.TGA
Targa files also are known for their exceptional cross-platform compatibility though they are most commonly used for images in video and are generally not used in print design. An added bonus of the Targa file is its ability to save a third layer which may be used as a mask to show only part of an image at a time. Assuming that the image size is correct, Targas are the best files to send a video technician.

.BMP
Commonly referred to as Windows bitmap, .BMP is not a very common format used by designers but it?s a good file format to send to people who are using Windows-based machines. The reason for this is that Windows comes with its own image manipulation program called Paint which would allow any Windows user to open a .BMP.

.GIF
The .GIF format was actually developed by once dominant CompuServe. A company which has been around since the beginnings of the Internet?s popularity, CompuServe fought hard to maintain a patent on their compression scheme and eventually lost. Nonetheless, .GIF files today are one of the two most popular image formats on the Web. It is a lossy compression format, which means that when you save a file as a .GIF there is usually some information from the original image which is left out. As a result the .GIF file format provides some of the smaller file sizes thus making a good format for the Web. After all, the smaller the file size the faster the image will download. Another advantage of using .GIFs is their ability to preserve transparency and then utilize this on a Web page. And of course we mustn't leave out its ability to save an animation sequence.

.JPG
Last but not least is JPEG. JPEG files are also a Web favorite because they too have the gift of small file sizes. Like the .GIF, the .JPG is a lossy format which will sacrifice detail in order to prevail a smaller file size. However, where the .GIF is good for images with solid color like logos, JPEG files are better at compressing photographs for Web use. Neither is ideal for a sharp print image, but both make for short download times when properly compressed for the Web.

In conclusion, there are all sorts of different file formats available to us and some are better for print while others may be better for video or the Web. Finding the right format for the job is key, and our hope with this article is to help you to do that better. After all, great imagery isn't worth anything if you can?t see it at its best.

JPEG and GIF are the two chiefly used image formats on the Web today. Just as there are Word documents and Excel documents, each offering a specific advantage, the same is true of GIF and JPEG files.

JPEG files tend to be best for things like photographs and other images with gradients of color. Due to the way a JPEG is compressed, JPEGs tend not to do hardline art well.

GIF files, however, tend to be better for flat-style illustrations, with large areas of continuous color. Things like logos and text treatments hold up well as GIFs because there is no blurring of the edges. The files remain sharp and well defined. Another feature that the GIF format offers is transparent backgrounds which allow you to see the background of a Web page. And finally, there is the option of animation. The most common application of Gif animation is banner ads.Overall, GIF files tend to be smaller than JPEGs when used properly.

So, which are better GIFs or JPEGs? That depends, what are you going to use them for?

So now you are the proud owner of a new online shop, you will be eager to get on and stock it. But before rushing ahead please read these instructions as they will save you hours of having to redo things when you go wrong.

You will have been given the URL to your Admin Control Panel for osCommerce, along with an Admin Username and Password. Please note that these are BOTH case sensitive. These are the keys to your shop, don’t let them get into the wrong hands.

Before continuing please make note of the following warnings.
WARNING: DO NOT use spaces in the image name titles (testone.jpg is ok test one.jpg is wrong)
WARNING: Use the manufacturers part number for the image name. (e.g. “abc123.jpg”)
WARNING: Make sure you enter a manufacturers part number in 'Products Model' or you will not find anything.
WARNING: Make sure that any image that you upload is between 150 and 500 pixels high.

Once logged in you will be presented with a screen similar to the one below.

The FIRST thing we have to do is to add some manufacturers. Click on the link highlighted in the red circle.

This will take us to the MANUFACTURERS page.


Add Manufacturers
Click on the "Manufacturers" link under the Catalog section. To the right there is an "insert" button. Click to insert and there are listings for a manufacturer name, manufacturer’s image, and manufacturers URL which can link to the manufacturer's website.

