Draw-On-Screen is a program that allows you to draw simple images on your Windows screen that appear in front of whatever programs are running. Besides just for fun, it can useful for people who are giving a presentation by projecting a computer screen for a group of people to see. The user can draw circles, arrows, or other symbols on the screen to emphasize or clarify the text or diagrams on the screen. Anything you draw on the screen using Draw-On-Screen does not affect the documents being shown on the screen. The images produced by Draw-On-Screen are simply displayed on the screen, they are not and do not become a part of the data displayed. You can easily erase the images to draw new images. You can also save images to your hard drive and recall them later.
Shareware Notice
Draw-On-Screen is distributed as shareware. This means that you can try it for 10 days to see if it fits your needs. If it does, you are required to pay for it by sending the registration fee of $14.98 (US) to Leithauser Research. You can pay with a credit card online at paylr.html, or by calling Leithauser Research at 1-386-410-6769 with your credit card information. You can also send check or money order and the registration form (click on the Print button on the registration screen to print this form) to
David Leithauser
Leithauser Research
821 SnapDragon Drive
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
If you do not pay the registration fee within 10 days of the time you start using it, Draw-On-Screen will stop functioning until you pay the registration fee. When you pay for Draw-On-Screen, you will receive the registration code, which you can then input in the Register screen. This registration screen will appear each time you run Draw-On-Screen. You can also cause it to appear by clicking on the Register menu at the right end of the menu line on top of the Draw-On-Screen window.
Installing Draw-On-Screen in Windows
To install Draw-On-Screen on your disk, run the dosarc.exe by double clicking on the dosarc.exe icon in Windows Explorer or My Computer, or by using the Run option when you download tdcarc.exe from LeithauserResearch.com.
Using Draw-On-Screen
When you run Draw-On-Screen, you will see a window with various controls and menus. These are fairly simple and straightforward, but a quick explanation will be helpful.
Before you start drawing, there are few things you might want to configure. These are listed under the Configure menu. That is, click on the Configure menu to see the items under it. You do not absolutely have to configure them, because they have default values (settings that are preset when the program first runs) that are normally quite satisfactory. It is only if you want to change them that you need to do any configuring.
The first item listed under the Configure menu is whether you want Draw-On-Screen to constantly force the drawing to appear above everything else. Basically, this causes Draw-On-Screen to repeatedly refresh the drawing so that it appears before any other program running. The drawing will normally appear in front of everything else, but some portions may occasionally be obscured. Activating this option prevents this, and is generally useful. The only drawback to doing this that it takes some time from your computer processor, so other programs might seem a little slower. Clicking on this option turns it on or off. If it is currently on, there will be a check mark beside the item in the menu. The default is for this feature to be on.
The next decision you need to make is how you want to control whether the mouse is drawing as it moves. You can select to control drawing with the left mouse button or the shift key, or both. If you select draw with left mouse button, the mouse cursor will draw while you hold down the left mouse button. If you select draw with Shift key, the mouse will draw while you hold down the shift key. If you select both, the mouse cursor will draw if you press either the left mouse button or the shift key. Clicking on either option under the Configure menu toggles it on or off, and a check mark shows next to the option if it is active. The default when Draw-On-Screen start is to draw using the left mouse button. Note: If you are drawing only with the mouse button, holding down the shift key will temporarily pause drawing. This is to allow you to use the mouse normally to activate programs or other normal activities.
Drawing with Draw-On-Screen
To draw with Draw-On-Screen, click on the On option button in the "Drawing" frame on the Draw-On-Screen control panel to enable drawing. Then simply move the mouse cursor around the screen while holding down the left mouse button or the Shift key, depending on which one is selected as your drawing control. To draw a continuous line, you may need to move the mouse fairly slowly. Moving it too fast can cause Draw-On-Screen to skip a little, producing a broken line. This is simply because Draw-On-Screen can only draw so fast. (Note: Draw-On-Screen may actually slow down a little if there is currently a complex drawing on the screen already.) You can paint a single pixel by clicking the left mouse button or shift key.
You can erase a small amount of painting by moving the mouse over the painted area while holding down the RIGHT mouse button. Erase a single pixel by right clicking on the pixel. To erase the entire picture, click on the Clear button on the Draw-On-Screen control panel.
You can select the color you are drawing with by clicking on the Color palette on the Draw-On-Screen control panel. Draw-On-Screen will then draw with the color you have selected. The default is red. The current drawing color is indicated by a black bar under the current color.
You can select the width that Draw-On-Screen draw with by moving the slider on the Draw-On-Screen control panel. The default is 100. Have fun experimenting with various colors and sizes.
You can turn off drawing to allow normal use of the mouse by clicking on the Off option button on the Draw-On-Screen control panel. The picture you have drawn will remain on the screen. Remember that you can also suspend drawing by holding down the Shift key if you are drawing using only the left mouse button.
Saving the results to a file
You can save the picture you currently have on the screen by clicking on the File menu and then clicking on the "Save Picture" option. This will display a window with a text box where you can input a file name. Pick a name that describes your picture. Do not add an extension, and do not use illegal file characters such as an asterisk or a question mark. Once you have typed the name, click on the Save button or press the Enter key. You will return to the main Draw-On-Screen window. You can cancel saving the file by clicking on the Cancel button or pressing the Esc key.
Retrieving a file
Once you have saved one or more pictures, you can retrieve them later by clicking on the File menu and then the "Load Picture" option. You will see a window that lists the pictures you have saved. Click on a picture name and then click on the Load button, or simply double click on the picture name on the list. The picture will automatically load and be displayed on the screen. The loaded picture will replace any picture you currently have on the screen. You can abort loading a picture by clicking on the cancel button or pressing the Esc key.
Exiting Draw-On-Screen
You can exit Draw-On-Screen by clicking on the Exit option under the File menu, or by clicking on the small X in the upper right corner of the Draw-On-Screen control panel. Exiting Draw-On-Screen erases the current picture from the screen.
Uninstalling Draw-On-Screen
If, after trying Draw-On-Screen, you decide that you do not want to keep it, exit Draw-On-Screen by clicking on Files/Exit if it is currently running. Then open the Windows Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features (depending on which Windows operating system you have). Select Draw-On-Screen and follow the standard uninstall procedure for your computer. This will totally remove Draw-On-Screen from your computer.
Bug reports and suggestions
Reports of problems or suggestions for improvement are welcome. Send such reports or suggestions to:
David Leithauser
Leithauser Research
821 SnapDragon Drive
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
You also can send email to [email protected]. In cases of emergency, you can call Leithauser Research at (386) 410-6769 between the hours of 10 AM and 10 PM ET.
If I feel that the improvement would be of interest to most users, I will make it for free and send you the improved version. If the improvement is unusual and suited only to your specific needs, I can give you a price quote for a customized version of Draw-On-Screen (see below).
Custom programming
Leithauser Research does custom programming. If you would like a custom program of any type written, please contact David Leithauser at the above address for Leithauser Research, or send email to [email protected]. Describe the program you would like written in as much detail as possible and I will give you a price estimate.
Go to Leithauser Research home page
Go to Draw-On-Screen download page