If you have spent enough time in the online digital art realm, you will have probably come across this program. Paintchat is a very useful tool which allows artists to network together and collaborate, without the need for any extra costly software.

Paintchat is a java based program which allows you and your friends to chat online and draw together on a canvas. It is completely web based. All you need is an internet browser that supports java to run it on your computer. It is developed by the same person who made the popular 'Shipainter', which is commonly found on oekaki boards and uses the same interface to run.

The main difference with paintchat and shipainter is that you have to have an active host to run the server software. Here is a guide to set your own computer up as a host so that you can run Paintchat for yourself and your friends.

You can create your own Paintchat room by first downloading the java application from shi-chan’s site. Getting passed the fact that all of its instructions are only in Japanese, the setup is quite simple (This is usually the reason why people find it difficult to setup; they can't understand the instructions.)

The application runs on your computer, allowing it to serve as the host. This is much like how Opencanvas 1.1 works. You use your actual IP to connect via a web browser and your guests do the same. 

What you need:

• A computer/server which has Java installed.
• An operating system with a graphical user interface such as Windows or Ubuntu.
• An internet connection that is configured to allow remote connections.  (If you are connected behind a router, you may need to change some settings.)

Here’s a step by step guide to get you started:

1. Download the Java Paintchat Application here. [link] Unzip and launch PaintChat.jar in the paintchat folder. If it does not launch, you may need to update your Java Virtual Machine. You can do so by going here: [link]
2. Once it launches, a window should pop up with a few settings. Press “ok” by clicking the button on the bottom left. You should be left with a window with a server log showing you your port connections. Leave this open. As long as it is running, your paintchat server is running.
3. Obtain your real IP address by going here: [link]
4. Place that IP in your browser’s address bar followed by a colon and the port number listed in ther server log. Ie. Http://:. You may also go directly to the paint window by adding a  “/entrance_pro.html” to the end for using the advanced version of shipainter or “/entrance_normal.html” for the normal version of shipainter. 
5. Press enter. If your internet connection is configured correctly, you should find yourself with the familiar Paintchat interface. If not, you might need to open some ports on your router for it to work. Take a look at the section below to get help with this. 
6. To have your friends connect to your server, simply give them the link in your browser. CAUTION: Do keep in mind that this shows your actual IP so it would be wise to make sure you can trust who you are giving the link to. If you would like to use a pseudo-IP address, read below for more options. 
7.  Server Configuration: By now, you probably have noticed that a lot of the interface is unreadable. This is because it was written in Japanese text and is not visible unless your operating system's default language is set to Japanese. Here is a visual translation to help you make the proper changes;

Alternatively, you can directly edit these settings by opening the file called “paintchat.cf” in the cnf folder using a text editor like notepad. For example, you can  modify the canvas width and height by editing the following lines. 

Client_Image_Height= xxxx

Client_Image_Width= xxxx