EspressoID FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
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- Can I move EspressoID to another computer?
The best way to move EspressoID to a new computer is to create a backup file on
the old computer before activating on the new computer. Then after you activate
on the new computer you can restore the backup file from the old computer.
Please note, if you have a lot of card holders the backup file might be quite large.
You’ll need some way of transferring the file to the new computer. Most people transfer
it across a network but you can certainly burn a CD with the data on it or use a
USB flash drive.
If you don’t have a backup file from EspressoID you will need to manually move all
the data to the new computer. If the old computer was running Windows XP you will
need to navigate to:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\EspressoID\Data
That means when you have My Computer open you look for the C drive (often called
Local Disk) and double-click it to open it.
Then double-click Documents and Settings
Then double-click All Users
Then double-click Application Data
Note: On most systems the Application Data folder will be a hidden folder. If you
have access to the address bar you can add “application data” to the end of the
path there and hit enter and it will open up the folder anyway. Otherwise you will
need to change a Windows setting to show hidden folders. In the Windows Explorer
you select the Tools menu then Folder Options. Then select the View tab and select
“Show hidden files and folders”. Click OK and the folder will be visible.
Then double-click EspressoID
Once you’ve found the Data folder you should copy the entire folder to the new computer
and put it in the same place you found it on the old computer. That’s assuming the
new computer is running the same version of Windows.
If the computer runs Windows Vista the files will be found in a different location
because Microsoft moved where application files are stored. On Windows Vista the
folder should be at “C:\ProgramData\EspressoID\Data”.
- Can I use EspressoID on more than one computer?
Yes, it requires a separate license for each computer. The backup files are portable
between computers but can be protected by a password if desired.
- Can I use EspressoID to print on 8-1/2 x 11 plain paper or
card stock?
Using 8-up printing you can put 8 credit card sized cards on one page. This is really
intended for perforated 8-up Teslin sheets but you can certainly print onto normal
8-1/2 by 11 paper if you want to.
You can select multiple card holders by clicking on them while holding the CTRL
key down or you can select an entire range of card holders by clicking the first
one you want then hold down the Shift key and click the last row you want to select.
Once you have them all selected you can select Print 8-Up from the Template menu.
If your current card template isn’t credit card sized then you’ll need to make a
new template before printing the 8-up cards. Just create a new card template and
set the card type to Credit Card Teslin. Build the card template to look like you
want. After selecting the card holders you want to print you can assign the card
template to them all at once. This will replace the current template assignment
so you might have to go back and adjust them later.
If you would like to print more than 8 on each page then there is one more option,
Cardholder List printing. Cardholder List printing will give you six columns and
six rows on one page. To make a Cardholder List print you create a new card template
and set the card type to Cardholder List 36-up, select portrait or landscape mode
and build your card as you normally would except that it’s a very small card – just
1 inch by 1.4 inch. Once you have the card built you switch to tab 3 and select
the card holders you want to print then select Print Cardholder List from the Template
menu. In the printing wizard you can select a few options like how sort the prints
and what text to put at the top of each page. Then, if you have multiple Cardholder
List templates you can pick which one you want to use for the print. Finally you
get to select which fields to use to sort the data.
- How do I save my changes?
EspressoID automatically saves all changes to card design and card holder data.
However, we recommend that you perform regular backups and store them on an independent
system or drive.
- How do I backup my data?
We recommend that you perform regular backups and store them on an independent system
or drive. In the Import/Export menu select "Back up Card Holders", select a location
to save the backup file and click Save.
- How do passwords work?
From the File menu select Options then select
the Password tab. There are two types of passwords, their use is
described in the Options form.
- How do I add a mag-stripe to my card design?
When in tab 2, from the Template menu select Properties. If you select a Teslin
type card then the mag-stripe won’t show up since there are no teslin sheets with
mag-stripes. At the bottom of the card properties form you will find a checkbox
to enable the mag-stripe. There is also a drop down box where you pick the printer
type. If your printer brand is not listed then we don’t currently support mag-stripe
printing for that brand. If that’s the case, please email us to let us know which
printer you have so can determine which printers we need to support. The Mag-Stripe
will appear on the back of the card per the ABA/IATA Specifications.
Once you have the mag-stripe visible on the card (always the back of the card so
make sure the back is visible) you can drag text fields to the back of the card.
