O (or click on the Paperman Icon and choose Options from the menu) to open the OPTIONS dialog and :

1)In the PROGRAM MODE box, click on WALLPAPER.

2)Set the IMAGE DIRECTORY to the directory with your bitmaps.

3)Check the REPLACE ORIGINAL WITH COMPRESSED IMAGE box.

4)Choose COMPRESSED TIFF(for the purposes of this example only- you can also choose GIF or JPG) in the COMPRESSION TYPE box and hit enter to close the dialog and save your new settings.

5)Now just hit ALT N to load each file in succession and hit OK each time you are asked to confirm the deletion of the original bitmap file. After you go through all of the bitmaps in this directory, you will be left with a directory full of compressed .tif files that use 30-50% less disk space than your old .bmp files! But the best part is that Paperman can still use them for wallpaper or you can easily convert them back to .bmp format if needed(See Coverting Images to .BMP Format). You can also drag individual files down to the Paperman Icon and load and compress them as described above.


Batch Compressing Bitmaps

This is for those who want to compress their .bmp, .pcx, .tga or uncompressed .tif files and do it FAST. Simply open the OPTIONS dialog(click on options in the Paperman Icon's system menu or use the Alt O hotkey) and:

1)Set the PROGRAM MODE to COMPRESS.

2)Choose GIF in the COMPRESSION TYPE box and hit enter to close the dialog.

3)Press enter to close the dialog and save your new settings.

Now, any uncompressed file that you drag to the Paperman icon is automatically converted to the compressed file type you picked in the COMPRESSION TYPE box in the OPTIONS dialog. Files can be dragged down individually or in groups. You can also hotkey (Alt-N) through the directory specified in the IMAGE DIRECTORY box and each time Paperman encounters an uncompressed image, it will compress it. Either way, you can convert a whole directory of images in a fraction of the time it would take with a conventional image conversion program.

NOTE: if you drag a .gif, .tif or .jpg file to the PAPERMAN icon while the  program is in this mode, a dialog will pop up telling you the file is already compressed. If you want to change the file format of a .gif, .tif or .jpg image, change the program mode(in the OPTIONS dialog) to VIEW, load the file and use the SAVE AS command to save the file to the desired format. When you hotkey through your image directory using the ALT N  hotkey, if the program is in COMPRESS mode and the next file is a .tif, .gif or .jpg image, the program will automatically skip to the next uncompressed file.


Using Paperman as an Image Viewer

This one's easy: just hit ALT O to open the OPTIONS dialog, choose VIEW in the PROGRAM MODE box and you are ready to drag files one at a time to the Paperman Icon to be loaded in a view window. With the ALT N (Load Next Image) hotkey, you can hotkey through all of the images in your IMAGE DIRECTORY, also set using the OPTIONS dialog. Any image in a view window can be saved in .bmp, .gif, compressed .tif or .jpg format. using the SAVE AS menu command. For information on other menu options available in the view window, see View Window Commands.


Convert Images to other formats
Converting Images to other formats

If the program is not already in VIEW mode, hit ALT O to open the OPTIONS dialog and choose VIEW in the PROGRAM MODE box. Any image can be converted to .bmp format by dragging files one at a time to the Paperman Icon, which will load them in a view window. Choose the SAVE AS command from the FILE menu and you will get a standard Save As dialog which you can use to save the current image in .BMP, .compressed .TIF, .GIF or .JPG format.


System Menu Commands

Clicking on the Paperman Icon brings up the System Menu. Along with the usual MOVE, CLOSE and SWITCH TO commands, Paperman has these commands added to its System Menu:

  OPTIONS (hotkey : Alt O)

Use this dialog box to set Paperman's global options.

  CLIPBOARD

If the Clipboard contains a bitmap or DIB, it will be loaded in a view window where it can be saved, compressed or used as wallpaper.

  UNLOAD WALLPAPER

This choice clears the current desktop wallpaper

  LOAD NEXT IMAGE(hotkey : Alt N)

  HELP(Hotkey F1)

You know about this already...

  ABOUT

And now, a word from our sponsor...


The OPTIONS Menu
The Options Dialog

Program Mode - Use this to choose one of three operating modes:

WALLPAPER - when in this mode, the program will load any image you drag and drop on it as Desktop Wallpaper. Unlike Control Panel, which only accepts .BMP files, you can load .GIF, .TIF, .PCX, .JPG, .TGA and .WPG images as wallpaper. Only one image can be loaded at a time.

VIEW - this mode allows you to drag and drop any image in the supported formats and have it loaded in its own View Window. Only one View Window can be be open at any time. For details on available commands in this mode, seeView Window Commands.

COMPRESS - takes any image you drag to the Paperman icon and converts it to the compressed format specified in the Compression Options section of this dialog box. Multiple files can be dragged and dropped in this mode.

Image Directory - this is the directory where you store the images you will use with Paperman. You can view or compress the images in this directory or load them as wallpaper one at a time using the Alt N (Load Next Image) hotkey, similar to a slideshow.

Paper Style - for choosing wallpaper style, TILED or CENTERED.

