Can’t Open BarTender File?

If you use Seagull Scientific’s BarTender label program, you might have come across this little problem.

Someone sends you a label file, but when you start up BarTender and try to open the file, you get the error message that tells you the label was made in a newer version of the program and you can’t use it on your ancient installed version.

Instant frustration, especially when you need to get going with printing that label fast.

Not to worry though – there is a simple workaround!

BarTender has a very helpful feature that lets you save a file in any BarTender version, way back to Version 6.1 – before most of us were born I suspect. To use this, just click on Save As in the File menu and choose the appropriate version number in the File Type drop down.

Now, I know what you’re thinking “David this is all very well, but I can’t open the file, let alone save it!”

Keep cool – there are two courses of action you can take:

1. Contact the person who sent you the original file, let them know the version of BarTender you have and ask them to save it for you in your version.
2. If you can’t have the sender do it for you, just head over to the Seagull Scientific website and download the trial of the current BarTender release. This will allow you to open your label file and save it in the version you need. Best to do this on a different computer to the one you use BarTender on – the trial version will overwrite the original install which is not good (I’m sure this wasn’t the case in the past!)

The only thing to be careful is that there is a danger of losing features on your label if the original was using features that were not available at the time your installed version was produced. If that happens, we’ll be happy to help you with an upgrade!

I hope this is helpful – if there is anything we can do to make your labeling work better, give me a call at 603-598-1553 x237.