It all began on Christmas when my daughter handed me a gift as she beamed proudly and said, ’’I just KNOW you’re going to love this!’’ She couldn’t have been more right. It was my very first greeting card program. That was six years ago and I haven’t purchased one card at a store since. Through the years, I’ve upgraded the program and purchased others to enhance my graphic capability. One of these purchases was the PrintMaster Platinum. I admit that when I first saw that it contained more than one disk, I hesitated wondering what the heck I was getting myself into. But, I bought it anyway determined to give it a shot. I have never been sorry. First of all, the initial disk in the one used to install the base memory needed to run the program. The graphics are held on the other disks to prevent a build-up of images on your hard drive which will absorb your memory like a sponge on water. After you install the program using the initial yellow disk, you’re set to go. You can make cards, posters, labels, envelopes - just about anything you can name. IT EVEN MAKES IRON-ON TRANSFERS for the times when you’d like to surprise someone with a ’’personal t-shirt’’. (Of course, that option needs special paper that you can get in Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Stapes . . . . stores that sell computer paper).
The graphics are clear and the colors used are sharp. There are many black and white ’’pencil’’ sketches you can use for just the right effect when making that special project. I just finished making calendars for my children. It seems they’ve become notorious in forgetting each other’s birthdays. The calendar I made has their names printed right in the box in the month according to the day they were born. In addition to the 12 months, on the pages facing each month, I placed graphics indicating what event happens that month. (For instance, looking at July’s month, the facing page holds pictures of things relating the Independence Day.) This is just ONE of the many projects I was able to do using PrintMaster. Yes, I know. ALL greeting card programs offer similar projects. PrintMaster goes a step further. I can click on whatever year I choose and the calendar for THAT year will pop up. I don’t need to think about which date falls on what day. PrintMaster thinks for me. I can scroll the words to form a triangle, an arc or a banner and they don’t come out distorted - just a nice even curve. As I said before, the colors used in this program are sharp and clear. This is not so with the other greeting card programs I’ve used. With them, if I used red, when I print, the red comes out ’’deep, dull red’’. If I used blue, it comes out ’’deep, dull blue’’ - and so on. With PrintMaster, whatever color I decide to use, THAT’S the color that prints on my paper: orange = orange, red is bright, blue is royal, purple is purple and green is green (not pea-green).
Another thing I like about the graphics is how they place on the project you’re making. With the ’’other’’ programs, when you apply two or more graphics, you get a ’’white void’’ when you put one on top of another. That’s a pain when you’re trying to incorporate them for a special effect. This is not so with PrintMaster. You can easily place one on top of another, or two or three WITHOUT have a noticeable void ruining your handiwork. Do I mind using 8 disks for the graphics? Not on your life! PrintMaster makes it so easy to use. The orange disk holds the graphic album. Choose a picture and click select. A prompt will appear telling you which disk that picture is on. Put in that appropriate disk and voila! The picture is placed on your project! That simple. (Just in case 8 disks of graphis isn’t enough for you, at the end of every category of art, is a section of ’’online graphics’’ which you can {buy right then there for your projects.) I can use graphics, actual photographs OR I can import MY OWN pictures and use them! I did that making my Christmas cards this year. I’d taken a picture of my Christmas Tree last year, imported that into the PrintMaster graphics and placed them on the cards.
There really isn’t any way for me to tell you just how easy this program is to use, nor can I explain the many wonderful options offered. This is something you really have to see for yourself. This program does everything but MAIL the cards for you. I really don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have my PrintMaster.