Manufacturer’s images are optional but if you use them they need to be small. They are displayed in the shop above the product lists. We recommend a size of approximately 200 x 60 pixels as a maximum size. All images should be JPG format. Do not use spaces in any image names uploaded to your store.

e.g. “my manufacturer.jpg” is wrong where “mymanufacturer.jpg” is correct.

Once you have made a nice list of Manufacturers you can proceed to adding PRODUCTS.

Adding CATEGORIES
Before we can add your products we need to setup Categories for them to go in. This will make it easier for your customers to find things.

Now’s the time to take out a pen and paper and really think about how you will set up this section. It is the difference between making your customers life easy or simply driving them insane because they cant find anything.

Try not to have Categories with more than 2 level depths. People do not like clicking and clicking and clicking to get to a product. Also you do not need to over complicate these Categories by adding a Manufacturers name in. If you are selling CARDSTOCK then you can have a Cardstock category and 2 sub categories say 12x12 and 10x8.

>Cardstock
>12x12
>10x8

What you don’t want to do is to have a manufacturers name in there as well. Like…..

>Cardstock
>Bazzill
>12x12
>10x8

Customers clicking on the 12x12 can drill down the manufacturers and show only the Bazzill cardstock by using the menu above the products shown.

The products for your store will be listed inside folders in the Catalog/Categories/Products section. Category Folders are setup in this section of the admin to hold your products. You can have as many Category Folders as you need listing them in the main "Top" section or listing under other Category Folders.

Add Categories

To setup a new category folder for your products you click on the "new category" button in the center section which will make a new category folder.

You have these options for the Category Folder:

Category Name
Category Image
Sort Order

Type in a Category Name. The Category Name is limited to 32 characters which needs to be adhered to as the number of characters will effect the width of the left column if increased too high.

Next is the Category Image which allows an image to be uploaded for that Category. Again make sure the image isn’t too big. We recommend 150x50 pixels for this.

A sort order can be set by typing a number in the "Sort Order" box. If a sort order is left blank, the category folders will line up alphabetically.

To edit a category folder, click on the "i" with the circle around it to the right of each Category Listing.

To put products inside of the Category Folder click on the yellow folder graphic to the left of each Category which will get you inside that Category. This is where products are entered and listed.

Clicking on the "new product" button will make a new product.

In the "new product" section you have the ability to:

Show the product in or out of stock – Out of stock will stop the product appearing in the shop.

Date the product will be available to purchase which corresponds with the "Products Expected" module. (optional)

Product's Manufacturer – Selected from the Manufacturers we have already entered. Always enter a manufacturer, do not leave blank.

Product's Name – What the product is called.

Tax Class which is used to charge VAT on each product. Basically 17.5% for most items and Zero Rated for books etc.

Product's Price (net)

Product's Price (gross) - The gross is automatically set after you set the net price according to your tax schedule to show cost plus tax to those customers who would pay tax. If you just enter your Including VAT price here and have set the Tax Class already then the Net price is automatically filled in for you.

Product's Description. Be as descriptive as possible in this box as the customer will want as much information as possible.

Product's Quantity in stock which corresponds with the "Configuration" "Stock" section settings.

Product's Model Number - Number of characters for a model number is 12. We recommend using the Actual Manufacturers part number that you order it from your suppliers with.

Product's Image to Upload - click browse and upload your image for that product.

WARNING: DO NOT use spaces in the image name titles or this will cause problems with the resizing of images for the automatic thumbnails.

e.g. “product test.jpg” is wrong where “producttest.jpg” is correct.

WARNING: Use the manufacturers part number for the image name.

e.g. “abc123.jpg”

No two images can have the same name. If you uploaded a stock item with an image called “paper.jpg” then uploaded a different product with an image called “paper.jpg” it will overwrite the first image and both items will have the same image displayed in the shop. Obviously one will be wrong. Using the Manufacturers part number in the image title wil stop this happening,

WARNING: There is a minimum size for images. Your images must be at least 150 pixels high in order for them to display properly. Any images smaller than this will be enlarged by the software making them look jaggy. Please make sure that you upload image of between 150 and 500 pixels high. The bigger the image then the better the customer will be able to view it in the “Click here to enlarge” popup. Do Not exceed a image size of 500 pixels high

Product's url if you need to link the product to another site.

