When it
comes to desktop publishing and presentation those
of us that enjoy being creative need simplicity,
the right tools and professional resources to get
the right results. I have tried lots of different
applications, but when it comes to the Mac there
aren’t that many available, however there are a
few. and sad to say I am still having to go to
other programs to get the results I want, at least
I was, until MacKiev Software produced PrintShop 2
for Mac.
My first impressions of MacKiev are a company that stand for quality, their presentation of any product they do is streets ahead of most, they spend a great deal of time getting it right and reflecting on how they can improve a product, However that doesn’t mean to say they are perfection, because they are not, and as you will see their are little things that need improvement. However I must say these are minor and should not in any way be taken as a put off, put simply they do the best Desktop Publishing software for Mac users.
Ease of use
One of the first things I noticed was the colourful and clearly set out interface that have side bars and palettes containing the appropriate tools neatly set out for the users convenience and comfort, everything is just a click away. Quickly you get used to where things are.
Before you get to the editing workspace though you have a very helpful wizard that presents you with some important options, these include the sort of project you would like to undertake for instance Newsletters, CD & DVD Labels and Inserts, Business Cards, plus many more. You are then presented with the next stage that wants to determine whether you wish to select a preset design where you replace the text and images thus saving time, or choose a template from scratch and use your own skills and resources with the available effects to make your own designs. MacKiev have inserted templates that match the resources produced by respected companies like Avery, Neato, CD Stomper, Memorex, etc. very useful if you purchase their papers and labels.
Feature Packed
First of all when purchasing this impressive software application you get two CDs that contain :
9.500 Professional Project Templates
19,500 Plus Premium Images
240 Great looking fonts
Built in Photo Workshop
Support for Label free Inkjet CD Printers
Bonus Art CD
One of the interesting selling points for those iLife and Mac users is that MacKiev have inserted in their templates some of iDVD preset designs that compliment any movie and dvd project, Apple sure make some stunning presentations, well now your Dvd’s can look as amazing to thanks to MacKiev Software.
Another knock out feature that is a great addition to this astounding kit, is that now I can print onto CDs through my Epson Stylus printer that supports CD & DVD Printing. Ironically enough my model was not mentioned as compatible on their website, but it does work (EPSON RX 640) however it cannot cope with multiple copies at once as compared to the Epson Print CD software bundled with the printer. It only can only do one at a time, a little annoying when you have a small run to do.
Compatibility with other Apple applications are excellent and a great time saver, whether this would be for importing playlists from iTunes, or merging your Address Book contacts when it comes to printing envelopes etc, or importing events from iCal. You can also drag and drop images from your iPhoto events right onto your own Print Shop 2 projects.
The Photo Workshop is an interesting feature, simply right clicking on the image or selecting the camera icon in the effects palette will allow you to crop pictures into various shapes, also you can enhance the image adjusting the Brightness, Contrast and Sharpness. You can also remove Red Eye, Fix Flaws and Scratches, and apply various effects too. One thing I did note was that when you enter the Crop Orientation tab it shows an outline of part of the picture being used, to my surprise you cannot move it, you have to select a shape like a simple square to manipulate the part of the picture you want, it would be better if you could for quickness move the outline without selecting a shape in the first place.
Another great feature is to make a multi-page project, if you have a business this can be very useful, especially if you have a 30 plus page report to print. The templates are so numerous for the projects you could undertake I am quite sure you would never need another application to compliment this, unless of course you had some serious photo editing to process.
Here are some of the types of projects you can produce :
Certificates, Business Cards, Gift Tags, Envelopes, Fax Cover Sheets, CD & DVD Cases, Calendars, Menus, Pamphlets, Signs, Posters, VCR Labels, Post Cards, Shipping Labels, Banners, Name Tags, Address Labels, Online Greetings, Newsletters, Photo Albums, Novelties, Collages, Multi-Prints.
Professionals use special layout tools to insure accuracy in their work, MacKiev have also provided these sort of tools to help even the novice user, especially if you have a customised project to make in my case for example DVD Audio cases are not included. Therefore - Rulers, Guidelines, Grids, and Overlays prove to be very useful. All of these are instantly available in the Layout palette situated to the right of the main project workspace.
In Conclusion
MacKiev have a winning combination with PrintShop 2 its easy to use, colourful and pleasing to the eye, the workspace is not to busy, and the features are so numerous they leave the competition out the window when it comes to targeting the home user.
There are certain aspects that need attention for instance I am not sure that I am totally happy with the browsing feature I felt this was a little bit restricted and fiddly to operate, the crop feature in the Photo Workshop needs enhancing to be even more straightforward, rather than having to click on a shape to get the result I want, the default outline ought to possess handles so they can be manipulated. The Print CD is without a doubt one of the most useful features for me, but why it does not cope with multiple prints I do not know, although I cannot comment on other models.
Finally driving the point home PrintShop 2 is simply the best product for desktop publishing for the home Mac user, all others have great features, but they simply cannot compete with MacKiev. and although this application is not perfection, its sure close to it. I am very happy with it and look forward to new releases as and when they come.
