Publishing
Ratings and Reviews of CD Drives |
Publishing Software
Desktop
publishing
and
printing.
There are
a number
of options
with a
wide
variety of
features
and
functions
and
PRICES.
As always,
before you
decide on
the
"right"
package
for your
business
and
business
environment,
think
about not
only what
you need
or want to
do with
the
package
right now
(It's an
emergency
job!
Help!
I need
software!)
but what
you might
want to do
with it
later.
Remember
haste
often
makes
waste,
especially
when
you're
purchasing
software.
So
remember,
what looks
like a
good price
now, might
turn into
wasted
money if
you don't
have
functions
that you
need later
and end up
purchasing
the more
"full
featured"
software
later (and
pitching
that
initial
purchase!)
Things to
remember
before you
buy?
-
Your
System:
Many of
these
programs
can eat
up
significant
system
resources,
especially
if you
begin
adding
graphics
to the
documents.
More
complex
documents
will put
a strain
on your
CPU,
memory,
and even
your
graphics
card.
Make
sure
your
system
MORE
than
meets
the
minimum
requirements
of the
application.
We also
recommend
that you
invest
in a
good
monitor.
A good
sized
flat
panel is
best
(17" or
bigger)
or a
large
tube
(which
will
take up
more
space -
but if
you have
it...).
We at
Home
Office
Reports
are no
longer
"spring
chicken"
and
enjoy
the size
and
definition
of 21"
monitors.
-
You:
Know
how much
time you
are
willing
to
dedicate
to
learning
and
using
the
capabilities
the
software
provides.
If you
aren't
willing
to spend
the
time,
don't
buy the
most
powerful,
complex
package!
-
Compatibility:
Trust
us!
You're
going to
move
lots of
files
around -
to your
customers
and
partners
as well
as,
presentation
and web
design
software.
Make
sure the
output
of the
publishing
application
you
purchase
can
import
(as
objects,
files or
art) the
images
and
files
you need
as well
as
export
the
document
in a
variety
of
formats
(and is
compatible
with
Acrobat!
See our
Document Interchange Software
review
for more
information).
-
Ease
of
Use/Training:
Is
the
software
easy to
use?
If the
software
requires
time to
understand
and use
professionally,
does the
manufacturer
provide
training
(included
on the
software
CD, Web
based or
partner-based)?
-
Support:
The
more
complex
the
software,
the more
important
it is
for the
vendor
to stand
behind
it and
help you
if you
run into
trouble.
Make
sure
that the
software
manufacturer
has a
robust
customer
support
site and
process
before
you buy!
-
Features
and
Functions:
If
you need
it now,
make
sure
it's
there.
If you
think
you
might
need it
later,
make
sure it
will BE
there if
it
already
isn't!
(Remember
the old
refrain
- you
get what
you pay
for!)
-
Upgrade
Costs:
Once
you've
invested
in
software,
you'll
have to
keep
investing
in the
upgrades.
Make
sure you
look
into the
costs of
upgrades
(historically)
for your
software,
or if
it's
brand
new
product,
the
track
record
of the
company
producing
the
software.

Ready to
make YOUR
investment
in
printing
and
publishing
software?
Let's get
going!
Some
vendors
offer more
than one
package in
this
category.
We'll
review
them in
table
format
within
that
vendor's
detailed
review.

Publishing Software Review
Publishing
and
Printing
Software*
(Rankings
- best, 5
symbols,
worst, 1
symbol)
|
Company
|
Best
For** |
Simple Start-Up |
Cost |
Time Savings |
Ease of Use |
Works With |
Support |
Features
|
Overall
Rating |
|
Adobe
|
RP |
นนน |
$$$1/2 |
นนนน |
@@@1/2 |
YYYY |
pppp |
iiii1/2 |
%%%% |
|
Avanquest
|
AR |
นนนน |
$$$ |
นนนน |
@@@@ |
YYY |
pp |
iii |
%%% |
|
Broderbund
|
AR |
นนนน |
$$$ |
นนนน |
@@@@ |
YYY+ |
pp1/2 |
iii |
%%1/2 |
|
Corel
|
RP |
นนน1/2 |
$$$1/2 |
นนนน |
@@@1/2 |
YY1/2 |
pppp |
iiii1/2 |
%%%1/2+ |
|
Greenstreet
Software
|
AR |
นนนน |
$$$$ |
นนนน |
@@@@ |
YYY |
ppp |
ii1/2 |
%%% |
|
Microsoft
|
ARP |
นนนน |
$$$1/2 |
นนนน |
@@@@ |
YYY |
pppp1/2 |
iii1/2 |
%%%% |
|
Quark
|
RP |
นนน |
$$$1/2 |
นนนน |
@@@ |
YYY1/2 |
pppp |
iiii1/2 |
%%%1/2 |
|
Serif |
ARP |
นนนน |
$$$1/2+ |
นนนน |
@@@@ |
YYY |
ppp+ |
iii1/2+ |
%%%1/2+ |
* A =
Amateur,
R =
Rookie,
P =
Pro
Adobe
Simple Start-Up
-
นนน
Much as we
love and
use
PageMaker,
it is NOT
the
easiest
software
to learn
how to use
effectively.
