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August 2012

Christopher MabbFrom: Dr Christopher Mabb, Scientific Word Ltd.
To: Our Scientific Word/WorkPlace/Notebook Technical Typesetting list

 

    Welcome to the August edition of our Technical mailing, with more up-to-date information and tips to ensure you get the most from Scientific Word/WorkPlace/Notebook:

 

  1. Licence server:    For the first time we can remember, there was an interruption in service from MacKichan's licence server. This was an issue for those of you needing to register a new system, start a 30-day trial or renew the 12-month home use licences at any of our University campus-wide licences. Attempts to register yielded the error message:
    Error500
    We prompted MacKichan Software to reboot the licence server - only to discover that it had burned up and was in the process of being rebuilt. Happily the new licence server is now up and running; do please try registering again if you've had problems. And please accept our apologies for the inconvenience.


  2. Importing from Excel:    We thought we'd bottomed this problem out with the Registry advice in our November 2010 mailing (Item 4). However, while doing a Training Course recently at a site in London using Office 2010, we found a similar problem when importing a graphic via the clipboard from Excel. The graphic, if copied across from Excel using Edit - Copy Picture - Appearance - As shown when printed, and then (in Scientific Word) Edit - Paste Special - Picture, would appear fine in Scientific Word's editing window but was not correctly shown in the Typeset - PreviewPDF. However, it did appear correctly when using Edit - Copy Picture - Appearance - As shown on screen - Bitmap. You can see the effect we're talking about here. We expect this tip will be of benefit to lots of our users who are using Scientific Word/WorkPlace in conjunction with Office 2010.


  3. Fantastic service?     We love to provide personal service that exceeds your expectations! For instance, we have access to all our Email correspondence well back into the last century. And so when one of our academic users Emailed to say:
    "I need to re-install my SciWord V 5.0 s/ware <snip> on a new laptop - but cant retrieve my serial no. from last email you sent me on this (has been archived by our IT Dept Here). Could you oblige by resending."
    it took us just minutes (OK, a couple of hours) to process the request, retrieve the information and re-send the original Email from several years before. We don't like to blow our own trumpet - but how many other companies regularly do the same?
    In fact, please let us have your best examples of fantastic service and/or awesome technical support from other suppliers - and we'll do our level best to exceed them! Plus - we're offering a free v6.0 upgrade for the best story received before our October mailing.


  4. Training Courses:     We have held the cost of our professional Scientific Word/WorkPlace Training Courses fixed for two or three years now. However, from 2013 there will be a significant increase in the price of our Standard Two-Day Course to £6400, with 33% Educational discount (where appropriate) to £4266. We will continue to offer new users a massive 75% discount for 6 months after purchasing the software (this offer available permanently to our Annual Maintenance Site Licensees), limited to small groups of 4: this reduces the price to £1600, with Educational discount to £1067.
    The Graduates' One-Day Course will increase to £4800, with Educational discount (where appropriate) to £3200; as above, this reduces to £1200 and £800 respectively for small groups of 4. To all prices, please add VAT. In the light of the travelling involved, we continue to accept bookings for Graduates' One-Day Courses back to back with another course: a Standard Two-Day Course or another Graduates' One-Day Course.
    Courses booked and paid for in 2012 will qualify for 2012 pricing, even if Training is taken in 2013.


  5. Geometry package:    It's one of the most useful packages ever! It very easily sets the margins for your document, and much more. Add the geometry package to your document (Typeset - Options and Packages - Package Options - Add - geometry - OK - OK) and then in Typeset - Preamble add a line saying something like:
    \geometry{left=1in,top=1.8in,bottom=1.2in}
    Alternatively you can use cm for centimetres rather than in for inches; if you don't specify the right and/or bottom margins, it will make them a mirror image of the left and/or top margins respectively. Why not download the sample file and click on Typeset - PreviewPDF. Then change the dimensions of the margins in the Typeset - Preamble, and make sure you get the desired result when typesetting. There are lots of options with the geometry package, available by clicking on Typeset - Options and Packages - Package Options - geometry - Modify. It's a fantastically useful little marvel!
    Our July 2011 mailing (Item 3 - second part) covers what to do if the package you require isn't available when you click on Typeset - Options and Packages - Package Options - Add, but you know the .sty file is available on your computer.


  6. Tell your friends...     about us, please. We would love you to! And to make it easier, there's a link to click below. Just enter their Email address, together with any personal message. We only receive your friends' details once they choose to take advantage of the free 30-day trial (available from the link they'll receive), so you won't be compromising their privacy in any way. Go ahead - click the link...

     


    Thanks again for being part of our technical word-processing family. We Email every couple of months; please just let us know if you no longer wish to remain on our mailing list. More news and tips coming up in our October mailing.
 
Cheers,

Christopher
--
Christopher Mabb, Scientific Word Ltd., UK
Tel: +44 (0)845 766 0340; Fax: +44 (0)845 603 9443
Email: christopher@sciword.co.uk
Web: https://www.sciword.co.uk/