5/5 for Presentation
4/5 For Ease Of Use
5/5 For Features & Benefits
My first impressions of MacKiev are a company that stand for quality, their presentation of any product they do is streets ahead of most, they spend a great deal of time getting it right and reflecting on how they can improve a product, However that doesn’t mean to say they are perfection, because they are not, and as you will see their are little things that need improvement. However I must say these are minor and should not in any way be taken as a put off, put simply they do the best Desktop Publishing software for Mac users.
Ease of use
One of the first things I noticed was the colourful and clearly set out interface that have side bars and palettes containing the appropriate tools neatly set out for the users convenience and comfort, everything is just a click away. Quickly you get used to where things are.
Before you get to the editing workspace though you have a very helpful wizard that presents you with some important options, these include the sort of project you would like to undertake for instance Newsletters, CD & DVD Labels and Inserts, Business Cards, plus many more. You are then presented with the next stage that wants to determine whether you wish to select a preset design where you replace the text and images thus saving time, or choose a template from scratch and use your own skills and resources with the available effects to make your own designs. MacKiev have inserted templates that match the resources produced by respected companies like Avery, Neato, CD Stomper, Memorex, etc. very useful if you purchase their papers and labels.
Feature Packed
First of all when purchasing this impressive software application you get two CDs that contain :
9.500 Professional Project Templates
19,500 Plus Premium Images
240 Great looking fonts
Built in Photo Workshop
Support for Label free Inkjet CD Printers
Bonus Art CD
One of the interesting selling points for those iLife and Mac users is that MacKiev have inserted in their templates some of iDVD preset designs that compliment any movie and dvd project, Apple sure make some stunning presentations, well now your Dvd’s can look as amazing to thanks to MacKiev Software.
Another knock out feature that is a great addition to this astounding kit, is that now I can print onto CDs through my Epson Stylus printer that supports CD & DVD Printing. Ironically enough my model was not mentioned as compatible on their website, but it does work (EPSON RX 640) however it cannot cope with multiple copies at once as compared to the Epson Print CD software bundled with the printer. It only can only do one at a time, a little annoying when you have a small run to do.
Compatibility with other Apple applications are excellent and a great time saver, whether this would be for importing playlists from iTunes, or merging your Address Book contacts when it comes to printing envelopes etc, or importing events from iCal. You can also drag and drop images from your iPhoto events right onto your own Print Shop 2 projects.
The Photo Workshop is an interesting feature, simply right clicking on the image or selecting the camera icon in the effects palette will allow you to crop pictures into various shapes, also you can enhance the image adjusting the Brightness, Contrast and Sharpness. You can also remove Red Eye, Fix Flaws and Scratches, and apply various effects too. One thing I did note was that when you enter the Crop Orientation tab it shows an outline of part of the picture being used, to my surprise you cannot move it, you have to select a shape like a simple square to manipulate the part of the picture you want, it would be better if you could for quickness move the outline without selecting a shape in the first place.
Another great feature is to make a multi-page project, if you have a business this can be very useful, especially if you have a 30 plus page report to print. The templates are so numerous for the projects you could undertake I am quite sure you would never need another application to compliment this, unless of course you had some serious photo editing to process.
Here are some of the types of projects you can produce :
Certificates, Business Cards, Gift Tags, Envelopes, Fax Cover Sheets, CD & DVD Cases, Calendars, Menus, Pamphlets, Signs, Posters, VCR Labels, Post Cards, Shipping Labels, Banners, Name Tags, Address Labels, Online Greetings, Newsletters, Photo Albums, Novelties, Collages, Multi-Prints.
Professionals use special layout tools to insure accuracy in their work, MacKiev have also provided these sort of tools to help even the novice user, especially if you have a customised project to make in my case for example DVD Audio cases are not included. Therefore - Rulers, Guidelines, Grids, and Overlays prove to be very useful. All of these are instantly available in the Layout palette situated to the right of the main project workspace.
In Conclusion
MacKiev have a winning combination with PrintShop 2 its easy to use, colourful and pleasing to the eye, the workspace is not to busy, and the features are so numerous they leave the competition out the window when it comes to targeting the home user.
There are certain aspects that need attention for instance I am not sure that I am totally happy with the browsing feature I felt this was a little bit restricted and fiddly to operate, the crop feature in the Photo Workshop needs enhancing to be even more straightforward, rather than having to click on a shape to get the result I want, the default outline ought to possess handles so they can be manipulated. The Print CD is without a doubt one of the most useful features for me, but why it does not cope with multiple prints I do not know, although I cannot comment on other models.
Finally driving the point home PrintShop 2 is simply the best product for desktop publishing for the home Mac user, all others have great features, but they simply cannot compete with MacKiev. and although this application is not perfection, its sure close to it. I am very happy with it and look forward to new releases as and when they come.
5/5 for Presentation
4/5 For Ease Of Use
5/5 For Features & Benefits
MacKiev Print Shop 2.0 Review For Mac