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| Publishing Potpourri |
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Software Reviews March 2002 • Vol.13 Issue 3 Page(s) 18-20 in print issue |
Publishing Potpourri Explore Your Desktop Publishing Software Options | ||
 NOTE: This article has been updated from the print version. Chances are if you've used a computer, you've used some type of DTP (desktop publishing) software even if you didn't know that that was what it was called. DTP software lets you create documents and decide how the elements that make up each page will look, from type fonts and font sizes to adding graphics to pages of text. DTP software is similar in some ways to word processing software; some programs have even blurred the two software types into one. Microsoft's Word 2002, for example, is first and foremost a word processor but incorporates several DTP elements, as well. Although it doesn't always sound terribly exciting, desktop publishing doesn't have to be boring. Some programs on the market today prove quite the contrary with tools and templates that let you create your own style for resumes, greeting cards, business cards, banners, and newsletters. DTP software comes in a variety of price points, too, so finding one that's right for you and your wallet should be a snap.  How We Tested We reviewed four programs with varying features and desktop publishing capabilities: CAM Development's Business Card Designer Plus 2000; SierraHome's Disney Print Creations, Collection I; Broderbund's Print Shop Pro Publisher Deluxe 12; and Corel's WordPerfect Family Pack 3. We tested them using a 667MHz Pentium III IBM PC with 128MB of RAM, running Windows Me. We installed each program in turn, sat back, flexed our creative muscles, and put our imaginations in the driver's seat.  Business Card Designer Plus 2000 $24.95 CAM Development Telephone number N/A http://www.camdevelopment.com How many business cards find their way into your wallet or Rolodex on a daily basis? How many of those names do you remember after you tuck the card away? Now you can stand out from the crowd with a business card you've designed yourself. Business Card Designer Plus 2000 is an easy-to-use program that lets you create—you guessed it—business cards. It doesn't do much else, but at $24.95 it's the cheapest of the packages in our roundup and will save you money if you're just looking for a way to make business cards. You can download Business Card Designer Plus 2000 for a free, 30-day trial period or order the CD-ROM from CAM Development's Web site. Once you've installed the software, a Net Message dialog box pops up with tips to help you, such as describing how a certain command from the program's main toolbar works. Refresh the list by clicking the Update button and click Close when you're finished. (You can bypass the Net Message dialog box in the future by deselecting Show Net Messages When The Application Starts.) Now you're ready to create your business card from scratch or modify the program's existing templates. No matter which method you choose, the software walks you through the necessary steps. If you decide to use one of the templates and backgrounds, you have plenty of options—25 styles of wide cards, 10 versions of tall cards, and 60 backgrounds. Or you can go high-tech and make your multimedia project really stand out with a CD business card from a CD-R (CD-recordable) template. Once you have the look you want, all that's left is to type in your information. Aside from the usual business information, you can type up to four URLs (uniform resource locators). After you're done typing, click Next and Finish, and voila! You've just created a business card. That's all there is to it. The toolbar includes the functions you need to make any last minute touches, such as aligning text or adding a graphic. If you make a mistake, it's no problem; the software has multilevel Undo and Redo commands, items we strongly approve of. We also like Business Card Designer's printing options. Obviously, you're going to print more than one business card on one sheet of paper. The optional print cropping marks make it easier to keep those cards uniform in shape when you cut them out. For only $24.95, Business Card Designer Plus 2000 is a pretty slick program that will have you making professional-looking business cards in a matter of minutes.  Disney Print Creations Collection I $49.95 SierraHome (800) 757-7707 (310) 649-8008 http://www.sierrahome.com Disneyland may be the "Happiest Place on Earth," but you can put a touch of the Magic Kingdom on your Desktop with SierraHome's Disney Print Creations Collection I. Whether you have children or are simply mad about The Mouse, you should check this software out. It offers scads of activities and options, but its user-friendly interface keeps them from overwhelming you. And don't worry; the more than 6,000 Disney graphics aren't all just about Mickey Mouse or female fairy tale characters with pink backgrounds. You'll also find classic favorites, such as Jiminy Cricket and Donald Duck. Installation is easy, just pop the CD in your CD-ROM drive and Tinkerbell arrives to guide you through some on-screen instructions. The program comes with a concise, easy-to-read users guide, but SierraHome also throws in a Quick Reference Guide that shows screen shots with numbered commands, such as Print Project or Graphic Frame, to remind you what such items do and where you can find them. The back of the Quick Reference Guide gives a quick rundown of the tools on the various toolbars and where you'll find those toolbars while working on your project. But don't overlook the users guide. In addition to installation and use instructions, it provides project ideas with step-by-step directions, such as how to make a Bambi snow globe, a Dumbo mouse pad, or a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs picture frame. These suggestions are a nice addition to the stock projects already loaded in the software, which include greeting cards, banners, stickers, and magnets. You'll find a sample paper pack in the box to get you started. It includes 20 envelopes, 14 prescored cards, 14 note cards, and seven sheets of paper. This really is a cute program, and, if you'll pardon the cliche, it has something for just about everyone. Whether you're printing invitations to your little princess' Cinderella-themed birthday party or creating a Christmas tree ornament featuring Pluto and your own pooch, you'll find a variety of graphics from which to choose, making the $49.95 price tag pretty reasonable. This is especially true considering the program's all-star cast and the number of available projects. We had a hard time pulling ourselves away from this one.   