If you
don't take
a class or
spend time
with the
tutorial,
you'll
spend some
"interesting"
and
"frustrating"
hours
making
this
applications
your
"friend".
We've been
there, and
done that! And, FrameMaker adds even more power - and complexity!
These tools are for the serious desktop publisher only!
Cost
-
$$$1/2
You get
what you
pay for.
Adobe's
software
is feature
and
function
rich, and
though
you'll pay
for those
features
and
functions,
you can be
assured
that the
software
has all
the
capabilities
you'll
ever need
(until the
next
upgrade of
course!).
Adobe
PageMaker
was
considered
one of the
"benchmark"
desktop
publishing
applications.
Many other
vendors
work hard
to ensure
that their
software
is
"compatible"
with
PageMaker.
(We at
Home
Office
Reports
use
PageMaker
for our
more
elaborate
document
development
needs). Adobe has recently launched its PageMaker replacement - InDesign
that delivers even more functionality and supports a graceful transition for
PageMaker users (like us).
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
PageMaker 7.0 |
$499.00
$79.00
upgrade |
Windows
NT
4.0
(service
pack 6),
2000,
XP
Macintosh
OS
9.1
or
OS X
|
Desktop
Publishing |
-
Placeholder
frames
for
text
and
graphics
-
Non-printing
guides
-
Master
pages
-
Layers
(annotations,
experiment
with
layouts), master pages, text and graphics frames Adobe PDF creation
-
Automatically
reposition,
resize
and
reflow
text
blocks,
frames
and
graphics
-
Advanced
word-processing
-
can
work
on
document
like
a
newspaper
or
book
-
Professional
quality
type
-
set
typography
with
point-size-dependent
tracking,
kerning
in
0.001-em
increments,
expanded
and
condensed
type
-
Import
images
or
use
embedded
drawing
tools
-
Datamerge
feature
merges
text
and
graphics
stored
in
spreadsheets
or
databases
-
ICC
color
management
support
-
Enhanced
PDF
export
-
Templates
for
many
publications
including
stationary,
newsletters,
brochures,
reports
-
4,700 stock illustrations, 300 high-resolution stock
photographs, 150 Adobe Type 1 fonts, hundreds of templates for
newsletters, brochures, flyers
-
Data merge for direct mail, form letters, business cards
and catalogs
-
Tagged PDF support (eBooks)
|
Drag
and
drop
import
of
Photoshop
or
Illustrator
files
QuarkXPress, Microsoft Publisher converter |
|
InDesign CS2 |
$699.00, $169.00 upgrade |
Windows 2000, XP
Macintosh OS X 10.2 to 10.3 |
Desktop Publishing, Layout and
Design |
- Adobe Photoshop and Adobe PDF Layer support
- Anchored objects
- Repeated transformation - skew, rotate, fit
- Pathfinder commands
- Shape-to-shape conversion
- Import tables from Microsoft Word and Excel
- Stroke style editor
- Drawing tools
- Multiple undo/redo
- Text on path
- Transparency - drop shadows, feathering
- Adjust noise and spread options
- Gradients
- Mixed ink support
- CMYK, RGB, LAB support
- Color picker
- Paragraph composer
- OpenType font support
- Glyphs palette
- Optical kerning
- Optical margin alignment
- Graphics preview with multiple preview modes
- Object styles
- Paragraph and character styles
- Nested styles
- Quick-apply styles
- XMP metadata support
- Info palette
- Links palette
- Library palette
- Page sizes from 1 pica square to 1,296 picas square,
spreads up to ten pages
- Master pages
- Document presets with bleeds and slugs
- Frame-level baseline grids
- Position tool
- Layers
- Long document support, footnote support
- Eyedropper tool
- Story editor
- WYSIWYG font menus
- Automated bullets and numbering
- XML support
|
PDF, Photoshop (PSD), CMYK,
RGB, LAB, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe GoLive, InCopy, QuarkXPress, Adobe
