So, what is a .zip folder anyway? A ZIP file is basically a digital folder containing any number of documents or images that has been compressed into a format that is accepted for upload / download across the internet. (that’s the short version)
All of my own graphics are provided as digital downloads that will arrive to you in a ZIP file and so I’m often asked by first-timers or infrequent users on how to best go about opening such a file.
Hence this little tutorial!
If you’ve never come across a .zip file before and you’re not particularly techie minded it can be a little frustrating to deal with depending on which computer operating system you have and how downloads are automatically handled on your computer. And of course, mobile devices offer a whole separate challenge!
All of the solutions provided here use the default software already included within your operating system, no need for special programs or purchased software, with the exception of mobile devices.
DESKTOP or LAPTOP COMPUTERS
Windows 7 thru 11
- Right-click on the Zip file icon and choose “Extract All”
- When prompted, choose a location for the folder to be extracted into
- Keep the "Show extracted files when complete" box unchecked
- Now click on the "Extract" button to start the extraction
- Once complete, this new folder is now your “unzipped” copy of the Zip folder
- You may keep the original Zip folder or delete it since it is a duplicate
OR
- in your downloads explorer window, you'll find an Extract menu button on the top navigation bar
- click this and follow the prompts, in much the same way as above
Windows XP and Vista
- Double click on the zip folder
- In the window that opens, click on the “Extract all Files” link
- The “Extraction Wizard” will open, click “Next”
- Choose a destination for your unzipped folder
- Click “Finish” to complete the process
- This new folder is now your “unzipped” copy of the Zip file
- You may keep the original Zip file or delete it
Mac
- double click on the zip file
- job done
Special Note: Where you download a zip file to on your computer can affect the ability to extract correctly or fully access the unzipped version. Always make sure that you are downloading zip files to either a dedicated downloads folder, your main documents folder or directly to your desktop. You may then move the folders to other locations as needed. Some of my customers have had issues in particular with Microsoft Live Photo Gallery being the default location for ALL downloads. This won’t work for .zip files!
MOBILE DEVICES
For mobile devices you will need to install an appropriate app in order to download and open .zip files.
iOS
Winzip is a free app and comes highly recommended by experts
- Once the app is installed you will have an option to “Open in Winzip”
- This will reveal the contents of the zipped folder
- Click “Open In” to choose where you wish to extract the zip folder contents to
- You should now be able to access the files in their new location
- Note that you won’t be able to open a file type if you do not have a corresponding app to, but all image files will open in the camera roll or photos app
Android
ZArchiver is a free app and comes highly recommended by experts
- Open ZArchiver and use the file manager to find the zip folder
- Click on the file when you find it
- Use the View option to see the files in the zip folder
- If needed you can extract a single file or extract all
- once extracted the files will be in your main folder for full access
Ever run into problems printing out some awesome free printable you found on Pinterest? Or maybe you purchased some gorgeous party printables on Etsy but they turned out a mess on your home printer?
Well I'm here to tell you that you are not alone! Even seasoned pros will run into frustrations with print quality or printing mess-ups. The real trick is in knowing what to do when these things happen. How do you solve your printing problem without a flood of tears or chucking your printer out the window?
Take a deep breath... here's what you need to know...
TOP TIPS FOR SOLVING PRINTER DILEMMAS
1. Choose the right printer for the job.
Here's the truth, not all printers can handle any job. So if your printer isn't up to it, nothing else you do will get your print job to look perfect. Understanding and accepting this will save you a big headache.
Rule of thumb, inkjet printers are great for text documents and photos while laser jet printers work better for graphics and large color blocks. Because inkjet printers are generally cheaper, this is what most people tend to have at home, and they work just fine for most home applications. But you might struggle when printing certain types of graphics.
Solution: Who do you know who has a laser printer? Is there a printing service near you that you could use instead? If you need to print semi regularly it could be worth researching alternative options before investing in a brand new printer. Either a local option or an online option, whichever works best for you.
2. Know your printer.
This is something that the average printer owner never really does. Explore the printer dialogue box and get to know every possible setting option that you have available to you.
Does that sound daunting? This doesn't need to take long but it will save you sooooo much agro later if you understand that there ARE different setting options for your printer. Just get to know what your printer is capable of with a quick review, make a few cheat sheet notes if you need to, and when you go to print something double check that your print settings are correct for the job.
