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Top questions

  • How to print checks for consignors 2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 52 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5
  • Getting Started Checklist 1 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 5
  • How to network multiple copies of InBloom 1 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 5
  • Performing a “hard upgrade” to your copy of InBloom 1 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 51 vote, average: 5.00 out of 5
  • How to configure a cash drawer to open with InBloom 5 votes, average: 4.20 out of 55 votes, average: 4.20 out of 55 votes, average: 4.20 out of 55 votes, average: 4.20 out of 55 votes, average: 4.20 out of 5

    • Frequently Asked Questions

    • What format is available in receipt printing
      • There are multiple formats of receipts for both 8.5" x 11" paper and thermal receipt paper which is usually 72mm x 100+mm
    • Where do I download the upgrade for InBloom?
      • The upgrade for InBloom is the same as downloading the full product for new customers. Simply go to InBloomSoftware.com/download, choose Mac or PC, and download a fresh copy of either InBloom Lite or InBloom Pro. Once you've downloaded the fresh copy, simply take the InBloom Data.fp7 file from the Modules folder of your previous InBloom folder and drag the file into your new InBloom folder. There is a full description of this process here.
    • Does InBloom process credit cards?
      • No, InBloom does not have built-in credit card processing (but you can keep track of charges). Why not? Because most software has to go through a 4th party (known as a payment gateway) that clears the payment before it even reaches your credit card processor, and these companies tack on an additional transaction fee and commission. For the time being, we recommend using a dedicated credit card machine on your desk that is both quicker and more secure for you and your customers.
    • Are there non-profit discounts of InBloom?
      • We hope the competitive prices make our products affordable for all of our customers but we do offer a 25% discount for 501c3 non-profit companies. Email us (sales@inbloomsoftware.com) for more info or questions.
    • How do I transfer my copy of InBloom to another computer?

      • All of your InBloom inventory, sales, and contact information is stored in your InBloom folder.  Simply copy the files to an external hard drive, USB drive, etc. attached to your older machine, then mount the drive on your new machine and copy the files off of the drive.  That's it!

    • Is there a way to enter consignment items at home, on a different PC, and then import the data at the store?

      • There are two ways of doing this: 1) Purchase two copies of FileMaker Pro and network them in realtime with some hoops to jump through for creating a "static IP" address; or, 2) Copy the whole InBloom folder to a small USB drive, copy the files at home, use the program at home, then copy back to the USB drive and bring it back to work the next day.  Unless, you're comfortable with networking and already have two copies of FileMaker Pro, option #2 is recommended.

        All of the information is stored in the InBloom folder and given large size USB drives are inexpensive now, this is a fairly painless way of doing it.  There's no easy syncing mechanism built into the software, so after editing at home, one simply has to overwrite the the files at the store the next morning.

    • Can I use a barcode scanner with InBloom?
      • Yes, you can absolutely use any barcode scanner that is compatible with your computer. For both Mac & Windows computers, we recommend the Metrologic Voyager CG barcode scanner for use with InBloom. Any barcode scanner that can be configured to add a carriage return (the equivalent of hitting the “Return” or “Enter” key on the keyboard) is usable with the InBloom Sales module. Check with your scanner’s documentation to verify that it comes with driver software that can manage this configuration.

        Scanner Models:
        Metrologic MK9540-32A38-BLK-USD Voyager CG Barcode Scanner
        Unitech MS210 CCD Barcode Scanner
        HHP 5620SR0C0B-0FA0 Long Range Bluetooth Barcode Scanner

        You will also need to install free barcode fonts on your computer in order to print barcodes. Please email us for more info on barcode printing
    • Why are inventory items marked as "Expired" when paying consignors?

      • This probably relates to the Consignment Duration field for your inventory items.  If items are being sold after their respective Pickup Date (shown on the bottom right of the Consignment Entry view and unique for each inventory item), then InBloom will mark them Expired when running this payments workflow.  If you want to change the default for the Consignment Duration field, you can do so by going to the Main Menu > Other Modules > Settings > Inventory tab and set the default value per your liking.