PageMaker, Microsoft Word and Excel |
|
FrameMaker 7.2 |
$799.00 (Windows and Macintosh), $1,329.00 (Unix and
Solaris), $1,989.00 shared Unix/Solaris, $199.00 (Windows upgrade), $349.00 (Macintosh upgrade), $279.00
(Unix, Solaris upgrade) |
Windows 98SE, 2000, XP
Macintosh OS X
Unix Solaris 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 or 2.9 |
Desktop Publishing |
- Create and edit XML in structured authoring
environment
- Use document type definitions to define structure and
validity of content
- Edit content in WYSIWYG mode
- Map between XML elements and document objects such as
tables, graphics, footnotes, cross-references, index markers with
read-write rules
- Starter templates, starter applications for xHTML and
xDocBook, XML tutorial
- Manage page layouts, headers, footers and backgrounds
via master pages
- Automatically number chapters, pages, sections,
paragraphs and list items
- Templates include page layouts and styles for
paragraphs, characters, cross-references, tables
|
Microsoft Word, Adobe
Illustrator, AI, SVG, PDF, Photoshop, TIFF, EPS, JPEG 2000, JPEG, GIF,
QuarkXPress, PageMaker, HTML |
Time Savings -
นนนน
Once you have figured out how to effectively use thes
powerful
software
packages,
you'll see
huge gain
in your
ability to
deliver
professional
looking
and
professional
quality
documents
for
printing
or web
publication.
Ease of Use
-
@@@1/2
With any
Adobe
package,
you'll get
back
exactly
what you
put into
it - in
time and
effort.
Although
their
software
is not
"simple",
Adobe
strives to
balance
capability
and
usability.
With that
said,
expect to
spend some
serious
time with
the
software
before you
are
comfortable
and the
software
is highly
"usable" -
especially
packages
like
InDesign CS, PageMaker and FrameMaker!
Works With
-
YYYY
All of the
Adobe
software
is
designed
for both
Windows
and
Macintosh
environments
- an Adobe
tradition. FrameMaker is also compatible with the Sun Solaris environment.
Support
-
pppp
The Adobe
support
site is
comprehensive
and well
designed.
Adobe
offers a
multitude
of
training
classes to
help you
get
started
and
improve
your
utilization
of their
software.
Additionally,
Adobe
provides a
forum for
users and
experts to
discuss
problems,
solutions
and even
interesting
new ways
to use the
software
to solve
business
problems. If you need more help, Adobe offers phone support plans - $39.00
per incident or $159.00 for unlimited support for one year.
Features
-
iiii1/2
PageMaker and FrameMaker are the
"gold
standards"
for
desktop
publishing
software
in the
industry. Now InDesign takes that leadership forward.
Everyone
tries to
"beat" or
be
"compatible
with"
InDesign, PageMaker and FrameMaker
or their
major
competitor
- QuarkXPress.
Adobe has
also
surrounded
InDesign, PageMaker and FrameMaker
with other
application
tools to
enhance
workflows,
graphics
and image
conversions.
Overall
Rating -
%%%%
Adobe has
a
continuing
strong
reputation
for
delivering
software
solutions
that are
designed
with the
desktop
publishing
professional
in mind.
If you are
planning
on
developing
professional
print or
online
documents,
Adobe's
software
is always
a sound,
reliable
choice.
And, when
combined
with their
strong
technical
support
and
training
programs,
make Adobe
a leading
contender
for all
professional
publication
and
printing
software
requirements.
Avanquest
Simple Start-Up
-
นนนน
The "My"
software
line from
Avanquest
is
designed
to offer
an easy
way for
home based
and small
business
owners to
produce
business
basics -
newsletters,
letterhead,
brochures,
envelopes,
post
cards,
business
cards,
etc.