Then right-click on the text field and you’ll have the option to move it to the
different tracks on the mag-stripe. You can right click on the fields once they
are on the mag-stripe to move them between tracks or to take them off of the mag-stripe.
Note: The trial version of EspressoID does have mag-stripe support.
- How do I select a rectangle I added to my card design?
If the rectangle is not filled with a color you must left-click on the border of
the rectangle to select it. If it is filled with a color then you can left-click
anywhere on the rectangle.
- How do I change the printer I am using?
To change the default printer for all programs:
If you’re running Windows XP you can follow
this step by step tutorial.
If you’re running Windows Vista then use
this method.
To change the printer used for a template in EspressoID:
Go to tab 2.
Select the template you want to modify using the Template drop down box
From the Template menu at the top of the program select Printer Settings
If Printer Settings isn’t in the menu select Page Settings then click the Printer
button
From the form that pops up you should be able to change the printer for that template
to your desired printer. Click OK to save the change to the template.
- How can I move EspressoID to another computer?
The best way to move it isn’t too hard. We tried to make it as easy as possible.
Backup EspressoID on the old computer (found in the Import/Export menu).
Copy the backup file to the new computer.
Install EspressoID on the new computer.
Activate EspressoID on the new computer.
Restore the backup from the old computer (also found in the Import/Export menu).
Verify that your data is all there.
Uninstall EspressoID from the old computer using the icon in the start menu or use
“Add or Remove Programs” in the Control Panel.
Optionally, delete data from the old computer by removing the folder found at:
In Windows XP : C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\EspressoID
In Windows Vista: C:\ProgramData\EspressoID\Data
You shouldn’t have any trouble at all.
- How do I import data into EspressoID?
You can import a csv file into EspressoID. EspressoID’s import feature requires
the first line of the csv file to contain the field names. The names for fields
you want to import must exactly match the variable field names in EspressoID. You
don’t have to import all of the fields so every field in EspressoID doesn’t have
to appear in the csv. Likewise every field in the csv doesn’t have to appear in
EspressoID, just the ones you actually want imported. The field names in the first
line of the csv file should not have quotes around them.
Once you have the csv file prepared you can use EspressoID’s Import/Export ->
Import Card Holders feature to pull the data into EspressoID.
The csv file should look something like this:
First Name,Last Name,Title,Email Address
Jerry,Seinfeld,Commedian,js@example.com
George,Costanza,Side Kick,gc@example.com
Cosmo,Kramer,Neighbor,k@example.com
Elaine,Bennis,Ex-Girlfriend,eb@example.com
If you have image files for each card holder you can assign them manually in EspressoID
by selecting the card holder in tab 3 and browsing to their picture.
If you want to somewhat streamline the process you can do some more preparation
on the csv file prior to importing it into EspressoID. EspressoID supports importing
the pictures at the same time as the data. In order to do that you will need to
set up one of the fields in the import file to contain the name of the picture file.
Then csv file might look something like this:
First Name,Last Name,Title,Email Address,Photograph
Jerry,Seinfeld,Commedian,js@example.com,jseinfeld.jpg
George,Costanza,Side Kick,gc@example.com,george_costanza.jpg
Cosmo,Kramer,Neighbor,k@example.com,cosmo.jpg
Elaine,Bennis,Ex-Girlfriend,eb@example.com,
The image files must be in the same folder as the csv file for EspressoID to import
them
- I am not able to run EspressoID because I am getting .NET
Framework errors. What should I do?
Normally the EspressoID installer should direct you to the .NET Framework download
page, I’m not sure why it’s not doing that on your computer.
Go here:
Microsoft's .Net Framework 1.1 Download
Click the download button. When another form pops up click the Run button. When
it’s done downloading it will probably warn you about installing things off the
internet but it’s OK in this case since it’s from Microsoft’s site. Proceed with
the installation and when it’s done you can run EspressoID.
Make sure, after you have EspressoID running, that you go to the Help menu and run
Check for Updates. That will download the latest version of our software so you’ll
have all the new features we’ve added recently.
- I already have a license for EspressoID 1.0 or EspressoID
Mocha, how do I upgrade to the new version?
Please contact
for more information. You will need to provide your name, business name and original
serial number in the email request.
- I already own EspressoID Mocha, will I lose features by upgrading
to the new version?
