The table below lists where you can set up and use custom images in Drake Tax:

Use	Size Limit	Comments	Image Type Required	Save Location	Update From Prior Years?
Letterhead logo (bills and letters)	Default 209 pixels wide x 323 pixels  high; customize size to fit	The full image is displayed without resizing or cropping. Color images require GDI. Use a monochrome (B&W) image unless you are printing in color.	.BMP image only	Recommended: \DRAKEYY\CF	Yes, after updating letterhead, software uses path to original image location.
Main screen image or logo	450 x 317 pixels (w x h).	Image is centered and cropped to fit if the image is too large, but not resized. Cropped areas will not display. Can use color or B&W.	.BMP image only	Save as PROPLOGO.BMP in \DRAKEYY\CF\	No. You must reinstall the image in the new software.

Setup Steps

Before starting, consider:

• If the image you want to use is not a .bmp file, you must convert it to a .bmp file. Save as type: Monochrome Bitmap (*.bmp; *.dib).

• If you use a monochrome printer (a printer that prints only one color, typically black text on white stock), open the .bmp file in Microsoft Paint and save it as a as monochrome bitmap. If you save the image in other software, save it as a black-and-white image or as a gray-scale bitmap, if black and white isn’t a save option.

  • The goal is a .bmp file that the printer and software recognize as a monochrome image, not a color image.

  • The fact that your image is displayed and prints as black on white does not confirm that it is a monochrome bitmap. A black-and-white image, saved as a color bit map file, is displayed and prints as black-and-white, but it is treated as a color image and handled differently from a monochrome bitmap image.

• If you intend to save and print a color logo, consider your printer capabilities. You will need to use GDI to print color. See Color Logos below.

• The default logo provided in Drake Tax (DrakeYY/CF/logo.bmp) is 209 X 323 pixels (W x H). A .bmp image of a different size may work, but it may be necessary to adjust the image size to fit the letterhead, or the letterhead to fit the image. See Resize Image below for details.

Once your logo is ready to be used: 

• Save the logo inside this folder: \DRAKEYY\CF

• To display the .bmp image as your letterhead logo,

  • Go to Setup > Letters and from the Client Communications Editor toolbar.

  • Select Setup > Page Layout.

  • Under Letterhead Options, select Use logo on letters.

  • Click the Browse for bitmap logo link to browse to the logo image file.

  • Click OK to confirm the setting and exit the setup screen.

Color Logos

A color logo must be printed using GDI on a printer that supports GDI.

The default print method will be GDI under Setup > Printing > Printer Setup > (F8) Edit Printer Settings unless you have chosen Laserjet as the Printer Type and checked the box Use PCL when printing tax forms. When you use PCL*, a logo must be a black and white .bmp image (monochrome bitmap) or it will not print. If your printer does not support GDI, consider converting the color logo to a monochrome bitmap image so it will print in black and white using PCL.

Resize Image

It may be necessary to resize a .bmp or .jpg image for use in firm letterheads and other purposes in Drake Tax. You can best do this in Microsoft Paint.

Before starting:

• First save a copy of the original image to a location on your computer that you can easily find. Keep the original unchanged, in case you need to start over.

• Check the size of the original image before you start. Right click on the image file and select Properties from the drop list, and then click the Details tab, where the image dimensions in pixels should be listed. You also may be able to read the dimensions from the tooltip that appears if you point to the image file icon in Windows Explorer.

• Be aware that resizing usually degrades the image. Multiple resizing of the same image may render it unusable.

Once ready: 

1. Open the image in Paint (by right-clicking on the image file in Windows Explorer and selecting Open With: Paint).

2. In Paint, click Resize.

3. Change the Horizontal and Vertical percentages to resize the image.

4. Save the file to keep changes.