Products weight - which, if you are using "weight" for your shipping schedule, each product will need to have a weight listed. This is in KILOS so if you have measured the weight in GRAMMES then you need to divide this by 1000. 10 Grammes equals 0.01 in this box.

Move a Product

To move a product, click to highlight the product that will be moved by clicking on the "i" with a circle around it to the right of the product and click the "move" button on the right. When the move button is clicked you will see this message:

"Move (name of product) to:".

Choose another Category Folder to move the product to and click the "move" button. The product is moved.

Copy a Product
To copy a product, click to highlight the product that will be copied by clicking on the "i" with a circle around it to the right of the product and click the "copy to" button on the right. When the "copy to" button is clicked you will see this message:

Copy Method:

Link product – Recommended as your item will exist in your shop only once. This is better for management and if you want to place the items on Special.

Duplicate product - If the products will be added as an additional product.

If there are several Category Folders that a product can be placed in then copy that product as linked to the other folder and all of the information will be intact without retyping it again.

Edit a Product
The "edit" button edits the product itself. Products that are "linked" duplicates will all be edited when only one is edited.

Delete a Product
The "delete" button will delete the product from the database. A product can be "turned off" without deleting it from the database by clicking the "pink" circle button to the right of the product which will turn the product off but leave it in the database. Clicking the "green" circle button will turn the product on again.

Specials

The specials section allows a product to be put on "special" in the store. Either a fixed price or a percentage can be used for the special price.

Add Specials

After clicking on "New Product" the next page screen shows a dropdown box of all the products listed in the store, a special price box, and an expiry date for that product.

Choose the product from the drop-down box to put a special price on. A special price can be 20% which will deduct 20% from the original price or a fixed value such as 10.00 which will set the product price at £10.00. This price is EXCLUDING VAT so you will have to calculate that yourself. If you enter 10 here then it will show in your shop as £11:75

An expiration date can be set if needed.

This allows you to add options to each product.
For example you may be selling a T-Shirt that comes in several colours and each colour is a different price.
You can use the product attributes to present the customer with a drop down options box when they view the product.

In this example we will add colour options each with a different price

Login to your shop admin and under 'Catalog' click 'Product Attributes'
you will see the following screen

Enter the option name and click insert.

now enter the option values for this option in this case 'Blue'


Enter all the option values you want. When finished you should see a screen like this

We now have the Option 'Colour' with values of 'Blue, Red and Yellow'

We now need to add price differences for each colour.
At the bottom you can enter attributes for each colour, these can alter the main price
of the product if required.
In this example I have set Blue to be the main price, Red to be plus £1 and Yellow to be minus £2


From the drop down menus, select the 'Product Name' 'Option Name' and 'Option Value'
then enter the price difference for that 'option value' if you don't want a price difference then
enter 0.0 in the 'Value Price' and click insert.
If you want value Red to be £1 extra then enter 1.0 in 'Value Price' and '+' in the 'Prefix'
If you want value Yellow to be £2 less then enter 2.0 in 'Value Price' and '-' in the 'Prefix'

when you are finished, view your product, in this case 'Test 1'
you will see a drop down box with the options you have just created.


You can apply these options to as many products as you like and you can also have
multiple options for each product, so you could have Colour and Size for example.

Creating and Enabling the Gift Vouchers and Discount Coupons.

If you will follow these first few instructions I think you will have a fairly easy time.

Creating a Gift Voucher.

Creating a gift voucher for a customer to buy is the same as creating a new product with the exception that the gift vouchers model number must start with the word GIFT in upper case. It can be GIFT_25 or GIFT25 or whatever you would like to use. as the suffix to the word. But MUST START with the word GIFT You can create gift vouchers in any denomination.

