First we need to open a new image. Go to FILE and then select NEW. A dialog box will appear. Set the size to pixels, 400 wide and 200 tall, make sure that your image is 16 million (24bit) in color, set the background color to white by clicking the arrow beside the colors.(Fig.1) Next rule is to SAVE YOUR IMAGE. Save lots and save often. Choose FILE and then SAVE AS, name the file and then choose the PSP format option from the drop down under where you named the file, click the arrow to expand the list of options.(Fig.2)

With your new image open in front of you. Select the text tool, click the arrow at the side of the top swatch in the palette, this will make the flyout popout, then you will see the options of the paintbrush, which is for solid colors, the stripes for gradient, and the dots for the pattern. Select the paintbrush for this one, your swatch should now be a solid color.

Click in the center of the color, away from the arrow that you clicked to get the flyout. A new dialog box will open. This is your selection of colors. Choose the black from the colors and then click ok. (Fig.5) Your foreground color will then be set to the black color that you chose.(Fig.6) Next click the arrow in the bottom part of the style palette just like you did for the foreground color, the flyout will open.(Fig.7) Choose the pattern option from the flyout which is the dots. Your background then changes to the pattern fill default which is about the ugliest thing I have ever seen. LOL. (Fig.8)

Click the center of the ugly (sorry Jasc) pattern, at this point you may see a small window come up in front of you telling you it's your cache for the patterns, this is normal. After that the patterns dialog box will open. Click the arrow on the side or the ugly pattern (Fig.9) A selection of different patterns will appear in front of you, any images that you have open in PSP will also appear in this window, more later on this. (Fig.10) Select the blue strings pattern by clicking on it and then it should appear in the window where the ugly pattern was before. Click ok when finished and you should now have your foreground set to black and your background or also called your fill will be the blue pattern.

Now click anywhere in your image to bring up the text dialog box. You will see that your foreground and background in the dialog box are set to the selections that we made in the previous step. Type in some text. I just typed in PSP. Make sure you are using a wide font, and make it large. Mine is Vegabound set to size 100.

Once happy with the text, click ok.

Now you shoud have your text on your canvas in front of you. If you used the same text I did you may have a lot of extra canvas space but don't worry about that right now, wanted to make sure if you used a longer text phrase there would be enough space for you. Now go to selections, and choose SAVE TO ALPHA CHANNEL. A dialog box will pop up (Fig.14), don't worry about naming it or anything cuz you won't need it later, just click ok, and then the second dialog pops open (Fig.15) and click ok on it also. We just saved our selection so that it will be exact when we go to add the drop shadow. Now click on the background layer in the layers palette to make it the active layer, then click the little icon in the corner (Fig.16) (or choose layers then new, raster) to add the new layer. Click on the floating selection in your layers palette (Fig.17) which will be the text and then choose selections and select none. Your marching ants will disappear. Your text is now on a seperate layer than the white background layer you started with. Click the background layer in your layers palette to make it the active layer, choose the flood fill tool (bucket) and set the foreground color to black, and the background color to the null symbol, meaning none. Click once on your canvas to fill the background color with black.(Fig.18)