Here are some answers to AP's most commonly asked questions. Most of the questions are already addressed in the FAQ.

Questions are split into threads based on topic areas, eg. Gallery, Papers and Forum.

01. GALLERY (WALLPAPERS, SCANS & SUBMISSIONS)

02. PAPERS

03. FORUM (INCLUSIVE OF BROWSING & USERPAGES)

04. SITE BUG DETAILS

05. GOOGLE CHROME BROWSER ISSUES

06. SCANNING TECHNIQUES



More will be added as time progresses.

10/05/09 - Added subsection relating to Google Chrome issues
03/12/08 - Added in explaination on "Critical_connect(1040, Too many connections)" message
09/11/08 - Added subsection for some common bugs.
23/06/07 - Added in reply regarding wallpaper link for rotating banner
20/08/06 - Added in answers on compression noise in alternative resolutions
05/08/06 - Added in additional thread for scanning techniques
01/07/06 - Added explaination on papers gained and post content
01/07/06 - Appended answer on how to revert back to the official AP CSS template
06/05/06 - Added in explainations on signature upload complications
24/04/06 – Added in simplifications in explanations on the download quota
06/01/06 - Added in issues relating to request for account deletion and making wallpapers
09/12/05 - Added in link to thread related to FASTERFOX plugin
25/11/05 - Added questions on wallpaper pixelations and image reduction script
20/11/05 - Splitting of Questions into topic areas.
19/11/05 - Added issues with Firefox plugins concerning scan downloads

GALLERY (WALLPAPERS, SCANS & SUBMISSIONS)

How do I make wallpapers?

First and foremost, you need an image editing software.

If you have the money, get Photoshop [ Site]

If you want to skimp on the money part, download GIMP [ Site]. It's just as powerful as Photoshop and best of all, free.

There are many other graphics programs like CorelDraw and PaintShop Pro but it all depends on preferences. As for wallpaper tutorials, just check out the sites here.

I was downloading wallpapers and now I am unable to do so. Please help.

You have reached the download limit. Read this.

If it is still too hard to understand, think of it this way:

You are given 15 download slots to download your wallpapers (let’s say Slot 1 to Slot 15). Each time you download a wallpaper, a slot will be taken up (meaning you can’t download a wallpaper using that download slot) and that particular download slot will not be available until 24 hours later. So, if you still have unused slots, you can download wallpapers but if all 15 slots are used up, you have to wait till one of the slots has gone past the 24 hours timeframe to be made available for your wallpaper download again.

I have waited for more than a day/week/month but still unable to download wallpapers. Why is this so?

It means you have triggered the leecher limit.

"AP-pedia: LEECHER LIMIT"

Definition:
An automated system that restricts one's download when the individual has downloaded too many wallpapers and participated in the site too little.

Function:
A control mechanism to prevent leeching which ultimately results in higher bandwidth costs incurred by the site owners. Excessive leeching will ultimately results in the site functioning slower than satisfactory and in the long run results in the site's closure due to bandwidth costs exceeding the site's financing capability.

Symptoms:
Attempting to download a wallpaper results in the appearance of a page with the following text "ANIMEPAPER IS A COMMUNITY BUILT AROUND CONTRIBUTIONS..."

Remedy:
Regular participation in the long run will signal to the system to recognize the individual as a site regular and lift the wallpaper download restriction accordingly.

Participation in AP encompasses the following areas and activity:
01. Forums: Creation and participation in the various subforum discussions
02. Gallery: Commenting on other people's works, submission of your own wallpapers and/or scans

The above has already been mentioned in the FAQ. Please also refer to this thread for a real-life case.

Reminder when participating in the forums or commenting in the Gallery. NO SPAMMING! If we catch you doing that, it's a permanent ban with no chance of being lifted ever again.

A quick alternative to getting the Leecher Limit lifted is to use this method.

A wallpaper/scan did not load. How can I re-download without using up additional papers/download slots?

When you first try to download a wallpaper/scan, you will load a container page that has the wallpaper/scan you wanted. The container page will instruct the system to deduct your download slots/papers accordingly. So, if the download failed and you want to re-download the same wallpaper/scan without incurring any additional deductions, there are three ways to do so.

Click on the "If this image doesn't load, click here!" link provided at the bottom of the container page.

If you are on Firefox browser, right click the image and select " VIEW IMAGE". The "VIEW IMAGE" feature enables you to load only the image and not the container page.

Right-click, select VIEW PAGE SOURCE, copy the image wallpaper/scan URL (the link that ends with either *.jpg or *.png) and paste it in the URL box.

"TAKE NOTE!"

If there was any problems with the scan at AP's end, an error message would have appeared upon re-attempting method 1 or method 3 of the above. If it doesn't, it is highly probable that the issue lies with the user's end connection. Please try re-donwload at a different time or use a different connection location such as a library, friend's PC, cyber cafe, Starbucks wireless hotspot, etc (as long as it is not your own home connection)

The reason is that your internet connection could be having problems, causing the download to constantly time-out.