The "My"
line is
successful
in that
endeavor -
their
software
is
easy-to-use
and
doesn't
take a lot
of time or
effort to
become
acquainted
with.
Cost
-
$$$$
Avanquest product pricing is detailed in the table below.
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
Design and Print - Business Edition |
$39.95 |
Windows
98,
ME,
NT,
2000,
XP |
Basic Publishing Software |
-
Create
brochures, newsletters, flyers, letterhead, envelopes, post cards,
business cards, labels
-
1,800 designs
-
Coordinated
stationery sets
-
Text-art
feature
-
Easy to use
design tools
-
Built-in
address book
-
Works with
Avery, Paper Direct
-
Free paper
included
-
2.6 million
images and photos
-
1,000 fonts
|
|
|
Smart Business Pack |
$29.95 |
Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP |
15 Software Applications |
- Organize information and sales leads
- Generate invoices, estimates, checks and legal forms
- Create marketing material
|
|
|
Smart Office Pack |
$49.95 |
Macintosh OS 9.0, OS X |
4 Software Applications |
- Business cards -includes background designs and text
styles, add text and company logo, 2.6 million images, design tools
- Contact management - formatted address templates, add
or edit field names, enter data directly or import, search, output
information to address labels, envelopes, postcards, rolodex cards,
address books, reports
- Label designer - select by size or part number, add
addresses, text and graphics, align and rotate text
- Manage billing and cash collection - invoice
templates, enter company information, sales tax rate and products and
services, customer details, add personalized customer memo
|
|
Time Savings -
นนนน
Need a
fast set
of
stationary
or
business
cards for
that big
meeting
with your
first
customer?
Have you
had to
change
your email
address,
telephone
or fax
number or
your
physical
address
and don't
want to
scratch
out bad
information
on your
current
business
card?
The
Avanquest
solutions
will get
you
through
these and
other
"business
publishing"
emergencies.
Talk about
productivity?
It's
better
than
paying for
the "rush"
job at
Kinkos!
Ease of Use
-
@@@@
The
Avanquest
software
is made to
be two
things -
cheap and
usable!
Works With
-
YYY1/2+
Avanquest offers both Windows and Macintosh versions of most
software.
Support
-
pp
You get
what you
pay for.
Cheap
software -
expensive
technical
support.
In fact,
technical
support,
if you
need to
speak to a
"live"
body, will
cost more
than the
software
itself!
$24.95 for
the first
10 minutes
(and how
many tech
support
calls have
you had
resolve in
10 minutes
or less?)
and $2.95
per minute
after
that.
And by the
way, this
is not an
"800"
number,
you'll be
paying
long
distance
charges as
well
(unless
you have
one of
those new
"bundled"
local and
long
distance
packages
from MCI,
SBC or
Verizon!).
Finally,
tech
support is
only
available
7 AM to 4
PM Pacific
Monday
through
Friday
(with the
exception
of
Wednesday
when they
close at 2
PM!).
Basically,
if you
need help
- throw
out the
software
and kiss
your $40
or $30
good-bye!
Features
-
iii
Just the
basics.
The good
news is
that this
software
will serve
well in an
emergency
for the
more
"experienced"
user and
as a nice,
simple
tool for
those of
you who
don't WANT
more than
just the
minimum to
print
basic
business
publications.
Overall
Rating -
%%%+
In an
emergency,
we would
use this
software.
However,
if you are
a
sophisticated
user, you
probably
will
purchase
something
a bit more
powerful
(like
Microsoft
Publisher)
anyway
so....
You get
what you
pay for -
basic
functionality
with a
dearth of
technical
support.
Broderbund
$15 OFF Purchase of $49 or more! Save on all items at
Broderbund.com, plus FREE shipping!
Simple Start-Up
-
นนนน
Quick!
You need to create cards, labels, stationary, business cards, banners for a
meeting - these software packages will allow you to create any or all of them
quickly and easily.
Cost
-
$$$$1/2
Broderbund offers a wide and diverse set of publishing software.
Pricing and features/functions are outlined in the table below. As with all Broderbund
software collections - make sure you understand how many images come on the CD
and how many are available online only. Broderbund also warns that online
services may be changed or discontinued at any time for any reason!