Delete Temporary Bitmaps - if Paperman is in Wallpaper mode and you load a non-.BMP file for wallpaper, a temporary file with the original file's name and a .BMP extension is created. If you want to save this bitmap for any reason, clear this check box. Normally, the program will delete it when it is no longer needed.

Reduce 24 bit Images to 8 bit - checking this box will speed up loading and saving 24 bit(16.7 million color) images if you are using a 256 color video driver.

Replace Original With Compressed Image - this option allows you to replace your uncompressed(.bmp, .pcx, and .tga) images with compressed ones. The way this works depends on the program mode you have selected. In WALLPAPER mode, if you load an image in one of the above formats as wallpaper, a dialog will notify you that a compressed file has been written to replace the original and you have the option to either confirm or cancel the deletion of the original. In COMPRESS mode, dragging a file in one of the above formats to the Paperman Icon will bring up the confirmation dialog. In VIEW mode, the Replace option becomes active when you choose the COMPRESS menu choice from the View Window menu, regardless of whether this dialog item is checked. In all cases, the new compressed file is written to the same directory as the original. It will also have the same name as the original, but the extension will depend on the file type chosen in the Compression Type option(described below). For example: Paperman is in Wallpaper mode with the REPLACE ORIGINAL WITH COMPRESSED IMAGE option enabled. In the COMPRESSION TYPE section, GIF is chosen as the file type. You drag the file TEST.BMP to the Paperman Icon. Before loading the file as wallpaper a dialog appears giving you the name of the original file (TEST.BMP) and asking you to either confirm or cancel it's deletion. If you choose OK, the original(TEST.BMP) is deleted when the next file is loaded and you are left with a compressed image (TEST.GIF). Once you make your choice, TEST.BMP is loaded as wallpaper.

Compression Type - this option allows you to choose the file type used when Paperman compresses your uncompressed images in the manner described above. Available types are .GIF, compressed .TIF and .JPG.


View Window Commands

File Menu

OPEN - pops up a load box to open a file in any of Paperman's supported formats, which are:

.BMP - Windows 3.x bitmap(all compression types)

.PCX - Zsoft PC Paintbrush, Windows Paintbrush

.GIF - Compuserve(non-interlaced only)

.TGA - Targa Truevision

.TIF - Aldus-Microsoft(standard,compressed, group III and IV fax)

.JPG - JPEG compressed format

.WPG - Wordperfect Graphics Format

.PCT - Mac Pict format

.WMF - Windows Metafile Format

SAVE AS - saves the current image in a file format you choose. Available formats for saving files are:

.BMP - Windows 3.x only

.GIF - non-interlaced 89A only

.TIF - compressed only

.JPG - JPEG compressed format

(For details about the various file formats, see Image file Formats)

PRINT - The print dialog will appear, allowing you to choose the scale the current image will be printed at as well as the number of copies.

PRINTER SETUP - gives you the standard Windows 3.1 printer configuration dialog.

FILE INFO - pops up a dialog box giving you an image's vital statistics.

Paper Menu (no subcommands)

Clicking on this or keying in ALT P loads the current image as wallpaper.

Compress Menu (no subcommands)

Clicking on this or keying in ALT C writes the current image in the compressed format specified in the Compression Type section of the options dialog. Only available for .bmp, .pcx and .tga files.


Image File Formats

Paperman can work with the following formats and palette types:

BMP - Windows 3.x, compressed(RLE), OS/2, all palette types

PCX - all palette types

GIF - interlaced, non-interlaced, 16 and 256 colors

TIF - compressed, uncompressed, all palette types, Group III and IV fax

TGA - all palette and compression types

JPG - all palette and compression types

WPG -  16 and 256 color only

WMF - all palette types

PCT - all palette types

Here are a few things to remember when moving images between file types:

- GIF files can only contain 16 or 256 color palettes. You can't save a monochrome(2 bit) or 24 bit image in gif format.

- When working with 24 bit(16.7 million color) images there are a few things you should keep in mind: if you are running Windows with a 256 color driver, Paperman will dither 24 bit images down to 256 colors to speed loading and display. If you enable the REDUCE 24 BIT IMAGES TO 8 BIT option(contained in the options dialog, the 24 bit image will be saved with a 256 color palette. This option is recommended for those using 256 color video drivers, as saving true 24 bit images in 256 color video mode often yields poor results.

- While JPEG files attain very high rates of compression, some image quality is usually lost.  Due to their high degree of compression, JPEG files load and save very SLOWLY. If you plan on working with images in this format, it is recommended that you have a 50mhz 486 processor with at least 8 megs of RAM and a 24 bit(True Color) Video card or you will be spending a lot of time looking at the hourglass.

- While Paperman will load any type of tiff file you will encounter, it will only save tiff images in compressed form. While most commercial image and DTP programs support the compressed tiff format, many shareware image programs do not. Paperman fully complies with the latest tiff specification- certain shareware programs that don't will give you a message like 'Illegal or Damaged tiff file'if they encounter a tifF format that they don't recognize.

- WPG files often contain bitmapped data along with formatted text. Paperman will load the bitmapped data portion only.

NOTE:If you try to save a file in an unsuitable format(for example, attempting to save a 2 color image to the .GIF format), the program will pop up a dialog box informing you of this and cancel the operation.