Operating Manual (Short Reference)

PERFOMaster 3000

By BuxSoft

Copyright 2003-2006 of the English edition by Hermann Bux, Adelzhausen, Germany

Concept, design and compilation: Hermann Bux
Made in Germany 05/2006 1. Edition in English

Content
Introduction

Description..........................................................................................................................4
Preamble .............................................................................................................................4
Features...............................................................................................................................4
System Requirement ...........................................................................................................5
Freeware .............................................................................................................................5
End User License Agreement (EULA) ...............................................................................5

First Steps

Install / Uninstall PERFOMaster ........................................................................................7

License Key (Unlock PERFOMaster) ................................................................................7

The Program

Program Start ......................................................................................................................8

Program User Interface.......................................................................................................8
Image Windows ..................................................................................................................9
Source Image ........................................................................................................9
Processing Image..................................................................................................9
Result Image.........................................................................................................9
Main Window.....................................................................................................10
Distance Calculator ............................................................................................10
Menu Bar ..........................................................................................................................10
Icon Bar ............................................................................................................................10
Buttons ...............................................................................................................11
Control Mode .....................................................................................................11
Zoom Factor .......................................................................................................11
Resolution...........................................................................................................11
Action Bar.........................................................................................................................11
Automatic Button ...............................................................................................12
Button 1 - Scan or Open .....................................................................................12
Button 2 - Rotate ................................................................................................12
Button 3 - Cut .....................................................................................................12
Button 4 - Measure .............................................................................................12
Results ..............................................................................................................................13
Sliders ...............................................................................................................................13
Status Bar..........................................................................................................................13

Tips and Tricks

14

Tips for working ...............................................................................................................14

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) .................................................................................14

Index

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

17

Content iii

Introduction

Description
The program PERFOMaster 3000 is a powerful and easy to use philatelic tool.
It is used for measuring stamps.
By simply scanning in your stamp or importing an image file of your stamp,
PERFOMaster will be able to measure the perforations of your stamp.
In the automatic mode the stamp is aligned (rotated), cut and measured
automatically by the program. During measuring of the perforation an automatic
compensation of missing teeth generates always correct results. In addition the
program offers a lot of further functions.
We wish you much success with PERFOMaster 3000!

Preamble
This Short Reference Manual is only an abstract of the operating manual. The
complete operating manual is only in German language available yet.
PERFOMaster is not commercial software and therefore we cannot offer this
software in many languages. If you are interested to translate the software
free of charge, then contact us under support@buxsoft.com. We will
mention you in our documents by name. We are not interested in commercial
offers.

Features
PERFOMaster offer a lot of features:

4 Introduction

Scan of stamps (TWAIN-Interface)

Import of the image file of your stamp (Bitmap, JPEG)

Automatic alignment (rotation) of the stamp

Automatic cut of the stamp

Automatic measurement of the perforation

Automatic teeth error detection during the measuring

Optional automatic mode or manual mode

Measuring of elements within the stamp (point to point)

Filter and converter for image editing

Zoom function and magnifier

Adjustment of brightness, contrast and color

Storage and print-out of the result pictures

Print-out of a certificate (results and image of the stamp)

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

Additional input of a comment for the certificate

System Requirement
Minimum System Requirement:
Processor

Pentium 266 MHz or higher

Memory

64 MB RAM minimum

Hard Disk

20 MB free hard disk space

Screen Resolution

1024 x 768 Pixel, 16 million colors (24Bit)

Operating System

Microsoft Windows 98, 2000, XP or NT 4.0

(Service Pack 6).

Image Acquisition

300 dpi Scanner with TWAIN-Interface

Recommended System Requirement:

For the work with pictures with a size of 3MB or higher we recommend the
following equipment:
Processor

Pentium 500 MHz or higher

Memory

256 MB RAM

Hard Disk

120 MB free hard disk space

Image Acquisition

600 dpi Scanner with TWAIN-Interface

Freeware
Note that this version is running only for 1 year without a registration. After the
registration at BuxSoft you will get free license key by e-mail. With this license
key you can unlock the program PERFOMaster3000 for unlimited time. A legal
claim for this license key does not exist!

