Downloading | Installing | License Keys | Using SVGmaker | Troubleshooting | Compatibility

Basic Idea
You get SVGmaker by downloading a self-extracting installation program called SVGmaker9x.exe (or SVGmakerNT.exe for Windows NT4, 2000 and XP users) from this web site. (In these pages when refering to either version it shall be referred to as "SVGmaker*.exe".)
Once SVGmaker*.exe is on your hard disk, run it from Windows Explorer to extract SVGmaker files on your system and launch the SVGmaker Installation Wizard.

Details
1. Go to the download page
2. If you are running NT 4 or Windows 2000, click on the "get SVGmaker for NT/2000/XP" button. If you are running Windows 95, 98 or ME, click on the "get SVGmaker for 95/98/ME" button.
3. When prompted for a folder, choose something convenient like C:\TEMP
4. After the download is complete, use Windows Explorer to browse to C:\TEMP
5. Double click on SVGmaker*.exe to begin extracting the SVGmaker files.
6. When prompted, click OK, click Unzip, then click OK.
7. You're ready to go on to the installation process.

Technical Notes
1 The self-extracting installation program SVGmaker*.exe places files by default in the folder C:\Program Files\SVGmaker.
2 It's possible to use the SVGmaker files with Windows' standard Add Printer Wizard later if you want to.

Basic Idea
The SVGmaker Installation Wizard starts automatically after the program you downloaded, SVGmaker*.exe, has finished expanding files onto your hard disk. The Installation Wizard guides you through the installation process and shows you your license agreement to use SVGmaker software. When you're finished, SVGmaker will be installed as a system printer driver in your Windows Printers folder.

Details
(We're following on from the details in the previous section - Downloading)
1. If you're a system administrator or you're in control of your own computer, click Next.
2. Read the license agreement which identifies your entitlement to use the software. If you agree with the terms of the license agreement, select Yes and click Next.
3. SVGmaker is going to appear as a printer driver in your Windows Printers Folder. The default name is SVGmaker. Click Next to use this name, or enter a new name and click Next.
4. Click Finish
5. SVGmaker will be installed on your system. The short instructions on your screen tell you where you go next to configure and use SVGmaker, and to buy license key(s) that unlock SVGmaker from evaluation mode.

Technical Notes
1. SVGmaker for NT/2000/XP only supports the following operating systems: Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP. SVGmaker for 95/98/Me only supports the following operating systems: Windows 95, Windows 98 and WindowsMe.
2. You must have access priviledges to install a printer driver on your system. If you get an error message during installation no matter how strange, check with your system administrator first to verify that you have adequate access priviledges.
3. If you are installing onto Windows Server 2003, set the group policy to enable the installation of kernel-mode printer drivers.

• Open Group Policy: click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc, and then press ENTER
• Under Local Computer Policy, double-click Computer Configuration.
• Double-click Disallow installation of printers using kernel mode drivers, and then click Properties.
• On the Setting tab, click Disabled, and then click OK.

Basic Idea
SVGmaker is available for evaluation by download from this site. The download version is fully functional but includes a SVGmaker EVALUATION logo on each page of output. Once unlocked with a license key, SVGmaker prints without the evaluation logo message. Buy your SVGmaker license key(s) from this site with a secure transaction from Kagi Inc. You'll receive your license key code(s) by email. Enter your license key information directly into SVGmaker's About box to unlock your copy of the software.

Details
1. Go to the Buy Now page
2. To buy a single user license key, type 1 next to the first line item. OR, to buy license keys for more than one user, type the number of license keys you want next to the second line item.
3. Click Continue to reach the Kagi secure transaction page
4. Enter your credit card and contact information
5. Click Purchase
6. Kagi will process your credit card securely and send license key(s) to you by email.
7. When you receive your license key(s) by email, enter the code into the SVGmaker software on your computer: - Click Start, Settings, Printers - Right click on the SVGmaker icon - Select Document Defaults - Click the About/Help tab - Click Enter License Key - Enter your name and code, as they appear on the email advice you received - Click OK
8. Your SVGmaker software is now unlocked. It will print without the evaluation logo.

To access SVGmaker's online help
1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Printers.
2. Right-click on the SVGmaker icon.
3. Select Document Defaults.
4. Select the About/Help tab.
5. Click the SVGmaker Help button.

Note
For quick help on any SVGmaker setting, right-click on it, and then click What's This.

Look through this list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). It contains the most commonly needed information for people in your circumstances.

Q1: I installed SVGmaker but now I can't find it. Where is the software on my system? Where do I configure SVGmaker settings?

A1: SVGmaker is installed as a printer driver in your Windows Printers Folder.
To access your printers folder, click Start > Settings > Printers. If SVGmaker is installed correctly, you'll see an icon for SVGmaker. Right-click on the icon, and select Properties or Document Defaults or Printing Preferences to configure SVGmaker's settings.  

Q2: How do I make a SVG file?

A2: Print from a Windows program using SVGmaker as your selected printer. (Most Windows programs have a menu choice for File > Print). When SVGmaker prints, it will prompt you for a filename. This becomes the name for your SVG file.  

Q3: What page size should I use?

A3: It depends on how you want your output to be used.

If you want your audience to reprint the output on a particular size of media (such as an E Size sheet, for example), select that Page Size when you generate your SVG file with SVGmaker and use these SVGmaker settings:
Initial View: 1:1
HTML Wrapper: Checked

If you only want the output to be viewed in a web browser and you are happy for the printed output to be scaled to whatever size sheet is loaded into the printer, select any Page Size and use these SVGmaker settings:
Initial View: Fit To Window
HTML Wrapper: Checked (if the output will be printed at some stage) or Unchecked (if the output will not be printed)

Q4: Can I edit the output from SVGmaker?