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
The Print Shop Pro Photo |
$49.99 |
Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
-
Import photos from cameras, scanners, mobile phone folders,
screen captures
-
View and organize photos, side-by-side viewing for
comparison
-
Search options - keyword, data, caption, rating
-
Fix and improve photos, enhance photos with red eye
removal, flip, clone, dodge/burn, special effects include ripple,
scattered tiles, oil painting, swirl, panoramic stitching tool
-
Project templates for greeting cards, calendars, CDs, DVDs,
T-shirt transfers
-
Add audio and video
-
Create slideshows including transition effects, text and
audio captions, macromedia Flash
-
Upload photos to online albums, website, email message,
save to CD or DVD, as PDF, publish to TiVo or mobile phone
|
|
|
PrintMaster
Platinum 17 |
$39.99 |
Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP |
Publishing
Software |
- 20,000 pre-designed project templates
- 295,000 images and graphics
- 600 fonts
- 4,500 sentiments
- Borderless printing
- CD burning
- 100 animated greeting designs for birthdays,
holidays, invitations
- Photo editing
- Hot Shots Viewer
- Million Image Club Access for one year
- Create skis for iPod players
- Publish to web
- Save as PDF
- ArcSoft FunHouse
- ArcSoft PhotoBase - organize and archive photos and
video
- ArcSoft Collage Creator
|
|
|
PrintMaster Gold 17 |
$19.99 |
Windows
98,
2000,
ME
or
XP |
Publishing
Software |
- 17,500 pre-designed project templates
- 225,000 images and graphics
- 550 fonts
- 3,500 sentiments
- Borderless printing
- CD burning
- 75 animated greeting designs for birthdays, holidays,
invitations
- Photo editing
- Hot Shots Viewer
- 6 months access to Million Image Club
- Create skis for iPod Players
- Publish to web
- Save as PDF
- ArcSoft FunHouse
- ArcSoft Collage Creator
|
|
|
PrintMaster
Silver CD or DVD |
$9.99 |
Windows
98,
2000,
ME
or
XP |
Publishing
Software |
-
10,000 pre-designed project templates
-
115,000 images and graphics
-
300 fonts
-
Avery templates
-
3,000 sentiments
-
CD burning
-
Borderless printing
-
25 animated greeting designs for birthdays ,holidays,
invitations
-
Photo editing
-
3 month access to Million Image Club
-
Publish to web
-
Save as PDF
|
|
|
The Print Shop for Macintosh |
$49.99 |
Macintosh OS 8.1 to 9.2.2, OS X |
Publishing Software |
- Import iTunes playlists for creating CD labels,
covers and spines with complete artist, title, track sequence, duration
information
- Create custom calendars by importing iCal schedules
- Incorporate iPhoto pictures into greeting cards,
banners, calendars
- Integrated with OS X Address Book
- Save files as PDFs
|
|
|
Broderbund Premier Project Collection I |
$39.99 |
Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- 700 professionally designed projects
- Collection includes: Premium Holiday
Collection, Birthday Project Collection, Bridal Project Collection,
Mother's Day Project Collection, Graduation Project Collection, Hop Into
Spring Collection, American Pride Project Collection
- Projects include: greeting cards, invitations,
banners, stickers, posters, photo albums, newsletters, gift bags,
t-shirts, book reports, homework helpers, CD labels, photo frames
|
|
|
Broderbund Premier Project Collection II |
$39.99 |
Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- 700 professionally designed projects
- Collection includes: Anniversary Project
Collection, Patriotic Project Collection, Father's Day Project
Collection, Holiday Project Collection II, Special Moments Project
Collection, Spooky Greetings & Crafts Collection
- Projects include: Greeting cards, invitations,
banners, stickers, posters, photo albums, newsletters, gift bags, recipe
cards, masks, centerpieces, CD labels, photo frames
|
|
|
The Print Shop Design Suite Professional Edition DVD |
$199.99 |
Windows 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- Desktop Publishing and Art Gallery - 400,000 images
and graphics, 22,000 templates, 850 fonts, oversize pages, address and
mail merge functions, form creator
- Design and Publish Web Pages - create mouse-over
effects, add shapes, backgrounds, shading and transparency, spell check,
publish to FTP
- Graphic Tools - brush effects - vector and bitmap, 3D
shape creation, ANSI/ISO standard technical drawing templates, texture
effects, pressure sensitive brush support
- Image Editing - web optimization, auto fix, red-eye
removal, history toolbox
- Workflow - image browsing, file compression, group
batching, file tagging, timeline toolbar
- PDF and Print Tools - create PDF files, borderless
printing, prints directly on inkjet printable CDs/DVDs, photo quality
printing
|
|
|
The Print Shop Brochures, Newsletters and More! |
$19.99 |
Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- 1,000 projects
- 280 fonts
- Import photos and logos
- 1,500 images
- 280 fonts
|
|
|
The Print Shop Pro Publisher Deluxe 22 DVD Software |
$99.99 |
Windows 2000, XP |
Business Publication Suite |
- Create: banners, booklets, brochures, business
forms, business cards, calendars, CD and media labels, certificates,
greeting cards, flyers, invitations, letterhead, mailing labels,
newsletters, photo greeting cards, postcards, signs
- 400,000 images - Getty Images, Christie's, Dave
Eliasberg, Clint Graves, Photos and Illustrations, web art, backgrounds
and textures, seasonal images
- Text and Layout Options - 850 fonts, text effects,
text-stretching, master pages, window and orphan controls, watermarks,
text and paragraph alignment, text in columns, drawing tools, rulers and
guides, text wrapping, spell check, kerning and spacing
- Photo Editor - retouch or correct photo flawing
including red-eye removal, object flip sharpen focus, improve contrast,
color correction, web optimization, drawing tools add text to images,
selection tools
- Artistic Effects - bulge, colorize, furry edges,
negative feathering, sepia, solarize, ripple, antique, opacity, swirl,
mirror
- Drawing and Selection Tools - lasso, freehand,
rectangular, airbrush, elliptical, magic wand, burn, pencil, dodge,
flood fill, line, polygon
- Instant message sharing
- Burn to CD or DVD
- Click-N-View sharing
- Multimedia presentations
- Print directly on inkjet printable CDs/DVDs
- Print standard or custom size photos
- Logo Creator
- Small Business Center - starting your business,
writing a business plan, raising money, assessing your business and the
market place
|
Export: PDF, JPEG, TIFF,
GIF
200 Avery Templates |
|
The Print Shop 22 Deluxe |
$49.99 |
Windows 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- Create: booklets, business cards, calendars,
CD/DVD labels, certificates, family trees, greeting cards, hand-crafted
cards, invitations, letter head, mailing labels, newsletters, photo
greeting cards, photo book pages, postcards, signs, skins for iPod
players
- Templates include 4x6 notecard, postcard, 11x17
pages, legal pages, square pages - 6x6, 8x8 and 12x12
- 350,000 images - Getty Images, photos and
illustrations, web art, backgrounds and textures, seasonal images
- Text and Layout Options - 700 fonts, text effects,
text-stretching, master pages, window and orphan controls, watermarks,
text and paragraph alignment, text in columns, drawing tools, rulers &
guides, text wrapping spell check, kerning and spacing
- Photo Editor - red-eye removal, object flip, sharpen
focus, improve contrast, color correction, painting tools, web
optimization, add text to images, selection tools
- Artistic Effects - bulge, colorize, furry edges,
negative, sepia, solarize, ripple, antique, swirl, mirror
- Printing and Sharing - burn projects to CD or VCD,
borderless printing, print directly on inkjet printable CDs/DVDs,
oversize printing and custom paper wizard, print standard or custom size
photos
|
Export: PDF, JPEG, TIFF,
GIF
200 Avery Templates |
|
The Print Shop 22 |
$29.99 |
Windows 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- 18,000 templates to create: banners, business
cards, calendars, CD/DVD labels, certificates, greeting cards,
hand-crafted cards, invitations, letterhead, newsletters, photo greeting
cards, postcards, signs
- 250,000 images and graphics - 1,000 Getty Images,
photos and illustrations, import your own photos
- Photo Editing - apply special effects and filters,
resize images, crop, correct red-eye, adjust color, brightness or
contrast
- Fonts and Text Effects - 500 fonts, variety of
effects
- Printing and Sharing - Instant Messaging,
Click-N-View, Ultimate Mail Manager and Address Book, borderless
printing, print directly on inkjet printable CDs/DVDs, print standard or
custom size photos
|
Export: PDF, JPEG, TIFF,
GIF
200 Avery Templates |
|
The Print Shop Letterhead, Envelopes & More! |
$19.99 |
Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- 1,000 professionally designed layouts
- 280 fonts, 1,500 images
- Photo editing
- Upload project to Broderbund.com for printing
(additional fee applies)
- Create letterheads, envelopes, forms, invoices,
faxes, memos
|
|
|
The Print Shop 21 & ClickArt 750,000 CD Bundle |
$39.00 |
Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- The Print Shop 21: 200,000 images, 15,000
project templates, 2,600 sentiments, photo-editing tools
- ClickArt 750,000: 560,000 images, 100,000 web
images, 90,000 photos and fine art images, 1,000 TrueType fonts, keyword
search
|
|
Time Savings -
นนนน
If you
don't have
time to go
to Kinkos
(or want
to spend
the
money!),
the
Broderbund
software
is an
alternative
that will
save you a
trip and
some
money.
