Troubleshooting

Occasionally, problems may occur in the software or an error messages may appear. For such cases, we have created a step-by-step troubleshooting guide that you can use to try to fix the problem. This guide will take you through the process of identifying possible difficulties and finding appropriate solutions.

As a first step, we recommend that you delete the temporary files. In many cases, this will resolve the problem. However, if the problem persists, we recommend that you check and consider the following options.

Deleting temporary data

1. Open the Settings menu, which can usually be accessed through the gear icon.
2. Look for the option to Delete temporary data and select it.
3. Tick all three options: Delete temporary data, Delete downloaded designs, and Delete thumbnails.
4. Confirm the deletion by selecting Delete now.
5. A dialogue box will appear, indicating that the software needs to be closed. Please close the software.
6. Restart the software to complete the process.
   If you encounter the error message again, please consider the following troubleshooting steps:

Images cannot be displayed/loaded

If you encounter issues with images not being displayed or loaded, please consider the following steps for troubleshooting:

1. Start by verifying that the images are saved in a supported file format and colour space.
2. To avoid potential permission issues, you can also try saving the images to your desktop as a test.
3. Make sure you folders or file numbers do not contain any emojis. If they do, removing them will solve the issue.

For macOS users, follow these additional steps:

1. Allow the design software full access to your hard drive. You can do this by going to the Security > Privacy > Full Disk Access section in your system preferences.
2. In that section, specify the design software as an application that should have full disk access. By adding it here, the software should be able to access your image sources.
3. Make sure you have granted access to Apple Photos for the Saal Design Program in your operating system settings. You can do this by going to the System Preferences > Privacy & Security > Photos. Enable access to your Prints for the Saal Digital app in the list.

You should then be able to access them.

Trouble Accessing Images on NAS or Cloud

The issue you’re facing is that you’re unable to reach or view images stored on your NAS (Network Attached Storage) or in your cloud service. To fix this problem, follow these steps:

Assign a drive letter: Imagine your NAS or cloud service as a digital storage space. To access files, your computer needs a specific way to identify and reach that space, like a letter for a specific room. In this case, you need to assign a drive letter to your NAS or cloud storage, which is like giving that storage space a unique name. This helps your computer find and access the images you want.

Trouble accessing images on a USB drive

If you’re having trouble accessing these images directly from the USB storage device, one solution is to copy the images to a folder on your computer’s internal storage. You should be able to access your images now.

Bold and italics not available in all fonts

Some fonts do not support bold or italic characters. This is due to the font itself and is not a fault of the software. To get bold or italic text, you should choose fonts that offer these styles.

The file could not be saved

If you receive the message The file could not be saved when exporting a project or creating a PDF from a project, make sure that the software has full access rights to the folder where you want to save the files, or select a different folder.

For macOS users, follow these additional steps:

1. Allow the design software full access to your hard drive. You can do this by going to the Security > Privacy > Full Disk Access section in your system preferences.
2. In this section, add the design software as an application that should have full disk access. By adding it here, the software should be able to save the files.

Error message always on the same page in a project

If you experience the issue on specific pages, you can resolve it by following these steps:

1. Select the affected pages and delete all their contents from the project. To do this, navigate to the right pane and click on Page. Then, choose Select All to highlight all elements.
2. Press the delete key on your keyboard to remove the selected elements. Ensure that no elements remain in the Layers section.
3. Next, rename the image files associated with the project. Then, copy and paste the content, including the renamed image files, text boxes, and other elements, back into the pages.
4. Finally, save the project under a new name to ensure that the changes are applied.

Missing project: saved online in Photo Portal account

Check if you are logged into the Account where you saved the projects. Click on the Account icon in the left bottom corner, and check the email address that is displayed. If you have several email addresses, check if you might have another Account with another email address.

Missing project: saved locally on the device

After change of device or hardware

Old/original deviceSearch for the projects on the original device and application that was used to design it.

New Device

1. Using a Photo Portal Account: On the old device, log into your Photo Portal account and save the projects online. Then, log into the same account on the new device.
2. Using Export/Import
   • Export: Open the software, load the project, click Share or Export Project, and save it as an SSWPRM file on external storage.
   • Import: Install the software on the new device, go to Projects, click Import Project, and select the exported SSWPRM file.

After change of hardware or deleting the software or data

If you’ve changed hardware (e.g., hard drive) or deleted data, and there’s no backup, recovery is not possible. Register for a Photo Portal account to prevent future data loss.

After Changing Storage Path or Moving Data

Have you moved or copied data temporarily? Or did you change the location where the data is stored?