    • How do I print ALL of the items in my Inventory
      • To print all of the items in your Inventory database, simply open InBloom and from the Main Menu: first click Inventory, then click Go Straight To Inventory, then go to the Records menu and choose Show All Records, then click the header of the Acct column to sort by Account #, then click the Print button in the toolbar, and print / save-to-PDF a Status Report printout or any other kind of print.
    • Can the tag show the markdown schedules as well?
      • There are multiple styles of tags currently available: a 1x1" tag, a 2-1/4 x 1-1/8" tag, a 2-1/8" x 4" tag, and a 3/4"x2" tag. The 2-1/8" x 4" is the only tag that has the room to print a reduction schedule and it is available by changing the printing settings. Go Main Menu > Other Modules > Settings > Printing tab and change the Inventory Price Tags option to "Label - Dymo 30323 w/Prices".
    • How do I see the entire inventory? (Not just one account at a time)
      • It's very easy to see ALL of the inventory. When on the Consignment Entry view and looking at any account, go to the Records menu at the top of the screen and choose Records > Show All Items. Now you'll see every item in the order it was entered into the system. If you want to sort by account, simply click on the header of the Account column in the Consignment Entry view to do so.
    • What is the difference between the Item Price Tag and Batch Price Tag options?
      • The difference between Item Price Tag and Batch Price Tag printing is that the Item Price Tag option will print only the current record you have selected in the Inventory List, while the Batch Price Tag will print all of the items you are looking at.
    • Can you use the software on more than one computer?
      • Yes, but depending on whether you want to use more than one computer at the same time, you may need to purchase additional licenses and/or additional copies of FileMaker Pro.
    • If we start with the Lite version, can we upgrade to Pro and what is the cost?
      • You can absolutely upgrade from InBloom Lite to InBloom Pro. There is no additional cost on the InBloom side of the equation. In order to do this upgrade, you need to purchase FileMaker Pro and simply begin using your files with the FileMaker application rather than with the InBloom Lite application. To do this simply requires changing the file extensions on InBloom files from.IBL to .FP7 so your files such as InBloom.IBL, Printouts.IBL, and Reports.IBL get renamed to InBloom.FP7, Printouts.FP7, and Reports.FP7.
    • Can I customize InBloom?
      • Yes, you can customize nearly all of InBloom using FileMaker Pro; however, we recommend only customizing the Printouts.fp7/.IBL file and the InBloom Data.fp7/.IBL file you can maintain your customization while updating other parts of the program. If you update the main application file, named InBloom.fp7/.IBL, with customizations you won't be able to update your application with any new fixes or feature enhancements without redoing all of the customizations.
    • Should I download InBloom Lite or InBloom Pro?
      • You should only download InBloom Pro if you have copies of FileMaker Pro on your computer, otherwise you should download the version of InBloom Lite that is specific to your computer i.e. Mac or PC.
    • Can I export data (like email addresses, inventory, checks, and more)?
      • Yes, you can export just about anything from InBloom into a spreadsheet or comma-separated file in addition to many other formats (see a list here). From any screen, go to the File menu and choose Data, then choose Export records or Export as Excel. Choose Export records. A new window will prompt you to name the file of your data export. You can also specify a different file type , type your file name and hit Enter on your keyboard. Lastly, a secondary window will ask you for which fields you would like to Export. In the example of email addresses, you would need to run this from a Contacts window, click the Clear All button in this Export window, and doubleclick Email 1, First Name, and Last Name fields from the list on the left to choose these fields for exporting.
    • How do I change the tax rates?
      • You can store two different tax rates when writing up sales. To change them, open InBloom and click on Other Modules (or Show All in older versions of InBloom), then click Settings, then click the Contacts & Sales tab at the top. On the right side you can change Sales Tax Percentage 1 and Sales Tax Percentage 2 to whatever value you choose. Enter the values as a percentage e.g. if your tax 8.375% type 8.375 in the appropriate field. InBloom will automatically convert it to .08375 as soon as you exit the field.
    • Where's the manual?
      • This online help section has currently been setup as the documentation for InBloom, you can download the manual from version 1.2 here
    • How to convert your InBloom from InBloom Lite to InBloom Pro

      • Converting your files from InBloom Lite to InBloom Pro is a 20 second and painless process.  First, you need to install FileMaker Pro on your computer.  Next, simply open your InBloom Lite folder and change the extension of the InBloom.IBL file to InBloom.fp7, then open the Modules folder and do the same change for all the files.

        • Printouts.IBL becomes Printouts.fp7
        • Reports.IBL becomes Reports.fp7
        • Files.IBL becomes Files.fp7
        • InBloom Data.IBL becomes InBloom Data.fp7
        • If you have any additional files in this folder such as CustomPrintouts.IBL or CustomReports.IBL, change those respectively to have the .fp7 extension name.

        Simply doubleclick on the newly renamed InBloom.fp7 file in order to start using InBloom with FileMaker and you're all set