End User License Agreement (EULA)

IMPORTANT READ THIS CAREFULLY:
This End User License Agreement (EULA) is a legal agreement between you
(either an individual or a single entity) and Hermann Bux, Adelzhausen
(BuxSoft) for the software product PERFOMaster (software product).
You agree to be bound by the terms of this EULA by installing, copying, or
otherwise using the software product. If you do not agree, you are not
allowed to install, copy, or use the software product.
SOFTWARE PRODUCT LICENSE. This software product is protected by
copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual
property laws and treaties. The software product is licensed, not sold.
GRANT OF LICENSE. BuxSoft grants you the following rights provided that
you comply with all terms and conditions of this EULA:
Evaluation version (Evaluation license). You may install, use, access and run
one copy of the software product on a single computer, a workstation, portable
PC or other device. The license rights granted under this EULA are limited to the
first three hundred sixty (360) days after you first install the software product.

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

Introduction 5

Full version (Single-user license). You may install, use, access and run one
copy of the software product on a single computer, a workstation, portable PC
or other device. You may install, use, access and run a second copy of the
software product on a mobile PC only for your own use.
CONFIDENTIALITY. You agree to keep confidential all information for the
activation of the software product, especially the product license key. You may
not publish or distribute the license key or deliver the license key to third parties.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. The software product is distributed AS
IS, which means that you agree to use the software product at your own risk.
To the fullest extent of applicable laws and regulations, BuxSoft does not
warrant that the software product will meet your requirements or that the
software product is free of defects. In no event shall BuxSoft be liable for any
other damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of
business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or other
pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use the software product,
even if BuxSoft has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Notwithstanding any damages that you might incur for any reason whatsoever
(including, without limitation, all damages referenced herein and all direct or
general damages in contract or anything else), the entire liability of BuxSoft and
any of its suppliers under any provision of this EULA and your exclusive
remedy hereunder shall be limited to the greater of the actual damages you incur
in reasonable reliance on the software product up to the amount actually paid
by you for the software product.
ADDITIONAL RIGHTS AND LIMITATIONS.
Reverse engineer. You may not reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the
software product.
No rental. You may not rent, lease or lend this software product.
Support. BuxSoft cannot offer a technical support for all free versions of the
software product.
Software transfer. The initial user of the software product may make a onetime permanent transfer of this EULA and software product to another end
user, provided the initial user retains no copies of the software product. This
transfer must include all of the software product (including all component parts,
the media and printed materials, any upgrades, this EULA, and the license key).
Prior to the transfer, the end user receiving the software product must agree to
all the EULA terms.
Termination. BuxSoft may terminate this EULA if you fail to comply with the
terms and conditions of this EULA. In such event, you must destroy all copies of
the software product and all of its component parts.
UPDATE / UPGRADE. If this software product is an update from an earlier
version of the software product, it is provided to you on a license exchange
base.
RESERVATION OF RIGHTS AND OWNERSHIP. The software product
is owned by BuxSoft and is protected by copyright laws, international treaty
provisions, and other national laws. BuxSoft reserves all rights not expressly
granted to you in this EULA.

6 Introduction

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

First Steps

Install / Uninstall PERFOMaster

Installing:
Make sure your system satisfies the requirements of the software you intend to
install. For more information, see System Requirements.
1.

Download the installation file PM_SETUP_Vxxx (Vxxx means the

version) from the BuxSoft Web site.

2.

Close all other programs.

3.

Double-click on the installation file PM_SETUP_Vxxx to start the

installation process. The PERFOMaster Installer starts automatically
and "unpacks" the files needed to continue.

4.

Follow the instructions of the installer.

Uninstalling:
To uninstall PERFOMaster, execute PERFOMaster Uninstall icon from the
Start/Programs Menu.
1.

Click on the windows button Start, select Program >

PERFOMaster3000, and click on PERFOMaster Uninstall.

2.

Follow the instructions of the uninstaller.

License Key (Unlock PERFOMaster)

To use PERFOMaster for unlimited time, you must enter your license key into
the program. To unlock PERFOMaster follow the next steps:
1. Start PERFOMaster.
2. Click on the menu item Help/Info and select the menu item Info.
The information window of PERFOMaster is opened.
3. Enter into the first input field your user name, into the second field your
e-mail address and into third field your private license key.
IMPORTANT!
You have to enter accurately the user name and the e-mail address,
which you have used during the registration. Pay attention exactly to
the way of writing. Upper case and lower case have no influence.
4.
5.
6.
7.

After filling in all fields push the button Register.

Exit PERFOMaster and start PERFOMaster again.
Open the information window (see topic 2).
After a faultless registration you can find your personal data in the
information window.

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

First Steps 7

The Program

Program Start
You can start PERFOMaster by:
Desktop
Double click on the PERFOMaster icon on your Desktop.
Start Menu
Click on the Start Windows Button, select Program > PERFOMaster, and
click on the PERFOMaster item.