Print Shop Pro Publisher Deluxe 12 $99.99 Broderbund (800) 395-0277 (415) 382-4400 http://www.broderbund.com Broderbund's latest version of Print Shop Pro Publisher Deluxe is similar in some ways to the company's Print Shop Deluxe but offers considerably more in the way of features and images. For example, Pro Publisher includes seven CDs (two for installation and program information and five art CDs) and more images to choose from in its installed templates and at its community Web site (http://www.expressit.com). If you sign up for a free one-year subscription when you register the software, you can increase the number of available images to more than a million and the number of layouts to more than 14,500. Of course, even without the Web site, Pro Publisher Deluxe gives you plenty of images to choose from. In case you haven't used a Print Shop program before, don't be surprised if there isn't much in the way of included documentation. You get one tiny slip of paper with installation and basic usage instructions printed in a nearly microscopic font, but Broderbund puts the bulk of the information you'll need to effectively use Pro Publisher on the installation and program CDs. Enhancements to version 12 include an updated set of photo-editing tools that let you add cool effects to your digital photos, such as Warp & Distort, Emboss, and Psychedelic. We were happy to find that Pro Publisher makes it pretty hard to mess up a project; you can easily undo any mistakes. Once you've turned your photos into works of art, you can upload them onto ExpressIt.com and invite your friends and family to see them. While you're at the Web site, you can find online greeting cards and more project ideas. Pro Publisher Deluxe isn't just for home users; businesses may also find it useful for creating brochures, office newsletters, and business cards. The software even divides its project categories into business and home projects, making it easier for you to find the items and templates you need for just about any occasion. Broderbund includes a sample pack of stationery, envelopes, and photo paper in the Pro Publisher box, but if you don't feel comfortable trusting your printer with your resume or next year's batch of holiday cards, you can use ExpressIt.com's professional printing services. Just design your project, upload it to the Web site, and Expressit.com will print and deliver it to your door for a fee. The $69.99 price tag may seem a little steep, but it's really not that bad when you factor in all the features and graphics you get for the money.  WordPerfect Family Pack 3 $99 Corel (800) 772-6735 (613) 728-8200 http://www.corel.com Corel's WordPerfect Family Pack 3 is actually an entire suite of programs that will aid you in various stages of creating documents, newsletters, cards, and more. It spans four CDs and includes WordPerfect 9, Quattro Pro 9, and Print House 2000 (which in turn includes Print House 5 and Photo House 5). As if that weren't enough, you also get McAfee VirusScan, CYBERsitter, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 11, and Compton's Interactive World Atlas. Disc 1 holds WordPerfect, Quattro Pro, VirusScan, and CYBERsitter and gives you the option of installing the other programs at a later time. Just load it into your CD-ROM drive and follow the on-screen instructions to install the components you want. Make sure you keep your Product Authenticity Card nearby during installation; you'll need the product serial number it provides when you register your software online. If you're a fan of printed documentation, you'll like the User Guide that comes with Family Pack 3. It offers a much more comprehensive explanation of the software's features than do the printed materials included with the other programs in this roundup. It is also easy to pick up and read thanks to plain-English instructions and item descriptions and includes lots of helpful hints. Don't let the WordPerfect name fool you; Family Pack 3 lets you do much more than type letters and create spreadsheets. You can find templates for all kinds of projects, from gift tags to hangman game sheets, in the PerfectExpert dialog box, which you'll find by clicking Start, Programs, WordPerfect Family Pack 3, and Corel New Project. It's easy to put your personal stamp on a project. Let's say you want to make a newsletter. Select the template you want, and as you click on certain parts of the template, you'll see the side panel change to the appropriate commands. For example, if you click Newsletter Title, the side panel brings up drop-down menus that you can use to change the title's look, such as changing the font or border. Click Finish, and you can check spelling, print, save, or make an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) copy. At $99, the WordPerfect Family Pack 3 is more expensive than the other three titles, but it is also the most comprehensive package we reviewed. If you're looking for a home user program that runs the gamut of word processing, graphics, and spreadsheet capabilities, it's well worth checking out. And The Winner Is . . . It wasn't easy coming up with a winner because we enjoyed using each program and found them all to be very functional. The fact that we didn't have any major complaints with any of our contestants made it all the more difficult. In the end, we chose to award this month's Smart Choice award to Broderbund's Print Shop Publisher Pro Deluxe 12. Broderbund made it easy to use, sells it for a reasonable price, and gives users a wide array of options.  by Catherine Geistkemper
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