Proceed as follows:

1. Check the project folder: Go to the software settings and find the path to the project folder. This path indicates where your projects are stored.
2. Check that the path is correct: Make sure the path to the project folder is correct and known to the software.
3. Grant access: If you have moved the project folder, for example to an external drive, make sure that drive is connected to your system. The software needs access to view the projects. Save the correct path in the preferences.

If you are not able to restore the data to its original location or changing the storage path does not solve the problem, the projects can unfortunately not be restored any more.

Unsaved Projects or Data Lost Due to Technical Issues

1. Project not saved: If a project was never saved and is lost, it can not be recovered/restored.
2. Project ordered but not saved: If the project was ordered but not saved, it cannot be recovered unless saved to a Photo Portal account. Always save projects and order while logged into the account.
3. Latest changes not saved: If changes were not saved, recovery is not possible. Regularly save your work and back up long-term projects using the Export project feature.
4. Full disk space: If disk space was full while saving, the project might be lost. Ensure sufficient free space when using the software, as temporary downloads can quickly fill up the disk.

The order cannot be uploaded

If you are experiencing difficulties uploading your order, please consider the following steps to resolve the issue:

1. Start by checking your computer’s settings to determine if a firewall or antivirus program is blocking the software.
2. If you find that the software is being blocked, you will need to unblock it within these programs.
3. By unblocking the software, you should be able to upload your order without any further problems.
4. Please restart your system completely if it’s not working. If you have tried the previous steps and are still unable to upload your order, it may be helpful to perform a complete system restart. Restarting your computer can often resolve temporary glitches or conflicts that may be preventing the upload process from functioning properly.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the issue of being unable to upload your order successfully.

Payment window not displayed

When you try to make a payment for your order, a window should open in your web browser where you can complete the payment. However, some people are experiencing a problem where this payment window doesn’t appear. The following error message appears: The payment window opens in your default browser. Please complete the payment there.

Check that you have set a default web browser in your computer’s settings. A default browser is the one that opens automatically when you click on a link or open a web page. If you don’t have one set, you’ll need to choose your favourite web browser and set it as your default.

Once you have set your default browser, close and re-open the software and try to complete the order process again.

Following these steps, the payment window should now appear and you can proceed with your payment. Don’t worry, the items you want to buy will still be in your shopping basket, so you won’t lose them during this process.

Software stops responding or hangs

If you come across a situation where the software stops responding or appears to be frozen, the recommended solution is to restart your computer. This action is highly effective in resolving the problem in nearly all cases.

Software is very slow or takes a long time to access images

Can be caused by antivirus or anti-malware software, which can interrupt file access and cause these problems. You can try disabling the specific software you are using to see if this fixes the problem.

However, we strongly recommend that you do not use a system without proper antivirus software installed.

Unable to install or start software

If you are encountering issues with installing or starting the desktop software, please take the following steps to troubleshoot the problem:

1. Verify the compatibility of the software with your operating system. Ensure that your operating system meets the minimum requirements specified by the software.
2. Check if the software is being blocked by your firewall or antivirus program.
3. If the software is being blocked, it might be due to your firewall or virus scanner/antivirus program. In such cases, please unblock the software within these programs.

By performing these actions, you should be able to address the problem of being unable to install or start the software successfully.

Software starts in offline mode

If you find that the software only starts in offline mode, this indicates that it does not have access to the Internet. Very limited functionality is available when you are working in offline mode as the software requires an internet connection to work correctly. To resolve this issue, please follow the steps below.

1. Check your computer’s settings to see if a firewall or antivirus program is blocking the software’s access to the Internet.
2. If you find that it is blocking the software’s access to the Internet, check your computer’s settings. If you find that the software is being blocked by these programs, you will need to unblock them.
3. If you unblock the software in your firewall or antivirus program, you should be able to reconnect to the Internet.
4. Once you have unblocked the software, it should work properly.

Still having problems?

Install the software onto a different computer, export your project and import it onto that system. Check if any issues you experienced are then resolved. If you still continue to encounter problems, we are here to assist you. Please reach out to our customer care team and provide the following information:

1. Describe the steps you took leading up to the appearance of the error message. This will help us understand the context of the issue.
2. Send us a screenshot of the problem you are experiencing.
3. Inform us about the name and version of your operating system. This information will help us narrow down potential compatibility issues.
4. Provide us with the error log. To access the error log, click on the Settings button (gear icon) located in the top right corner of the software. In the window that opens, click on the Open folder with log file button. Please send us all log files from the last 7 days.

By providing this information to our customer support team using the form provided, we will be better able to investigate the issue and provide you with the necessary assistance. Your input will help us understand and resolve the issue you are experiencing. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with the requested information.