Do I have the most recent version of Report Card Maker?

The most recent version of Report Card Maker is version 4.0. It is available for both Macintosh and Windows. If you are not working with this version, please download it now.

If you are using RCM 4.0 or later, you can check for updates within RCM. Follow these directions.

How do I copy my file to a floppy disk?

The preferred method to copy your RCM Teacher file to a floppy diskette is to locate your teacher file on your hard drive and:

Macintosh: Drag the file to the floppy disk.

Windows: Right-click the file and choose "Send To -> "A Drive"

You can also choose "Save As..." from the file menu in Report Card Maker. Please note that to some new computer users, this can be a bit confusing.

Can I work from a floppy?

Yes. But floppy disks can slow the down the application because reading from a floppy disk is not nearly as fast as your hard drive. Also, floppy disks are somewhat unreliable. We recommend using them ONLY to transfer your files from one location to another or to store a backup of your work.

How do I attach my file to an eMail?

Using eMail is a great way to transport your teacher file from one location to another. Read this for complete instructions.

Should I make a backup?

Yes! Even with the best computers, things can go wrong. If your computer should crash or become infected with a virus, you will want to have a "clean" copy of your work to go back to. Your report cards are too important to leave to chance.

How often should I save?

If you have not turned off the "Auto-Save" feature in version 3, don't worry about it. RCM will save for you. Otherwise, save as often as you think about it! You can't save often enough. Think of it this way: Whatever you do after you save, is at risk of being lost to a computer lockup or crash. Save, save, SAVE!

This is easy to fix. See changing rcd files.

I am getting strange printing results when printing report cards from my Windows computer. What can I do?

If you are using RCM Version 4, download and install this patch.

There are several things you can do to fix printing problems:

If you have not restarted your computer since installing RCM, try restarting your computer.

If your report cards use legal size paper, verify that you have chosen "Legal" size paper in the "Page Setup" option in the "File" menu.

Verify that you have the latest version of your printer's driver installed.

Reinstall the print driver.

If your file becomes damaged or lost, use the "Automatic Archive" feature in RCM to recover the file. Follow these steps.

Added to RCM version 3.3.8, is the "Session Archive" feature. Each time a file is opened or saved, a session archive is also created and/or updated. When the file is closed, RCM will delete the session archive after the normal Automatic Archive is successfully created. This is useful if you need to recover data and no Automatic Archive exists (a power failure, for example). The Session Archive is saved in the "RCM" folder and has a name like "~572837458.rct".

RCM preforms a "Shrink-to-fit" on all comments. The "Extra Space" you are seeing is the difference of 1 point text size. The text shrinks until it fits in the comment area. It starts at the size you set in the Edit Comment Window (12 is the default). If it doesn't fit at 12 point, then it tries 11; then 10; then 9. It will continue until it fits. What you are seeing is the difference between font size X and X+1. It may fit at size X, but not at X+1. At size X, it looks like there is plenty more room. However, if you were to increase the font size to X+1, it wouldn't fit. That's why you are seeing what looks like extra space.

This is likely an incomplete download. Manually download and install the "RCMData.rcx" file. You can get this file here. Copy this file in your "RCM" folder (replacing the existing "RCMData.rcx" file). You can find the "RCM" folder at (Windows) C:/Program Files/RCM, or (Macintosh) in the "Applications" folder.