Frequently Asked Questions

Doesn't clip art take up a lot of disk space?

Yes, it often does--but not Screen Beans clip art.  The images are stored in a compact vector format.  Another big help is that every image is actually useful!  You don't need to store thousands of images to have a practical library.  

The entire Big Five bundle of over 500 images occupies about 2.7 megabytes of disk space. 

What format are the images stored in?

On Windows, the images are in Windows metafiles with the ".wmf" extension.  Windows metafiles are used as the clipboard graphics format, so it can be pasted into any application that supports graphics.  Because the images aren't bitmaps, you can resize them and print them with no loss of quality.

On Macintosh the analogous format, PICT, is used.  PICT is the clipboard graphics format for Macintosh.

The world wide web doesn't support these vector formats, unfortunately, but there many tools, including web page authoring packages, that will convert the vector files into GIF, PNG, or JPEG at the resolution you want. 

How do you install Screen Beans clip art?

Windows:  You will download a single executable file (like "bigfive.exe"), probably on your desktop.  You just double click this file to install the clip art on your computer.  Part of the installation is a small program to show and select images.  It is normally installed in the "Program Files" directory with your other applications, and there is an icon in the Programs section of your Start menu.  (If you use Windows 3.1, there is no viewing program.   Images are selected from the paper booklets that accompany the disks.)

Macintosh:  Images are supplied as PICT files and also as PICT images in a Microsoft Word document.  (This makes a convenient preview.)  There is no actual installation necessary.

How do I get an image into my document?

For Windows (95 or later), go to the Start menu, Programs section, and click Screen Beans.  In the application that opens, use the menu to select a collection and then click and individual image.  Copy the image to the clipboard by clicking the toolbar copy button or typing ctrl-C.  Then switch to your document and just paste the image.

For Macintosh users, there are two choices.  The images are supplied in a Microsoft Word document, so you can open that document and copy and paste from there.  If you don't have Word, insert the image directly from its file. 

Can I use my Screen Beans in a commercial project?

The licensing terms are generous, but it's a complicated question.  You're probably within the license if you aren't selling your work, but there are exceptions.  You should checkout the license page, which has its own CAQ section.

Why does my clip art print incorrectly?

If an application displays the clip art correctly on the screen, but doesn't print it properly, the problem is almost always in the printer driver.   The first solution to try is to visit the web site of you printer manufacturer and look for a support area where they make updated drivers available for download.  Very frequently a newer driver will solve the problem.  If that doesn't help, the next step is the support line for the printer manufacturer.

I have Microsoft Office.  Don't I already have Screen Beans?

Some of our images ship as part of Microsoft Office, and also Microsoft Publisher.  Those same images are part of the collections we offer for sale, but only a small part!

Have you done any animated Screen Beans?

Yes!  We have one collection, Emotions, which contains animations of some of the images.  Animations are in GIF format, suitable for use on a web page.