Broderbund PrintShop Pro Publisher Deluxe 20 for PC (382224)

Pros: None that I can think of.
Cons: It has no manual. It is extremely difficult to use.

We have Microsoft's Home Publishing Premium 2000, which is a great program. Unfortunately Microsoft stopped supporting this program shortly after they sold it to us and it does not work on Windows XP. So much for progress. We still need some kind of ...

Pros: Retains projects created with prior versions
Cons: Very difficult to use; clunky; not at all intuitive; no manual

If "Print Shop" makes you think of a fun product that's quick and easy to use, then DON'T BUY THE PRO PUBLISHER DELUXE 20! It's not at all intuitive to use; functionality is very different from old versions of Print Shop. No manual of available graphics so one spends agonizing minutes (hours?) browsing and searching and browsing and searching. Contents of graphics CD's can't be installed on hard drive, so user must change CD's every few minutes. Even my office techie couldn't make the "Calendar Creator" program work right. Big disappointment.

Pros: More emphasis on fun and games.
Cons: Graphics and fonts seem dated and childlike.

I own a small gourmet food business and that means I regularly develop brochures, invitations, recipe sheets, etc. I tried the Broderbund product as an alternative to Microsoft Publisher and what I found is that the Broderbund product comes across as more of a toy than a seriously publishing tool. Yes, there are a lot of graphics, though most are online. But, the graphics have a dated, childlike quality. Even many of the fonts look dated and more applicable for a birthday invitation than for a serious brochure.

I have to say I still find Microsoft Publisher to be a more powerful publishing tool that provides professional looking results. The Broderbund product is something I'd let my kids play with instead.