The newest version of The Print Shop Deluxe by Broderbund lets you do a multitude of tasks that will sharpen and brighten just about any project you undertake and let you create truly professional-looking work with its wide-ranging array of tools. The extensive number of templates, texts, editing tools and other features wins this product our TopTenREVIEWS GOLD AWARD.
The numerous options that this software offers give you the freedom to really put your imagination to work. You can wow your friends and family with the virtually unlimited print project designs you can make with this excellent creative printing software. If you choose, you also can put this software to good use for a wide variety of small business projects.
You get an abundance of tools to create attractive layouts and plenty of different text options, along with a new, redesigned workspace. You can create products that are easily as good as anything done by a publishing professional by using the same types of tools. For example, you can do such things as upgrade photographs by whitening teeth, eliminating blemishes and even erasing wrinkles. In addition, you can improve the quality of photos and graphics by using the preprint technology that Broderbund makes available in this software.
Ease of Use: 
We did not run into any problems while installing this software. However, the installation process did take quite a long time. With The Print Shop Deluxe, there is a bit of a learning curve before you can feel totally confident making your creations. To assist you in getting started, there are several tutorials, features and helpful hints that can be turned on or off at will under the general options folder of the file menu. The Broderbund website also has a How-To Resources section that includes a number of short video tutorials. These instruct you step-by-step about everything from adjusting fonts to wrapping text around objects.
With this creative printing software, you can use nearly every tool with just a click of the mouse. The Wizard Design technology breaks everything down into a systematic sequence that directs you as you are using the application.
Feature Set: 
The feature set for this creative printing software package is extensive, colorful and quite up-to-date. The deluxe version provides guides, custom paper stocks and a mail merge function for your print projects. Your text can flow around an object and also across columns, and you can even rotate it if that will provide the special effect you would like for your project. The image-editing arsenal is equipped with handy options that let you experiment with transparency, change colors with an eyedropper shaped tool and edit shapes to suit a particular design. Images can be tagged to make them easier to locate. In addition, you can edit them with vector image editing or easy editing.
The software also provides quite a variety of projects from which to choose, ranging from whimsical birthday cards to school report covers to business newsletters. For social purposes, you can have a ball with The Print Shop Deluxe. You can easily prepare greeting cards for all occasions as well as accompanying envelopes, or make photo covers, postcards and more for your loved ones. A built-in address book and mail merge function make it easy to keep in contact with everyone on your list so you can share the colorful creations you put together with this product.
If you own a small business or belong to a community organization, this creative printing software is a real boon that undoubtedly will save you time and money when you create printed products for others to see. With The Print Shop Deluxe, you can make attractive letterhead stationery, envelopes, posters, banners and business cards, all from your home computer and printer and at a fraction of the cost of what you would pay to have these things done professionally. In addition, as a business owner, you can print menus, flyers, brochures, booklets and send items to your customers to keep your business brand in the forefront of your consumers' minds.
For both personal and professional use, you also can create calendars and publish to a webpage, which can be useful for fundraising for organizations, letting people know about your business or keeping in touch with far-flung relatives who want updates on what is happening with you and your family.
A fun new feature on the latest version of The Print Shop Deluxe is the ability to post to Facebook friends. You also get an address book and event reminders through imports from Gmail, Hotmail and Outlook.
This creative printing software also provides you with ideas for all manner of projects on the Broderbund website. Although the software is equipped with a plethora of templates and design options, Broderbund does offer featured designs for sale if you need even more variety. In addition, the company sells assorted cardstock and paper products for you to purchase if you cannot locate the kind of paper you need for a special project.
Graphic & Image Tools:
The Print Shop Deluxe makes it fun to experiment with your photos and clipart until you find just the right designs and arrangements. You can crop pictures to any shape and resize them just the way you want. With the flaw-fixing tools included in this software, you can eliminate red eyes in photographs of people and pets, fix scratches, remove dust and even add special effects. You can distort photos, play with transparency, switch color photos to black and white and much more.
You also can make the human subjects of your photos much more attractive – and they'll be delighted with you for doing so – by smoothing away wrinkles, erasing any scars or blemishes, and whitening their teeth. Imagine how pleased your loved ones will be to find printed projects that feature them at their best, even if you started by working with a picture that was less than flattering in the first place.
One great feature in this version is the hot shot viewer, where you can access your favorite photos, images, headlines and logos easily and then drag them directly into your projects.
Text Tools:
Like most Broderbund products, this software package allows you to create fun, interesting paragraphs, headlines and anything else you can think of using written text. You can create drop shadows to give text the appearance of floating on the page, wrap text around an image and add unique shapes to the text.
You can create some cool-looking custom headlines for projects or choose from ready-made headlines. Each tool allows you to view the results before adding elements to your print projects.
Help & Support:
If you have questions, this product offers useful video tutorials on its website that offer step-by-step instruction for such things as creating drop shadows, using the mail merge function or editing photos. There also is a section on Broderbund's website that provides answers to commonly asked questions. In addition, you get email support and phone numbers in case you have questions about using the software or need technical support. If you have questions that need immediate answers, the live chat support is an option that is quite helpful.
Summary:
The sheer number of templates, images and tools bundled in The Print Shop Deluxe sets it apart from the other creative printing software products that we reviewed. Not only can you create impressive print projects, you can share your projects with friends using messenger programs or even publish your projects to a webpage. Once you learn to find your way around this software, the projects you can create are virtually limitless.
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