If the problem still persists for days, it could also be caused by your firewall/ privacy settings. We cannot advise you on how to rectify this since we are not physically in front of your computer. It is best to ask someone whom you can physically meet to help you out or by tiral-an-error.

Some real life examples as below:
SAMPLE CASE
ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION

I get an error message when I try to redownload a wallpaper/scan using the "If this image doesn't load, click here!" link. What should I do?

If you obtained the below message when redownloading,...

"Error Message"

The image “http://www.animepaper.net/collect/scans/ number sequences/ filename.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.

...please notify the admin staff so that we can further check if the image was corrupted.

I have uploaded some wallpapers/scans. What should I do next?

Just wait. If your submission is accepted, you can view it via your profile page. If your submission is rejected, you will receive a PM notifying you of the rejection. Please familarise yourself with the AP Guide on the submission requirements else you'd end up with your submission rejected and a paper deduction for violation of the AP Guide.

After uploading, my wallpaper filesize is smaller and the image has compression noise. Why?

AP employs an image reduction script.

"AP-pedia: IMAGE REDUCTION SCRIPT"

Definition:
A script that automatically reduces the filesize of your wallpaper through image compression if the wallpaper filesize exceeds the maximum filesize threshold.

Function:
To reduce the filesize of a wallpaper down to its optimum size based on historical data patterns pertaining to wallpaper resolution versus filesize. However, a script-run compression job will compromise on the quality.

Symptoms:
The fullsize wallpaper has compression noise and the filesize is un-naturally small.

Remedy:
Assuming that the image editing program is Photoshop, open up the wallpaper's PSD file then use the SAVE FOR WEB option and choose 70% quality ( can be higher depending on the situation).

The formula for calculation of filesize limits is dynamic and is based on the wallpaper's resolution. The formula is as below.

FILESIZE FORMULA

The calculation of max filesize for a 1600x1200 wallpaper is as below:
> (1600*1200)/1.5 = 1,280,000 bytes, i.e. 1250KB (1,280,000/1024)

What if the wallpaper is within the acceptable limit but still get compression noise? Then it's due to improper compression on the waller's side and not AP's fault.

Based on past experience and thousands of wallpapers in my collection, I have noticed that 1024x768 wallpapers rarely exceed 400 kB in filesize. The most common filesize range would be between 250 kB to 350 kB. As for 1600x1200 wallpapers, majority of the filesizes fall below 750 kB.

The wallpaper uploaded in its original resolution looks okay but the alternative versions have compression noise.

You are only uploading in one resolution size but as for the other alternative resolutions, they are resized by the alternative resolution script using the original wallpaper you submitted. As resizing is automatically done, it will never reach the same quality levels of resizing a wallpaper at source (i.e. from the PSD file).

I want to edit/delete my wallpapers/scans. How can I do so?

Under your wallpaper/scan thumbnail, there are EDIT and DELETE options. Use those and follow the directions accordingly.

I can't find the Gundam categories under the "G" heading. Where are they?

Look under "M". All Gundam categories have now been renamed to include the words "MOBILE SUIT" in the front. Or you can use the category search function in the Category List page and search for keywords "Gundam".

PAPERS

I have just joined Animepaper.net. What are papers and how do I earn them?

Papers are explained in detail in the FAQ.

A short summary of what paper are;

"AP-pedia: PAPERS"

Definition:
A form of currency used in Animepaper.net for the downloading of scans only. Papers are earned through the below means:
01. Posting in the forum
02. Uploading of wallpaper and scans
03. Commenting on wallpapers
04. Donation exceeding $5 towards the site's upkeep

Function:
A control mechanism to prevent continuous leeching by individuals who sign up with the intention of downloading every single scan in the AP Gallery continuously without pause. Such acts will have detrimental effects on the site bandwidth in the long run.

I get different amount of papers for my posts. Why?

Papers earned are calculated based on content, subjected to a maximum limit.

Exact details are not in the guide in order to prevent those who spam for paper knowing what the system is. By leaving it so they don't know, they either have to do multiple tiny posts or huge long posts to achieve what they're after, and hence make it obvious to everyone what they're doing. That's also why the list of boards that do not earn paper for posting is not given.

Thus hopefully you guys can spot and report them easier, or we see them when we're browsing through.

Why do I have negative papers?

Read the FAQ. Rejected submissions (both wallpapers and scans) will result in a pepr deduction PER rejection. How do you avoid it? Just familiarise yourself with the requirements for submission and COMPLY with them.

For wallpapers, unless you are confident of your work and are willing to stake your papers, please post it in the Session Zero subforum first.

As for scans, please check the scan's and usable image's sizes (see FAQ for further details) first. Do also check the Gallery to see if the scan that you are going to submit already exists or not. We will also not accept scans from sites that have scans permanently hosted like Anime Project Alliance as we find it pointless to waste your paper on a scan that you can download at no paper cost at another site.

