Description:
It is almost absurdly easy to create a card within minutes of installing Hallmark Christian Card Studio, for everything from birthdays to weddings. Big, friendly navigation buttons point the way, whether you choose a card to customize, or create one from scratch. Installation couldn't be smoother. The process is streamlined, but not so much so that you automatically get stuck with a bunch of "trial offers" that are really advertisements for other products; dialog boxes let you choose to accept these or not. It's otherwise a matter of clicking past the legal mumbo jumbo and restarting your computer. You will then be enveloped in the bubbly cartoon world that is this program's interface, with almost comically large buttons to click, pastel backgrounds, and flapping butterflies. But Christian Card Studio offers more than just a pretty interface. The editing tools seem at first rudimentary, but they offer power and flexibility. Resize, rotate, and crop images. Edit text and alter its color, font, and size. Those who have used image editing software of any kind will experience no difficulty whatsoever, and even beginners will soon be slinging text and images with the best of them. The best way to learn is to dive right in and start experimenting, as the "tutorial" is pretty skimpy and unclear. A few drawbacks: The Undo function goes back only one step. The super-friendly interface can be a bit much, especially when you want to perform a function that cannot obviously be done with those colorful, oversized buttons; on some screens, for example, there is no obvious way to go back to the previous screen. It is hard to take seriously the claim that there are "200,000 ways to create a card," unless you include every conceivable combination of text and image. Also, the Christian content is not all that it could be: the art gallery features many irrelevant categories such as Sea Mammals and Zebras. Finally, though the e-card function works well, be forewarned that the first thing your recipient will see is not an expression of your affection, but a technical explanation of how to view the card ("You can view your greeting by selecting either Run from the Start Menu or File/Run from the Program Manager..."). All in all, this program delivers a fun and satisfying experience. Though economy may not be a compelling reason to print your own cards--factor in the cost of card stock and ink for your printer and the price of printing a card is about the same as buying one--the chance to design exactly the card you want, with the aid of hundreds of thoughtfully written greetings, make this a wonderful tool for the home print artist. --David Stoesz
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