If you are attempting to edit a letter template created before 2016, please be aware that we switched to a new editor for letters in mid-2015 and have laid out what you need to know below.
Why the change?
The old editor was based on outdated technology that some browsers have identified as a security risk. Your security is important to us and in order to ensure that we’re keeping up with these changing security standards, we’ve had to make a few changes. Also, the new editor allows Mac users to create and customize letter templates.
If you currently use the editor to edit your existing letters, there are a few things you need to know. If you’re using a Mac, or don’t edit your existing letters, read no further as the details outlined here don’t apply to you.
Windows users, here’s what you need to know:
#1) When you edit your personal letter templates, we convert it so you can use it in the new editor. This conversion may change some of the formatting.
The two most important parts of this equation are:
- Some formatting may be altered during the conversion: It’s important that whenever we tell you we’re going to convert a template (see the first point below), you look it over carefully and make any necessary changes (see the third point below). You’ll want to make sure everything looks okay before you use the letter. ;
- Only personal letter templates you edit are affected by the conversion: All of your existing letter templates used in your plans & activities, as well as the system templates that come with Top Producer CRM, are not affected. See the 1st FAQ below for details.
So, whenever you open a personal letter template for editing, this is what will happen and what you should do:
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We’ll convert it for you. The minute you open one of your templates to edit it, we’ll let you know this is happening:
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Since some of the formatting may change during the conversion, you should look over the template to make sure it looks alright. You can compare the converted template to the original if you want:
- Make any changes you need to before you save it. (I’ve listed some of the possible formatting issues you may run into and how to fix them in the ‘Conversion issues’ FAQ below.)
- When you’re happy with it, save it. We’ll overwrite the original, but we have a copy for you if you need it. (See the 1st FAQ in the ‘Conversion issues’ section below for details.)
#2) You’ll use a new editor to create and edit your letter templates.
You may be familiar with the editor-we already use it for email templates. Some of the editing capabilities in the new editor are slightly different, but we’ve included all the details you need to know in the Using the Editor article.
#3) Your email signature will now be used in your letters instead of your marketing signature.
Since your marketing signature used the old editor, your email signature will be used. By default, the first signature in the list will be used, but you can easily change this or add a new letter signature (see the 2nd FAQ in the ‘General’ section below).
#4) If you need to edit your envelopes or labels, use Internet Explorer.
Of course you can still continue to select and print all of the default envelopes and labels included in Top Producer CRM as you normally would. And chances are our default templates will work fine for you, but if you need to edit an envelope or label, you’ll have to use Internet Explorer. You won’t be able to edit them in the Firefox or Chrome browser.
FAQ – General
I don't know the difference between a system and personal template. Can you spell out exactly what templates could have potential conversion issues and which ones won't?Only the personal templates that you edit may contain potential conversion issues. Here’s a quick lesson on system vs. personal vs. templates used in activities and what will be affected:
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Personal templates: These are the templates you create yourself-either from scratch or by copying a system template. (They show the ;
icon in the template list.) These templates will be converted if you edit them. ;
- System templates: These are the templates that come with Top Producer CRM and can’t be edited. These aren’t affected.
- Templates used in activities: These are templates you’ve selected to use in activities, such as scheduled letters in your action plans. These aren’t affected either, unless of course the activity contains a personal template that you’ve edited. In which case, we would’ve notified you when you edited the template that is was converted and to check it for potential formatting issues.
If you received a message when trying to print some of your letters, it means that we had to convert some of them and you should review all the letters you selected for potential formatting issues.
If you come across formatting issues, there are a couple of options:
- You can cancel the print job and print the letters one at a time. If you print the letters individually, no conversion would be necessary so you would avoid potential formatting issues.
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If you think you will frequently want to mass print these letters, it’s best to edit the templates and fix the formatting from the Letter Library. That way the template will be fixed for future use and you won’t encounter the same issue with this template again.
To do this, just go to Marketing > Letter Library > select the category that contains the template > click the template to edit it.
Then make the necessary changes (see the Conversion Issues FAQ below for help). When you’re done, save the template and, if needed, repeat for any other templates you saw that contained formatting issues. You’ll then be able to resume your mass print without an issue.
If you received a message when performing a mail out, it means that we had to convert the letter in order for you to view it in the new editor. This means you should review the letter you selected for potential formatting issues.
If you come across formatting issues, there are a couple of options:
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You can cancel the mail out (just click the Back button in your browser) and create an activity instead. If you follow these steps, the letter won’t be converted, so you would avoid potential conversion issues.
Go to Calendar > Add Activity > select the ;Letter ;activity type > ; then select the contacts you want to send to.
Next, select the letter template you want to print > click Print Preview.
The print preview will appear in a separate window, where you’ll be able to print the letter without converting it.
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If you think you’ll frequently want to perform a mail out with this letter template, it’s best to edit the template and fix any formatting issues from the Letter Library. That way the template will be fixed for future use and you won’t encounter the same issue again.
To do this, just go to Marketing > Letter Library > select the category that contains the template > click the template to edit it.
Then make the necessary changes (see the Conversion Issues FAQ below for help). When you’re done, save the template and you’ll be able to resume your mail out without an issue.
Don’t fret, it’s just because you’re using an older version of Internet Explorer (the latest is Internet Explorer 11). If you perform a mail out with the same letter template in either a newer version of Internet Explorer, or Firefox or Chrome, everything will work as expected.