No, the new version of EspressoID includes all the features previously only available
in EspressoID Mocha.
- I am not able to register and activate EspressoID. What should
I do?
Most customer’s computers are able to communicate with our server properly so there
must be something different about your computer configuration. It’s difficult for
me to know why that would be since there are multiple possibilities.
The most common reason for this kind of problem is a proxy server on your network.
Many corporate or school networks have very restrictive proxy servers and sometimes
they won’t let our software communicate through them. EspressoID normally picks
up the proxy settings from Internet Explorer but some proxy servers require authentication
for each request, in those cases you have to fill in your proxy user id and password
in our options form. Under the File menu you’ll find Options. On the Proxy tab you
can put in the address of your proxy server, your user ID and password.
Another possibility is a content filter on your network. Corporate or school networks
often filter the sites you are allowed to visit. It is not sufficient to verify
that you can browse our web site because the activations don’t happen through that
web server. We have an activation specific server located
here. Verify that you can browse to that link. If you go there and get a
web page titled “EspressoID Licensing Activation Server” then it likely isn’t a
content filter blocking our site.
Talk to your IT department about whether or not a proxy server or content filter
might prevent you from accessing our server.
- I am having problems with my EspressoID recognizing my TWAIN
compatible camera. What can I do?
Many TWAIN problems are caused by incorrect TWAIN library installation. Fortunately
the most common installation problem can be corrected fairly easily.
The first thing to do is to verify that there is only one copy of the TWAIN libraries
on your computer.
In Windows XP:
Close EspressoID if it’s open.
Click the Start button, click Search.
Click All Files and Folders
In the “All or part of the file name” type:
twain
Click the drop down arrow under “Look in”
Select the bottom option “Browse…”
Navigate to your Windows folder
Expand My Computer (by clicking on the + sign)
Expand C: drive
Scroll down and select Windows and click OK
Click the Search button
It might take a while to search the drive. When it’s done you will be presented
with a list of files.
In the “Name” column you should look for the file TWAIN.DLL and TWAIN_32.DLL. Next
to them in the “In Folder” column it should say “C:\Windows”. It should not say
“C:\Windows\System32”. If any of the entries for TWAIN.DLL or TWAIN_32.DLL have
“C:\Windows\System32” listed as the folder then right-click on the file name and
select “Rename” from the popup menu. Add “.OLD” to the file name so it will become
TWAIN.DLL.OLD or TWAIN_32.DLL.OLD.
Now in the left column click “Change file name or keywords”.
In the text box change twain to twunk
Click the Search button again
You should find files named TWUNK_16.EXE and TWUNK_32.EXE in the list. As with the
other files the “In Folder” column should say “C:\Windows\” not “C:\Windows\System32”.
If there is a TWUNK_16.EXE or TWUNK_32.EXE file listed in the “C:\Windows\System32”
folder you should right click on the file name and select “Rename” from the popup
menu. Add “.OLD” to the end of the file name.
Now open EspressoID and try to acquire an image from your camera.
If these files are in the wrong location on your computer it is due to your camera
driver or other software installing the file in the wrong place. EspressoID does
not install any TWAIN or TWUNK files on your computer.
- I have a proxy server, how do I register my software?
The proxy settings are in the Options form. You can open the Options form by clicking
the File menu and selecting Options then select the Proxy tab.
You may need to contact your network administrator for further assistance with the
proxy settings.
- I tried to activate my software and I get a message stating
the connection was dropped?
The proxy settings are in the Options form. You can open the Options form by clicking
the File menu and selecting Options then select the Proxy tab.
You may need to contact your network administrator for further assistance with the
proxy settings.
- What image formats does EspressoID support?
EspressoID supports jpg, bmp, png, gif, tiff, wmf and emf files.
- What type of database does EspressoID use?
EspressoID uses a proprietary encrypted data format to protect you confidential
user data against theft. If you need to transfer your data to another program EspressoID
can export your data to a comma separated file supported by many programs.
- What happened to the school specific features like Eagle
and SASI export?
From the File menu select Options then select
the Features tab. Check the Show School Specific Features check
box. Enable the school specific features under the File menu Options form. Those
features include exporting to SASI and Eagle school database formats. Then in the
Import/Export menu select “Export to Eagle/Aeries using ID”. Select which card holders
you want to export, hit OK, select a single unique field name to use for the file
name and hit OK. It will save a text file with the limited info used by schools
as well as all the images in a subfolder named EIDData. If you don’t have a unique
field to use for naming the pictures you can use “Export to Eagle/Aeries” which
will give them sequential file names like EID0001.jpg, EID0002.jpg. Both of these
methods will export a file with the image cropped like it is in EspressoID.