You can also create gift vouchers by sending them to your customers via the admin->Vouchers/Coupons->Mail Gift Voucher selection within the admin. To use this to send a voucher to a customer use the drop down customer list. To send to a single customer or future customer you can put their email in the Email To: text box. Do not use both the customer drop down list and the Email To: text box or the customer will get 2 gift vouchers.

Gift vouchers are a virtual product. In this regard, in many shops, they do not require shipping charges to be added to them. To avert the shipping charge on gift vouchers set the weight of the gift voucher to 0 when creating the product.

Creating Discount Coupons:

Creating a discount coupon is done through the admin->Vouchers/Coupons->Coupon Admin This selection allows you to create/insert, edit, email and delete a coupon. Coupons can be created in fixed or percentage amounts, for a single product, multiple products, a single category, multiple categories or the complete inventory.

Welcome Message Gift Voucher and Discount Coupon

The default value of the customer gift voucher and discount coupon are set so that no value or notification is sent in the welcome email.
The value in the admin->configuration->Welcome Gift Voucher Amount tells the system how much of a gift voucher you would like to send your customer that has just created an account. If you do not want to use this option set the text box to 0. Do not leave blank.

To change the discount coupon that you send to your customer when creating a new account edit the admin->configuration->Welcome Discount Coupon Code: and place the coupon code that you would like to use in this text box.

Queue Purchases:

When the customer purchases a Gift Voucher it will be logged in a queue. The customer will not be able to use the Gift Voucher until you use the admin option to release it from the queue.

When you process their payment you go to the Gift Voucher Queue, and find their voucher. Click on redeem and it will send them an email containing the link to redeem the amount. Once they have clicked on that it will show a credit balance in their Shopping cart. They can then email all or part of this amount to a friend. If the friend already has an account with you then once they click on the link in their email they will be credited that amount to use in your shop. If the person doesn't have an account, they will be prompted to create one and they will then receive this credit balance to use at checkout.

In admin you have "Gift Vouchers Sent" this logs all emails sent either manually by you in admin or by the customers emailing their Gift voucher balances to each other. You can tell from this list who has redeemed them and when and what email addresses they were sent to.

Cute FTP — Everyone's favorite FTP Program! It's very fast and reliable, and gives you the ability to run multiple transfers without interference. It features drag and drop functionality, the ability to set most server-side permissions, and very detailed logs of transfer information.
http://www.globalscape.com/products/cuteftp/index.shtml

FTP Voyager — Similar to Cute FTP but more difficult to use. It provides some added benefits for UNIX-based servers, and once connected to Serv-U, the local time and date are automatically retained instead of the time of the upload.
http://www.ftpvoyager.com

WS FTP — WS FTP has a modern user interface by which you can run multiple connections to your web server. Two useful functions included in the pro version are the Firescript Editor and SSL encryption support. The Firescript Editor gives the user the ability to customize scripts to comply with your firewall configurations. And the addition of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) provides a very safe method to transfer confidential data over the internet.
http://www.ipswitch.com

Fetch — Fetch is the premiere FTP client for the Macintosh platform. Some of the key features are the ability to create and edit remote text and image files with BBEdit and Graphic Converter, support for 11 different types of proxy servers, and the capability to view images, sound, and movies.
http://fetchsoftworks.com

There are many things that you need to remember when using FTP:

Make sure that you are uploading your files into the correct directory.
If you have a duplicate file(s) on the server, be ABSOLUTELY, positive that you want to overwrite the existing file(s). Once the file is overwritten it is gone!
Making backups never hurts, it very well could come in handy.
Look at your error logs to see reasons of why you are having upload/download trouble. Some common errors are permission denied, out of disk space, or a trashed response (basically the server timed out).
When uploading a database through an FTP client check to make sure that the permissions are set correctly, because the permissions tend to reset themselves when reuploaded.