I'll be honest, off the top of my head I don't know all of my own printer setting options. But I do know that it has a variety of options available and I'll check through these when I go to print anything other than a plain document just to be sure I'm making the most of what my printer can do.
These are things like paper size and weight. Paper tray selection (specialty paper often feeds better from the manual tray). And ink or layout settings, particularly the actual print size options.
3. Printing the correct size.
One of the most common print issues that I come across all the time are printables not coming out at the right size. This is actually quite simple to correct once you know what to look for.
Most printers will try to optimize your printed page for you through automatic settings. If your print job is too close to the paper edge it will automatically scale the print smaller. If it's really small on the page it might make it bigger.
But when you need your printable to print at an exact size as it's intended to be these default 'helpful' settings are really not that helpful at all!
Each printer will have this in the print dialogue box a little differently but you'll want to look for a setting that says "print actual size" or "print at 100%". You want to select this option and make sure that any box that says "scale to fit" is UNchecked. That's it.
4. Printing colors.
This is such a common complaint. And not restricted to the home printer or novice crafter!
The cold hard truth is colors look different from one device to another and when applied on different surfaces. Computers are backlit and with retina or 4K display colors will appear more vibrant than they will do on paper.
And even amongst print surfaces colors will look different on one surface type from another. Matte paper for example absorbs more ink that glossy paper, so the colors are going to brighter or more saturated on the glossier surface.
Each printer will also print a little differently. A little too much yellow and your blue is heading towards green, a little too much magenta and that same blue is sitting on the purple side of the fence. These tiny little differences in how each printer mixes the inks can create unexpected variances.
So what's the solution? Test printing.
If you have very specific requirements for color the best option is to test print everything first. Know that you'll need to experiment, make adjustments or try a different printer and you won't be nearly as frustrated. It's just a matter of accepting that color isn't consistent across all mediums.
When MAC users create files on their computer, invisible metadata files are created by the operating system. (mac users can't see these and their functionality is required on the mac)
There are two types of files created, a folder metadata file called .DS_store and individual metadata files for every file created carrying the same file name but starting with ._ (so a folder containg 6 files will have 7 metadata files).
When such files and folders are created and shared with PC users, these files unfortunately are no longer invisible. The PC operating system is not programmed to hide them the way the MAC does.
And MAC users can't avoid the creation or inclusion of these irksome little meta files.
Conveniently though, all those metadata files are grouped into their own separate folder called _MACOSX. With the exception of the .DS_store file which will show up in both the metadata folder and the real folder that has the download content.
I've provided some screenshots to show you what to look for, and what to avoid:
As you can see, if you've no idea what you are looking at, it could be very confusing!
As an added note... if you use any sort of automated file opening sequence on a folder like this, your program is likely to select the metadata folder simply because it comes first in the list within the zip.
If that happens you'll have to manually go back to the folder to select the right files to open, because the meta files are not actual files you can use, they only contain a thumbnail image of the real file.
Alternatively, if you only ever use a PC, you can simply delete all of the meta files to get them permanently out of your way. It does no harm to delete them and only causes small inconveniences if later opened on a MAC.
I am pleased to announce an affiliate opportunity for my work via the digital resource marketplace Design Bundles!
DesignBundles.net is an online marketplace bringing
you the very best digital resources from independent designers all around the world. With simple and easy to
understand licensing, they offer customers the best service and a
simple way to shop for design assets online.
You'll now find over 90% of my current portfolio listed in my Design Bundles storefront with a
fabulous affiliate program opportunity that offers a whopping 25% commission along
with some pretty sweet terms.
As a marketplace affiliate you can earn on referrals to ALL the sellers on their site as well as to their sister site FontBundles.net.
It's super easy to sign up, just create an account on either site, Design Bundles or Font Bundles, then follow the instructions on their affiliate page. You'll need to email them to request an affiliate account. In your email, describe where and how you will promote products from the site along with any specific audience info as relevant for your social accounts or profiles.
Once approved you'll have access to your own unique affiliate links and affiliate dashboard.
Now you'll be able to drop those links in wherever you choose to refer your friends to Lovelytocu!