Program User Interface

The user interface consists of three tool bars (the menu bar, the icon bar and the
action bar), as well as three preview windows, one main display window and the
status bar.
On the right side of the screen you can find the results and the sliders for
Brightness, Contrast and Color.

8 The Program

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

Image Windows
PERFOMaster works with three images:

The Source Image,

The Processing Image,

The Result Image.

Each of this images has an own preview window at the left side of the screen.
Note:
To show one of the three images in the main window, click on the associated
preview window.

Source Image
The Source Image is the image transferred form the scanner or from the image
file.

Processing Image
The Processing Image is the basis of the measurement. All actions (e.g.
brightness setting, filtering, rotating ) are done only in the Processing Image.

Result Image
The Result Image is produced after the measurement and it contains the results
of the analyses of the stamp:
The red lines indicate the edges of the teeth and the green lines indicate the
distance between two teeth. PERFOMaster has an automatic teeth error
detection during the measuring. Missing teeth (yellow lines) have no influence
on the result of the perforations!

Example 1: Missing tooth

Example 2: A part of the tooth is covered by the overprint.

Example 3: The overprint covers more than one tooth.

NOTE
Only the green marked areas are included into the calculation of the
perforations. Yellow marked areas are ignored!

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

The Program 9

Main Window
In the main window you can display the Source Image, the Processing Image or
the Result Image by clicking on the preview window of one of these images.
By clicking the buttons in the toolbar, you can switch on the Magnifier (1) and
the Distance Calculator (2).

Distance Calculator
For measuring the distance use the following steps:

Switch on the Distance Calculator in the Icon Bar.

Move the mouse to the first point
Push the left mouse button
Keep the mouse button pressed and move the mouse to the second point
Release the mouse button
The distance is displayed

Menu Bar
In the menu bar you can find all fundamental functions. It is permanently
displayed.

Icon Bar
The Icon Bar consists of 11 Buttons and 3 List Boxes.

10 The Program

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

Buttons

1 Exit
2 New
3 Open file
4 Save as
5 Print
6 Magnifier
7 Distance Calculator
8 Select TWAIN Device
9 Options
10 Information
11 Help

Control Mode
Selection between the Scan mode and the File mode.
Scan mode
Starts the automatic mode with the scanning of the stamp.
File mode
Starts the automatic mode with the opening of a file of the stamp.

Zoom Factor
Select a zoom factor of the main window between 25% and 400%.
IMPORTANT
The zoom factor changes only the scaling of the main window. The size of
the image is unchanged!

Resolution
PERFOMaster needs to know the resolution of your stamp image. Select here the
resolution, with which the stamp became scanned.
You can select a resolution between 300dpi and 1200dpi. For best results, we
recommend to use a resolution of 600dpi for the scanning.
A WRONG SELECTION OF THE RESOLUTION PRODUCE WRONG
RESULTS!

AUTOMATIC RESOLUTION DETECTION

PERFOMaster has an automatic resolution detection. If the image has the
resolution embedded in them, PERFOMaster switch automatically to the
resolution of the image.

Action Bar
You can use the Automatic Button to do the complete job. The buttons 1-4 are
for manual use. The Automatic Button and the first button of the manual use are
different in Scan Mode or in File Mode.

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

The Program 11

Automatic Button
The Automatic Button is different in Scan Mode and in File Mode.
Scan & Measure (Scan Mode)
The Scan & Measure button executes:

Scan of the stamp

Alignment (rotation) of the stamp

Cut of the stamp

Measuring the perforation of the stamp

Open & Measure (File Mode)

The Open & Measure button executes:

Open the file of the stamp

Alignment (rotation) of the stamp

Cut of the stamp

Measuring the perforation of the stamp

Button 1 - Scan or Open

The Button 1 is different in Scan Mode and in File Mode:
Scan (Scan Mode)
Activates the Scanner and transfer the scanned image into PERFOMaster.
Open (File Mode)
Opens the file chooser and import the image file into PERFOMaster.

Button 2 - Rotate
Aligns the image in the main window in a horizontal position.

Button 3 - Cut
Cuts the image in the main window to the size of the stamp.

Button 4 - Measure
Starts the measurement of the perforations.
The following points are very important:

12 The Program

Scan all your stamps on a black background!

Before measuring the perforation, the stamp must be aligned and

cut (Button 2 and 3)!

