Cheap PrintMaster Greeting Cards Deluxe (Software) (Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows NT 4) Price

First and foremost, the folks at Broderbund have made printing a snap. No more fumbling with double-sided confusion: both on-screen and printed directions customize the printing to your printer and make it easy to avoid wasted paper and ink. One caveat: there doesn't seem to be a way to turn off the extra directions sheet that the application prints, which can lead to wasted premium paper.

The second sharp feature of Greeting Cards Deluxe is its compatibility with your address book. This means that not only is addressing your cards easy and streamlined, but you can also manage a powerful event reminder that notifies you of upcoming anniversaries, birthdays, and other special events.

After a somewhat lengthy install (about 10 minutes using Windows XP), the package is easy to get into. The start-up video is handsome and useful, and jumping right in is easy with a familiar interface. The photo workshop is a welcome addition, letting you adjust colors, crop, cut out, and otherwise manipulate your picture for the perfect project, without having to learn another software package or leave this one.

The selection of art and projects is assuredly vast, however much of it is available online. Both can be searched by keyword, although this function is somewhat limited: only words actually appearing in the description or on the project itself are searched. ("Mother" and "Mom" searches yield different results.) We also experienced slow operation, particularly in starting the application; however, the program did run smoothly once begun.--Emilie Herbst