A4: SVGmaker produces standard SVG language which conforms to the W3C standard. Any editor or program which reads standard SVG is compatible with SVGmaker's output.

Q5: Why is the output from a print job encrypted as an SVGZ file?

A5: When you print with SVGmaker you have a choice of output file types:

SVG - standard text form of SVG
SVGZ - compressed (gzip) form of SVG

The default file type from SVGmaker is SVGZ because these files are a lot smaller, typically 10X smaller. They work the same as SVG files but use less bandwidth, disk space and time. When viewing SVGZ files with Adobe's SVG Viewer, you can access the uncompressed text source by right-clicking on the graphic and selecting "View Source".

To generate SVG files instead of SVGZ, change the file type in the dialog box that is displayed by SVGmaker at print time. To later convert an SVG file into an SVGZ file, view the SVG file with Adobe SVG Viewer V3 or later and save as SVGZ from the right-click menu.

Q6: How do I change the thickness of a line?

A6: SVGmaker enables you to set a minimum line width for lines of each particular color in your drawing. Use SVGmaker's Color Associations control to configure the minimum line width for a particular color in your drawing.

Example: I want all Red lines in my drawing to be 0.35mm thick.

Actions: 1. Access SVGmaker's setup dialog from your Printers Folder (Click Start > Settings > Printers then right-click on the SVGmaker icon and click Document Defaults.
2. Expand the control for Color Associations.
3. Leave Color Association #1 configured with the default Source Color setting of AutoColor. SVGmaker will use this Color Association to print all non-Red lines; another Color Association will be defined, in the next step, specifically to handle Red lines.
4. Set the Source Color for Color Association #2 to Red.
5. Set the Minimum Line Width for Color Association #2 to 0.35mm. SVGmaker is now configured to print Red lines using a minimum width of 0.35mm.  

Q7: How do I change the color of a line?

A7: SVGmaker enables you to change the colors which are used to output lines from your drawing. Use SVGmaker's Color Associations control to configure a new color for lines which are drawn in a particular color in your drawing.

Example: I want all Red lines in my drawing to be drawn Green.

Actions: 1. Access SVGmaker's setup dialog from your Printers Folder (Click Start > Settings > Printers then right-click on the SVGmaker icon and click Document Defaults).
2. Expand the control for Color Associations.
3. Leave Color Association #1 configured with the default Source Color setting of AutoColor. SVGmaker will use this Color Association to print all non-Red lines; another Color Association will be defined, in the next step, specifically to handle Red lines.
4. Set the Source Color for Color Association #2 to Red.
5. Set the Target Color for Color Association #2 to Green. SVGmaker is now configured to print lines which appear Red in your drawing using Green. If you want to change another color, configure Color Association #3 with the Source Color and your prefered Target Color.  

Q8: How do I get SVGmaker to remember its settings?

A8: Sometimes when you configure SVGmaker from within an application program, it may appear that SVGmaker is not retaining its settings each time you access them. This can happen because some programs don't save the state of the printer driver each time they print. With these programs, you may be better off to configure SVGmaker directly in your Printers Folder, rather than from within the application program. Once you have configured SVGmaker settings in your printers folder, the settings become the new defaults which are loaded each time your application program prints.  

Q9: How do I uninstall SVGmaker?

A9: 1. Go to your Windows Printers Folder (Click Start > Settings > Printers).
2. Right click on the icon for SVGmaker.
3. Click Delete  

Q10: When I print an SVG file from Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.0 the hardcopy output looks squished. The SVG image looks ok on screen when I view it with the Adobe SVG Viewer plug-in. What is happening? How can I get a correct print?

A10: Microsoft introduced a bug into Internet Explorer from Version 5.5 onwards which affects printing from all ActiveX controls. The aspect ratio of the image is not maintained, causing the hardcopy image to be distorted. This bug affects printing from all ActiveX controls including Adobe PDF and Macromedia Flash when printing from IE's File/Print command.

SVGmaker Version 2 and higher installs a printing utility called SVGHardCopy as a desktop icon on your computer. To print SVG files from SVGMaker correctly, from Windows Explorer, drag and drop the file onto the icon for SVGHardCopy on your desktop.

To obtain a correctly proportioned printout from an ActiveX control today using a Microsoft browser, downgrade to Internet Explorer Version 5.0 or lower. For the future, wait for Microsoft to fix the bug in IE 5.5 and higher.

If your time is valuable or you just don't want to wait for Microsoft to fix their bug, use this handy workaround:

1. Check the HTML Wrapper checkbox in SVGmaker's Setup dialog before printing.

2. Instead of loading the SVG file into your browser, load the HTML file with the same name and print it instead.

Q11: How do I get rid of the EVALUATION logo from my output?

A11: You have the demo version of SVGmaker. Upgrade your copy by buying a license key. Enter your license key directly into SVGmaker to unlock the software from evaluation mode.

Q12: Where do I buy SVGmaker license key(s)?

A12: SVGmaker license key(s) are available online from the Buy Page of this site with secure transactions from Kagi Inc. After completing your transaction, Kagi will send license key(s) to you by email with instructions for unlocking the software.  

Q13: What happens with my license key when I upgrade to a new version of SVGmaker?

A13: Your SVGmaker license key keeps working automatically with maintenance releases issued subsequent to the major release for which you bought the license. Simply download new versions of the software from the Download page of this web site from time to time as they become available and install them on your computer.  Check the Version History for information about new releases before you download them.

Q14: What operating systems does SVGmaker work with?

A14: SVGmaker for NT/2000/XP only supports the following operating systems: Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP. SVGmaker for 95/98/Me only supports the following operating systems: Windows 95, Windows 98 and WindowsMe.

If you don't see your question anywhere in this list of FAQ's, please tell us here

Applications compatibility