If that isn’t what you want then you can get to EspressoID’s images directly by
pulling them out of the data folder. Be careful when working in the data folder.
If you change things in the data folders you could cause problems with how EspressoID
runs and we don’t provide support for problems caused by changing files in the data
folders. As long as you limit yourself to copying pictures you should be fine. The
folder that contains the pictures is found at “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\EspressoID\Data\Pictures”. These are the original uncropped pictures.
- Where do I find a Quick Start Guide?
You can find quick start under the Start Menu in the EspressoID folder. It will
provide a quick overview of what each tab is for. Also, try moving your mouse around
the screen and notice that the goldenrod colored area at the bottom of the screen
will change. Down there is where you find some help text for whatever you hover
the mouse over. Most common questions should be answered just by reading those help
messages.
The first tab is for setting up the general fields you want on your cards. The Static
Fields list contains the list of fields that will remain the same between cards.
The most common of these is Company/School Name and Background image. Since the
company or school name is likely to show up on every card you print this is where
you create the field. Once you’ve added the fields you want you can click on them
in that list and you will be given the opportunity to tell EspressoID what data
they should contain (over on the right side of the screen). Click on Company Name
and on the right half of EspressoID will turn into a text box where you can type
your company name.
The Variable Fields list contains the names for data that will be different for
each card. This list should contain things like First Name, Last Name or Student
ID. Some people make the mistake of putting the data in that list rather than putting
in the name of the field. For instance, they’ll put “Bob Smith” in the list but
all that does is create a field named Bob Smith, it doesn’t create a card for a
person named Bob Smith. The data for Variable Fields will be filled in on the third
tab labeled Enter Data and Print.
The second tab is where you build your card. On that tab you click and drag fields
from the lists on the left onto a card background. This tab is where you can select
to make the card portrait or landscape oriented. You can select that option when
you initially create the card or from the Template menu you can select Properties
and change it there. There are other interesting properties you might want to look
at there too. Position the fields as needed for your design then switch to tab 3
where you will create records for each of your card holders.
It’s on tab 3 where you fill in the data for the Variable Fields. Here is where
you would fill in the First Name field with “Bob” and the Last Name field with “Smith”.
There are buttons on that tab for creating a new card holder or deleting one you
no longer need. The first thing you should do when you create a new card holder
is select the card template that applies to that person. When a school uses our
software they often have quite a few templates, one for each grade level and one
or more for the staff. After selecting the template you should see the data appear
on the card as you fill out each of the variable fields. You can use the buttons
in the upper right to show just the front of the card (F), just the back of the
card (B) or both (FB). The side that is showing is the side that will be printed
when you click the print button.
Notice that there is also a search feature at the lower left of the third tab. This
is typically the quickest way to find a card holder. It searches all text fields
for the data you enter in the search box. Next to the find button is a button you
can use to expand the data sheet to the full width if you want to be able to see
all the fields at once. Use the Filter By drop down at the upper left to show only
the card holders that have a particular template assigned or have other characteristics
like card holders without photos or cards that haven’t been printed.
- Why are my cards are printing oversize.
This issue is typically related to the overbleed setting on templates. If overbleed
is turned on the background image will print slightly larger than the card dimensions
in order to avoid leaving a white border around the card since printer alignment
is never exact. It sounds like one of your cards has overbleed turned on.
Switch to tab 2 and select the troublesome card in the dropdown. From the Templates
menu select Properties. On the left side you will find “Overbleed on Print”. I’m
guessing it will be checked for that template but unchecked for the other templates.
While you’re looking in the template properties you can take the time to verify
that all 4 card templates are using the exact same card type. Since we support different
card sizes I want to make sure you didn’t mistakenly select an incorrect card type
for that one card which would cause it to print a different size.
- Will the word "Trial" appear on my card if I let my subscription
expire?
No, when EspressoID expires it doesn't affect program functionality. Purchasing
an annual license renewal gives you another year of updates and tech support. EspressoID
is continually being improved and many features have been added. Our license renewal
is a great deal.
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