Those of you who are familiar with both versions of Kid Pix currently being used in state primary schools will know of a number of differences between the two, most notably, the use of text on the Paint-a-Picture screen. Text in the Deluxe version (KPD) is treated separately from graphics. You will note this as soon as you click on the Typewriter Tool. A cursor appears within a frame, and here you can practically use text just like in any other word processor. The snag is that since it is not treated as a graphic, it is not saved with the rest of the graphics. Because of this, other graphic programs like MS Paint or even the older version of Kid Pix Studio (KPS), will not read the text.

This is taken into consideration in the program, only that not all teachers are aware of the feature that solves the problem. KPD enables you to turn the text into graphics, so that this is saved accordingly. However, once this is done, you cannot edit and change any of it by using the Typewriter Tool, as this is not recognised as editable text anymore.

To turn text into graphics, follow these steps:

• Finish entering the text, and make sure that you do not intend to make any changes.
• On the Menu bar, click on Toolbox and Paint Text to Background…
• You will be given the option of applying the features to the current text box or to all other existing ones on the screen. If you have any others and are sure you do not intend to change any of them, it is recommended you opt for the second choice.
• When you save the picture now, the text will be saved as a graphic and will be recognised by other graphics programs.
• Note that the problem lies only with other graphics programs. Any file created with KPD will be loaded properly in KPD itself. Text boxes are still recognised as such by KPD, and can still be edited in future sessions.