As an added bonus, affiliate links will be an accepted method of attribution under my Credit Required License. Just convert your credit text link to your affiliate link wherever you are crediting my work online, like this - Clipart by Lovelytocu.
If you get stuck or need help, just message me!
Shawnna
When I first started learning computer based illustration and graphic design, you had to pay thousands of dollars for the software. And I only remember knowing of two possible choices... Corel and Adobe.
These days, anyone can be a graphic designer, with the tools and resources to do so more accessible now than ever before. And every year it seems like a raft of new choices crop up. It's quite amazing.
In fact, there are so many design software choices it can be super overwhelming to figure out which one to start with, or which one has the tools you need.
Since a lot of my customers are looking for affordable and simple options, I've made a list of my favorite choices that I would use if I didn't have Photoshop or Illustrator and had a simple project to work on.
These are listed in random order, I haven't tested each so thoroughly that I can rank which one is 'best' - and besides,'best' is a bit subjective depending on your project and skill set.
Also note that these are selected based on desktop computing, although some of these will work well on a tablet. (these are full programs and not apps)
PHOTOPEA
I recommend this one because it's actually compatible with Photoshop files (among others) and looks and feels a lot like Photoshop when you are using it. It doesn't have ALL the features that Photoshop has (obviously) but it's great for creating basic design layouts with lots of drawing tool options.
It's also a web based software, so it's accessible on any device, anywhere.
PIXLR
This is another online editor, also a lot like Photoshop in how it looks and feels. Recently revamped there are now two options; Pixlr X and Pixlr E.
Pixlr X is super basic and only has very limited editing options. Great for projects where you are just adding a text overlay, cropping or making photo adjustments. Pixlr E is the advanced option that mimics Photoshop and has a robust selection of design and drawing tools.
While it will open photoshop files, it doesn't seem to be able to handle larger sized files very well and doesn't keep layers organized in folders, so complex files end up very messy.
GIMP
I hesitate to call this a favorite (it's not), but it's been a few years since I last tried it and I'm adding it to the list because it is a popular free software with advanced editing capabilities. It is very similar to how Photoshop works and has all the tools you could need for either drawing or graphic design. This is a downloadable software.
Beginners will likely find it rather overwhelming as it does have a steep learning curve and isn't particularly intuitive. Luckily there are loads of helpful tutorials available as Gimp has been around for quite some time now.
While it will open Photoshop files it doesn't support all features so some files may not function properly.
SUMOPAINT
Another simple and easy to use software. It has a nice selection of tools for beginners and a friendly navigation.
This is not one that I have personally tested, but it comes highly rated for what it is and is the most likely candidate for me to recommend as a beginners graphic design tool with an easy learning curve.
It is only compatible with image files such as jpg and png and has a more limited selection of tools than some of the more advanced software options but otherwise a perfect option for the occasional project.
INKSCAPE
This downloadable software is a vector graphics editor and a comparable substitute for Illustrator. It opens both Illustrator and Corel Draw vector files with full functionality intact.
It has a very steep learning curve but plenty of tutorials can be found online to get you started.
It's a great option for anyone looking to learn vector drawing or wants to edit an Illustrator file.
While you can use it for graphic design projects I don't really recommend it for beginners unless you're prepared to spend some time upfront learning.
CANVA
This
design program is a closed system editor. What that means is, you can't
create and save files the same way as regular software programs. Files
'in progress' can only be saved inside Canva and you can only download
finished projects in flattened form such as PDF, PNG or JPG.
Designers offering Canva templates therefore will always label their products specifically as Canva templates. If a designer (like me) does not mention Canva in the product details... a Canva specific template is not included.
However, Canva is still a very useful design tool and my PNG format files can be used here with a little creativity. Canva is very user friendly and reasonably quick to learn.
VECTORNATOR
I haven't used this one, but it
looks comprehensive as a vector based program. It's free to download and also available as a mobile app. It
looks to be built for pro designers so there should be good support and
tutorials. An excellent option if you plan to do a lot of designing on
the go.
For Mac users only there is Pages. This is Apple's version of Word + Powerpoint combined making it a versatile editor capable of reasonably sophisticated graphic design, depending what you are looking to do. Usually included with all Mac devices it is available for free in the app store.