If you use LivePost to print letters from within Top Producer CRM, you’ll need to make sure that the tags and other info that LivePost requires is all on the last page-not separated between page breaks. You’ll be able to see this when you preview the letter.
Here’s an example of a LivePost letter that doesn’t need to be changed because all of the LivePost info & tags are on the last page.
Here’s an example of a letter that needs to be tweaked because the LivePost info is split across 2 pages.
So how do you know if the LivePost stuff is on one page like it’s supposed to be? Easy.
- Preview the letter. (If you’re editing the letter, just click Preview or Print Now; if you’re adding or viewing an activity, click Print Preview to see if you need to edit it.)
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If all of the LivePost info appears on 1 page, you’re good to go. If it’s split across 2 pages, you’ll need to make a tweak or two. Just place your cursor above the “Top Producer has partnered…” text > press Enter on your keyboard a few times (see below).
(And if you’re adding/editing an activity and need to know how to get to the Edit Template page shown below, Edit Template is the link you’re looking for.)
- Next, preview it (either Preview or Print Now will get you there) to see if the info is now all on 1 page. If it’s not, just repeat step 2 again. You’ll eventually get it.
And one last tip before you save it, pay close attention to the number at the end of all the LivePost info (shown below). That number should reflect the actual page number that the LivePost info appears on.
By default, the first signature in your Email Signature list will be used, but you can easily change this.
From the Settings area > click the Email tab > click the Signature tab.
You can use another signature for your letters by selecting it from the Letter Activity drop-down list.
Or you can add a new letter signature using the editor. Just be sure to select this new signature from the Letter Activity drop-down list when you’re done.
In the old editor, you set your page size and margins when editing your letter:
Now you set your page size and margins after you preview the letter. So when editing the letter, just click the Preview button at the bottom of the page > then set your page size and margins from the Preview window:
One of the easiest ways is to use a table. Just click the Table ;
; icon > ;Insert table > and select how many rows and columns you want. If you want some text or images on the left, some in the center, and some on the right, you can add a 3 column table as shown below.
The old editor made use of the fonts on your computer, so you may notice there are less fonts available to use. The fonts you see in the new editor are stored on our server and are similar to the fonts you will find in any online email solution, including Gmail and Yahoo.
It’s good practice to use common fonts. Doing so ensures your recipients will see the effect you’ve created.
Your paper settings are no longer saved with the template. Instead, the paper settings from your last browser session will be used. If you clear your browser history though, these settings will be lost and you’ll have to set them again.
If you use Internet Explorer or Firefox, for now you’ll continue to use the Top Producer Editor to create and edit these marketing materials as you normally do. We’ll keep you updated on any future changes. If you use Google Chrome, in order to edit your presentations, postcards and flyers, you’ll need to use Internet Explorer instead.
FAQ – Conversion issues and how to resolve
What happens if I don't like the look of the converted template?If you haven’t saved it yet, you can click cancel in the editor and the conversion changes won’t be saved. Keep in mind though that in order to edit the template, it’ll eventually have to be converted.
With some quick editing, you’ll have your template looking great in no time. See the FAQs below for potential conversion issues and how to fix them, and if you need help, chat with us (bottom-right corner of this page or inside your Top Producer product).
If you saved the converted template but want to revert back to the old template, we do have backups of all the converted templates. You can restore the original. We can assist you via live chat (bottom-right corner of this page or inside your Top Producer product) but keep in mind you won’t be able to edit it without converting it first.
All merge codes will have one space before the merge code itself. You can just delete the space if you want to.
To delete it, place your cursor at the very beginning of the line so there’s a space between your cursor and the merge code, then press Delete on your keyboard.
Any images/text boxes will appear at the end of the template after conversion.
If you have the image on your computer or saved somewhere else, the easiest way is to delete the image and then add it again.
To do this, click it > from the Image Properties dialog, click Delete.
Then click the Insert image icon to add the image again.
If you don’t have the image saved on your computer or somewhere else, you can copy it.
Place your cursor below the image > press SHIFT + the UP arrow to highlight the image. (If you click the image with your mouse it’ll just bring up the Image Properties dialog and you don’t want that.)
Once you have the image highlighted, press CTRL + C to copy it > then place your cursor where you want the image to go > press CTRL + V to paste it.
The first step is to preview it (just click the Preview button) to see what it looks like. The font you see in the editor may look slightly different when previewed.
If you don’t like the font when previewed, then just highlight the font you want to change > then select a different font from the Font name drop-down list.
For an explanation of why you may not see all of your fonts listed, see the FAQ – General section above.
Unfortunately headers and footers aren’t supported in the new editor, so your header/footer won’t appear correctly after the conversion.
You can recreate your header/footer, but keep in mind you’ll have to insert it on each page manually, and you’ll have to preview the template to see where the page breaks are (so you know where to insert it).
Using the Table feature, you can insert a table to create a header/footer (see below). To do this, click the Table icon > ;Insert table > insert a table with 3 rows and 1 column.
Unfortunately the only way is to manually add them by entering the page numbers, which will require you to preview the template to see where the page breaks are.
If you want your page numbers to appear either in the center of the letter or on the right, you can insert a table (see below).
- Click the Table icon > Insert table > insert a table with 2 rows and 1 column.
- The body of your letter can go in the 1st row, while your page number can go in the 2nd. Once you’ve entered your page number, select whether you want it to appear in the center
or on the right 
.
