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We support Microsoft Publisher ONLY for users of our Smart Sign System software! 

**Version Issue: If you were a user of the Smart Sign System but our templates do not show up under the "Templates" option, on the Publisher Design Catalog, or you are getting an error that your version of Publisher does not support the version the templates were created in, please click here.

We're happy to help our clients with Tech Support issues, answer questions about an order or product, discuss design issues, and hear feedback about our Web Site. Support from this page is FREE via e-mail using the form below. We appreciate your using the form below, and usually within two business days.
Note: Microsoft is no longer offering free technical support by phone to Publisher users. Smart Retail Solutions will continue to offer our clients free Publisher support via e-mail from this page of our web site. Please use the form below. If you have trouble with the form, fear not. Just compose an e-mail and send it to
support@smartretail.com

The following support documents are provided to Smart Sign System Standard and Deluxe users in PDF format (Adobe® Acrobat Reader).  Please consult them first -- they may well have the answer you need. They will be found in the folder where the templates were installed:
SSManual.pdf~ Smart Sign System Manual (includes Troubleshooting)
Appendix.pdf~ Catalog showing the card stocks, design styles, and sign sizes of Smart Sign System templates 
Quiksign.pdf~ Quick Guide to using the Smart Sign System templates
Mistakes.pdf~ Common mistakes in sign making, what they look like, and how to fix them
Monotype.pdf~ Catalog showing letters, symbols, and numbers of the fonts provided in the Monotype Font Pack
SmartArt.pdf~ Catalog showing the SmartArt seasonal and sale graphics included with the Smart Sign System - this guide is located in the SmartArt folder
**Version Issue: If you were a user of the Smart Sign System, but our templates do not show up under the "Templates" option on the Publisher Design Catalog, or you are getting an error that your version of Publisher does not support the version the templates were created in, please click here.

Adobe Acrobat Reader is provided free of charge on the Smart Sign System CD. (Thank you, Adobe!)

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Revised: October 13, 2006.

Version issues: Microsoft has made a change to Publisher, and version 2003 cannot open files created in certain earlier versions. Unfortunately, the Smart Sign System for Microsoft Publisher has been "sundowned", meaning it has been retired as a product, and no new version or upgrades are planned. Some users are keeping the Smart Sign System templates on an older computer running a previous version of Publisher to work around this issue. There is nothing we can do on this end, and we apologize for this situation. Many of you have been on the Smart Sign System since the mid to late 1990s, and we have appreciated meeting you and providing this solution to your retail signage needs.

If you wish to install the Smart Sign System on another computer running and older version of Publisher, follow these instructions:

Later versions of Microsoft Publisher have many different possible configurations for where the Templates folder is created. For our templates to be available from the Templates bar within Publisher, they must be installed into the proper path. This is a Microsoft-created issue, but we have a work-around for it. You will need to create a template from within Publisher, then choose the "Custom Install" option for installing the Smart Sign System, or request a new CD from us. First, you will need to create a "locator" template from within Publisher:

Open Publisher, which should launch the Publisher Catalog window. Click on "Exit Catalog" button at lower right. 

You should now be at a blank page. To the LEFT you will see a vertical toolbar. The first icon is an arrow tool, underneath it is an "A" icon. You will now make a text box on the document page by clicking on the A (Text Box icon) on the tool bar. Your mouse cursor will now look like a cross. Now click in the middle of the page, which will create a text box. If you would like a closer view of the box, press the F9 function key (along the top of your keyboard). The cursor should be flashing in the text box (if not, click on the box to select it). Type smartest

Click on the File pulldown menu and select "Save As". Where it asks for the name of the file, type the word smartest. Below where you put the name of the file in, there is a pulldown box for "Publication Type". Click on that down arrow and select "Publisher Template". Click on OK.
Now, go to the File pulldown menu and select "Create New Publication". When the Publisher Catalog comes up, select the "Templates" bar option on lower left (in Publisher 98, first click on the "Existing Publications" tab, then the "Templates" bar option at the lower left). If "smartest" shows up there, you can proceed to the next steps. Exit Publisher completely.

Next, you will need to find and write down where exactly the file "smartest" resides, so you can be sure to install the other templates there, too. To do so:
Go to Start --> Find --> Files or folders. Enter smartest.pub as the name of the file to search for. When it shows up, be sure to write down the full and exact path of where it is located (you may need to make the "Located In" column wider to see the full path). Please do write down the path exactly as it is shown. 

Now you will un-install the Smart Sign System, so you can re-install it in the proper path for your specific Microsoft-designated configuration: 
Go to Start --> Settings --> Control Panel. Double-click on "Add/Remove Programs". Scroll until you see the version of the Smart Sign System you installed and click on it. Then click on the "Add Remove" button. The Smart Sign System will uninstall. 

Go ahead and re-install the Smart Sign System, choosing the Custom Install option. You will need to browse to the path you wrote down when prompted. If you have any difficulty with any of the above steps, call us Toll-free at 888-887-6278, in addition to filling out the Tech Support form above.