To play safe, just upload a few scans at a time. Uploading 20 tiny pics as scans means that you will get a 2,000 paper deduction (20 x 100 papers) when all 20 submissions of yours get rejected.

Another reason is that you have been fined for non-compliance behavior. You'll receive a PM if you do get fined. Take note that there are certain threads with "Terms of Participation" attached. Read the first page before replying.

Why am I deducted the double/tripe amount of papers of a scan which I downloaded?

You could have clicked the same image more than once or that you have refreshed the container page more than once. Please refer to the GALLERY (WALLPAPERS, SCANS & SUBMISSIONS) section of this sticky for a refresher on how to re-download a scan without incurring additional paper deductions.

If you are using Firefox, it's due to some plug-ins that was installed. The most expensive scans at AP are priced at 50 papers and never more than that amount.

FIRST CASE | SECOND CASE | FASTERFOX PLUGIN ISSUE

FORUM (INCLUSIVE OF BROWSING & USERPAGES)

Why am I still seeing my old avatar/signature even after uploading a new one?

Clear your cache and you will be able to see your newly uploaded avatar / signature. Using CTRL+F5 also helps as it forces your computer to request for data from the server rather than relying on your computer's cache.

I got a "YOU HAVE BEEN BANNED" message yesterday. Did I do something wrong?

APs ban system automatically bans your username together with the corresponding IP address used at the time the ban was imposed. If you are able to log back in at a later time using the same username, then rest assured that you haven't been banned.

The reason why this happens is that you are on a dynamic IP instead of a static IP. So the IP which you were using at that time happens to coincides with one of the IP address on APs ban list. The only solution is to switch to a different IP address by resetting your router.

How do I customize my userpage

Read this tutorial

If you are using Firefox, get this: CLICK HERE

Why do my paper count not increase when I post in certain subforums?

This is because some subforums (such as the Problems and Suggestion subforum) do not give papers when posted in it. Reasons for that is due to the nature of that subforum as well as to avoid abuse.

Can I request for my account to be deleted?

No. If it's because you no longer want to visit AP, then just don't log in or visit the site at all. Some people want to have their accounts deleted because they have either hit the leecher limit, got negative paper counts or did something without reading the FAQ and got their upload / commenting ability disabled. So they want to have their accounts deleted and then re-register under the same nick with a clean slate. Hence AP's policy of not deleting user accounts.

SITE BUG DETAILS

Site-related

At certain times of the day, I get a "Critical_connect(1040, Too many connections)" message. Is the site down? A bug?

No. It is just the site undergoing scheduled backing up of its database. To quote from Bantam himself on this,

Bantam

It happens every day at the same time for 3-10mins because the database backs up and locks the tables. Nothing to be alarmed about.

Gallery-related

The scan/wallpaper category shows x number of items within. Why am I seeing less than that number when I enter the category?

The category item count shows only how many items have been submitted since the category's creation. It does not represent the actual number of items existing at present. Hence, the item count is not net of deleted items.

The category page shows x pages but the number of pages containing images are less than that. Is there something wrong?

This issue is closely related to the one above. This is due to the deleted items merely being quarantined (i.e. removed from visible view) and hence, the additional pages' existence. There is also a random bug whereby the number of pages stated might increase. In both cases, you will get the below page. Just ignore it.

Take note that the number of visible images will always remain the same regardless of how many pages there are.

Group-related

I am an administrator in a group. There is a locked group thread but I am unable to open it. What should I do?

There is a workaround on this bug which is centered around the URL.

Locked Thread Workaround for Groups

Currently when you view a group thread, the URL is as below.

Bugged URL

h**p://www.animepaper.net/groups/ group URL/ thread ID/

The above URL is the cause of the unlock function bug. To unlock it, another alternative URL needs to be used, as shown below.

Unbugged URL

h**p://www.animepaper.net/forums/ thread-topic/ thread ID/

To get the unbugged URL, just click the topic header as shown below.

From the above URL, you will be able to use your group admin functions as normal.

Take note that the one-month auto-lock criteria still applies to group threads. To unlock such threads, the group admin will need to post in the locked group thread first to update the timestamp (as long as the timestamp shows last post date exceeding one month, the autolock will kick in) before proceeding to use the unlock function.

GOOGLE CHROME BROWSER ISSUES

Why do some scans fail to load even after using the "If this image doesn't load, click here!" link?

There is an issue with Google Chrome when attempting to download scans that above a certain resolution size (around 8000 pixels high?) [ 01] [ 02]. Google Chrome just refuses to display it. Nothing can be done on our end as this problem lies with the browser itself. We thus recommend the following:

01. Use Firefox to download the scans; or
02. Use Safari to download if you like webkit-based browsers.

SCANNING TECHNIQUES

I have artbooks that I want to scan. What are the necessary scanning techniques?

First and foremost, you need a scanner. Next, please refer to the links below (they are from external sites but are extremely useful):

Scanning tips: Click
Removing artbook pages: Click
Rebinding artbook pages: [ 01] [ 02] (alternatively, go to a bookstore with binding services)