Ease of Use
-
@@@@
It won't
take you
long to
produce
letterhead,
envelopes
or other
publications
using this
software.
Works With
-
YYY+
The Broderbund packages are
designed
for the
Windows
environment
only with the exception of one Print Shop package for Macintosh.
Support
-
pp1/2
When you
purchase
inexpensive
software
you
shouldn't
expect
much in
the way of
technical
support.
Broderbund's
implementation
is a great
example of
this
methodology.
If you
need help
- the web
is your
only
option.
And, when
we went
there and
attempted
to find
help for a
couple of
the
software
packages,
one of
them
wasn't
even
listed!
You'd
better
hope that
the
software
works on
your
system, or
you've
just
thrown
your money
away.
Features
-
iii1/2
Lots of projects (family oriented as well),
templates, clip art - simple built-in contact manager. Best feature is the
PDF export capability. You can post a project on the web in PDF format (in
Print Master Platinum and Pro Publisher packages) or
send a document to a printer (or even Broderbund.com) for printing large quantities of your letterhead,
invoices, or a flyer.
Overall
Rating -
%%%+
If you
need to
get some
letterhead,
envelopes
or other
business
forms "out
the door"
quickly -
Broderbund's
software
is an
inexpensive
and
effective
solution.
However,
when you
need
"more",
you'll
have to
invest in
more
comprehensive
and
powerful
software.
Corel
Simple Start-Up
-
นนน1/2
Ventura 10
is not a
simple
package.
Like it's
competitors
-
PageMaker
and
QuarkXPress,
Ventura 10
is
designed
for the
professional
desktop
publisher.
Spending
time and
money on
training
is a good
idea.
Cost
-
$$$1/2
Corel's
Ventura10
is priced
at
$599.00,
upgrade is
$199.00.
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
Ventura10 |
$599.00
$199.00
upgrade |
Windows
2000
or XP |
Publishing
Software |
-
Database
publisher
enables
pulling
large
amounts
of
data
from
one
or
more
databases,
then
organize,
format
and
publish
the
data
-
Capture
tool
captures
images
or
records
on-screen
actions
as
animation
files
-
Barcode
creator
-
XML
mapping
editor
creates
mapping
files
for
importing
XML
documents
-
Service
bureau
profiler
tool
presents
overview
of
service
bureaus
and
their
capabilities
-
1,500
TrueType
and
Type
1
fonts
-
Preflight
engine
|
Export
- AI,
PSD,
DXF/DWG,
CAL,
GIF,
CGM,
CPT,
CMX,
EPS,
PCT,
MAC,
DRW,
BMP,
PCX,
PNG,
SVG,
SCT,
TGA.
EMF,
KPX,
FMV,
IMG,
GEM,
PLT,
JPG,
TIF,
WI,
BMP,
WMF,
WPG,
XPM
Import
- AI,
PSD,
PDF,
DXF, DWG,
CAL,
GIF, CGM,
CPX,
CMX,
RIF,
CPT,
CDR,
CDX, EPS, EMF,
FMV,
PCT,
MAC,
MET, DRW,
DSF,
NAP,
BMP,
PCX,
PP4,
PP5,
PNG,
PS,
PRN,
SVG,
SCT,
TGA,
KPX,
FH,
IMG,
GEM,
PLT,
JPG,
PCD,
TIF,
VSD,
WI,
BMP,
WMF,
WPG,
XPM,
MIF,
SAM,
TXT,
GEN,
WPD,
WP5,
WP4,
WPM,
DOC,
RTF,
SGML,
WSD,
WSW,
XML,
XY |
Time Savings -
นนนน
If you are
a
publishing
professional,
Corel's
Ventura10
will help
you more
efficiently
prepare
professional
documents
for
printing
and
publication.
