PrintMaster Platinum Reviewer's Comments

Our second pick and "TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award Winner" is PrintMaster Platinum from Broderbund. PrintMaster Platinum offers the largest selection of templates for fun and creative projects, including calendars, photos, business items and more.

Even though PrintMaster Platinum is similar to our #1–ranked Print Shop Deluxe, this program’s text tools were slightly less intuitive.

We searched the net for the best prices and deals available. Here's what we found. Right now, when you purchase PrintMaster Platinum for $34.95 from online retailer, Herman Street, you also get your pick of #1 rated anti-spyware software Spy Sweeper or a Click Art 400,000 clipart CD for FREE.

PrintMaster Platinum Screenshots. Click for more
       


Ease of Use:  

PrintMaster Platinum is easy to use. From the startup screen, you can create a print project from a ready–made design, start a new project, search through the image library and even send someone an animated greeting card.

The control panel is design simple enough for those of any skill level. Most of your tools are easily visible and you can right–click your mouse while working for instant access to editing tools.

Feature Set:  

Like most print software, PrintMaster Platinum creates standard projects such as posters, business cards, invitations and more. Also, you can make photo greeting cards, animated greeting cards and photo novelties (where you insert you own picture into a famous or fun photo). You can create kitchen crafts, party goods, webpages and clever crafts for kids, like masks and paper airplanes.

The children’s projects are some of the best we’ve seen. For example, not only does PrintMaster Platinum have one of the largest assortments of paper airplanes available, they are two–sided and in color. Each plane includes assembly instructions.

Graphic/Image Tools:  

If you’re looking for creative tools to work with clipart and photos, then PrintMaster Platinum has just that. If you’re working with a photograph, PrintMaster Platinum has a photo workshop where you can adjust the color, brightness and focus, fix flaws, add effects or even add an artist stamp. Each tool category provides an assortment of options to create some clever changes to alter your original photo. The photo workshop also has helpful hints to illustrate each tool in use.

We liked PrintMaster Platinum’s tools for creating slideshows or digital scrapbooks viewable on a computer or television set.

Text Tools:  

While the text tools in PrintMaster Platinum are some of the best of any printing program we reviewed, you’re still limited when working with body text. However, you can rotate body text any degree and add shapes. We’d like the ability to add gradient colors or photos to the body text too, however.

Where PrintMaster Platinum really shines is its headline text and title text. You can choose from ready–made headline text or start with a font and customize your own. You can add a solid color, blend colors, add textures or add a photo. You can shape the headline, position it, add an outline to the text, add drop shadows, change the depth of the shadow and set the proportion of the text to get just the look you want.

Help/Support:  

PrintMaster Platinum not only offers standard help content, the program links to a built–in help center where you view or print useful tutorials.

PrintMaster also has a separate menu for contacting online help for 24/7 online self–support, email support and even phone support. The phone option, however does require a fee. From the online menu option, you can also check for updates quickly or connect to the Broderbund troubleshooting system

Summary:  

If you’re looking for print software equipped with a large selection of tools and features, PrintMaster Platinum by Broderbund is for you. Not only is this program ideal for small business projects, it’s excellent for scrapbooking and school projects too.