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

Results
On the right side of the screen the results are shown:

Perforation number

Perforation and mean distance of teeth on the top side of the stamp

Perforation and mean distance of teeth on the bottom side of the stamp

Perforation and mean distance of teeth on the left side of the stamp

Perforation and mean distance of teeth on the right side of the stamp

The last result of the Distance Calculation.

Perforation number (e.g. 11 x 11 ):

The first value (horizontal perforation) is the mean value of the top and the
bottom perforation. The second value (vertical perforation) is the mean value of
the left and the right perforation.
The perforation is only correctly, if the resolution of the image is correctly
selected!

Distance Calculation:
The result is the distance between two points in millimeters. For measuring any
distance inside the stamp use the following steps:

Switch on the Distance Calculator in the Icon Bar.

Move the mouse to the first point
Push the left mouse button
Keep the mouse button pressed and move the mouse to the second point
Release the mouse button
The distance is displayed.

The distance is only correctly, if the resolution of the image is correctly

selected!

Sliders
PERFOMaster has three sliders for the improvement of the image quality. You
can change the:

Brightness
Contrast
Color

Status Bar
The Status Bar gives you all information about the process. In the right area of
the Status Bar the information of the image is displayed.

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

The Program 13

Tips and Tricks

Tips for working

1.

We suggest that all your scans of stamps be on a black background. For

example, a matt black cardboard is suitable as a background.

2.

Make sure that there are no bright spots in the image background. Make
sure that the background of the stamp is absolutely free from paper
leavings and other particles. Clean the glass panel of your scanner if
necessary.

3.

Scan only one stamp per image. Make sure that no parts of other stamps
extend into the picture!

4.

For best results, we recommend to use a resolution of 600dpi for the

scanning. Higher resolutions effect more memory consumption and
longer calculation time without a better quality of the results.

5.

You need images with high contrast so that the PERFOMaster can
determine where the edge of the perforations starts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The scanner in PERFOMaster does not work.
1.

Check if a TWAIN interface is installed. Maybe you may need to

remove the TWAIN driver and then re-install a newer version of the
TWAIN driver.

2.

Check if your scanning device is connected, switched on and ready for

operation.

3.

When you have more than one TWAIN device installed on your
computer, it is necessary to select the TWAIN source for the device in
PERFOMaster (Button "Select TWAIN-Device").

The stamp is displayed, but the perforation is not measured.

14 Tips and Tricks

1.

Perhaps the stamp is scanned with a white background. For a correct

operation of PERFOMaster, it is essential that the stamp became
scanned with a black background. For example, a matt black
cardboard is suitable as a background.

2.

The stamp is scanned with a too low resolution. Many "all-in-one"

devices scan with a resolution of 150dpi (dots per inch) or less, what is
insufficient for practical results. Scan the stamps at minimum 300dpi.
For best results, we recommend that your images be at least 600dpi.

3.

In the manual mode you have to rotate and to cut the stamp before
measuring the perforation.

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

The rotation or the cutting of the stamp does not work accurately.
1.

The brightness and/or the contrast of the picture are too low. Increase
the brightness setting and/or the contrast setting of your scanner.

2.

There are bright spots or edges in the image background. Make sure
that the background of the stamp is absolutely free from paper leavings
and other particles. Clean the glass panel of your scanner if necessary.
Make sure that no parts of other stamps extend into the picture!

I can not open a stored image of a stamp.

1.

PERFOMaster supports only the image formats BMP, JPG and DIB in
24-bit color. Convert other image formats into one of the formats
mentioned.

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

Tips and Tricks 15

Index

Preamble 2
Processing Image 8
Program Start 7
Program User Interface 7

R
Resolution 10
Result Image 8
Results 11

Action Bar 10
Automatic Button 11

Sliders 12
Source Image 8
Status Bar 12
System Requirement 3

Button 1 - Scan or Open 11

Button 2 - Rotate 11
Button 3 - Cut 11
Button 4 - Measure 11
Buttons 10

The Program 7
Tips and Tricks 13
Tips for working 13

Zoom Factor 10

Control Mode 10

D
Description 2
Distance Calculator 9

E
End User License Agreement (EULA) 3

F
Features 2
First Steps 5
Freeware 3
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 13

I
Icon Bar 9
Image Windows 8
Install / Uninstall PERFOMaster 5
Introduction 2

L
License Key (Unlock PERFOMaster) 5

M
Main Window 9
Menu Bar 9

Operating Manual (Short Reference) PERFOMaster 3000

Index 17