Ease of Use
-
@@@1/2
With any Corel package, you'll get back exactly what you put into it - in time
and effort. Although the software is not "simple", Corel strives to
balance capability and usability. With that said, expect to spend some
serious time with the software before you are comfortable and the software is
highly "usable".
Works With
-
YY1/2
Ventura10 is
designed
for
Windows
2000 and
XP only.

Support
-
pppp
The Corel
support
site is
comprehensive
and well
designed.
Corel
offers
training
programs
online and
through
third
parties as
well.
They also
sponsor
newsgroups
where
users can
trade
information
on using
the
software,
problems
and fixes.
Additionally,
their
online
knowledge
base is
comprehensive
and easy
to
navigate. If you need to call Corel from the U.S. you'll pay long distance
charges. Canadian customer calls are toll free.
Features
-
iiii1/2
Ventura10
is loaded
with
features
for the
professional
desktop
publisher.
The most
intriguing
are XML
and print
pre-flighting
integration.
Overall
Rating -
%%%1/2+
Corel's
Ventura10
is aimed
at the
professional
desktop
publisher
-
especially
those
working
with major
corporations
or
corporations
that use
XML
technologies
in their
business-to-business
documents,
communications
and
applications.
If you are
working
with
enterprises
and need
XML
integration,
Ventura10
is a very
good
choice.
Greenstreet
Software
Simple Start-Up
-
นนนน
Greenstreet
Software's
packages
are easy
to use and
will help
you
produce
documents, signs and
business
cards
quickly.
Cost
-
$$$$
Greenstreet Software offers a number of publishing solutions.
Pricing is detailed in the table below.
|
Software |
Price |
O/S
Supported |
Overview |
Features |
Compatibility |
|
Print It 4 |
$1.99 (on eBay) |
Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP |
Publishing Software |
- 2,000 templates
- Digital image library
- Use your own photos and images
- Design and editing tools
- Create greeting cards, calendars, posters, journals,
signs, stickers, newsletters, labels, invitations, certificates,
t-shirts, envelopes, flyers, fax sheets, brochures, business cards,
letterhead, presenters, compliment slips
|
|
|
Publishing Studio 4
|
$99.95, $49.95 upgrade |
Windows
98,
ME, NT,2000 |
Publishing Software |
-
Includes
Greenstreet Publisher, Draw, PhotoFX and PowrText 3D software
applications
-
Publisher -
page layout, draw, photo editing and 3D text (see complete description
below)
-
Draw - create
artwork to drop into Publisher page layout
-
PhotoFX - 100s
of photo effects, save and import into Publisher
-
PowerText -
create 3D letter effects
-
125,000 images
- 100,000 Alphabetart, 10,000 clipart, 10,000 photos, 5,000 sniparts
-
Snapshot
screen capture utility
-
Font manager
utility
-
KeyPad utility
for locating special characters not available on a standard keyboard
|
Export
in
JPEG
Bitmap,
PCX
Bitmap,
PNG
Bitmap,
Tiff
Bitmap,
Targa
Bitmap,
Photoshop
Bitmap,
Windows
Bitmap,
Windows
Metafile,
Metafiles
can
also
be
exported
as
CGM
&
GEM
formats |
|
Publisher
3 |
$29.95 |
Windows
95,
98, NT |
Publishing Software |
-
Templates
for
CD
inlay
cards,
web
sites,
newsletters,
advertisements,
flyers,
posters,
corporate
identity
packages
-
Wizards
to
help
create
documents
-
Email
integration
-
Prints
color
separations
-
3D
PowerText
-
Table
templates
-
100
fonts,
9
templates,
1,100
sample
files,
25
fill
styles,
10
arrow
heads,
13
table
styles,
16
importable
graphics
-
Image
browser
-
Snapshot
screen
capture
utility
-
Font
Manager
Utility
-
KeyPad
Utility
for
locating
special
characters
not
available
on a
standard
keyboard
| |