Software Title: Label Designer Plus (Version v1.0)
Author or Company: Chris Maresco
105 Bayview Avenue
E. Patchogue, New York 11772
TEL: (516) 654-2908
E-Mail: CMaresco@AOL.COM
75207.2232@COMPUSERVE.COM
Registration Fee: $24.95 (plus $5.00 shipping and handling if outside
US and Canada.)
Availability: Windows Forum Software Library (AOL)
Filename: LABDPLS.ZIP (if you do not have OLE2
files on your system then download
LABOLE2.ZIP instead - see the "Features"
section and the "What is OLE?" section at
the end of this review for more
information.)
Filesize (zipped): 569,141 bytes
Filesize (unzipped): 810,180 bytes
Keywords: Maresco, PK204, Ole, Business Cards,
Design, Envelopes, Win 3.1, Top Pick
Requirements: Windows 3.1, OLE2, mouse recommended.
Rating (1-10): 9.5
Date of Review: 6/30/95
Installation
------------
Installation Rating: 9.5
Description of Installation Process:
You will need to create a temporary directory in which to extract the LABDPLS.ZIP (or LABOLE2.ZIP - see above) file into. Once this is done run SETUP.EXE. This opens a "readme" text file giving you instructions. Next you are prompted for the name of the directory you would like Label Designer Plus installed into (if you want it in a directory different from the default just type it in). You also have the option of installing all the programs files or to NOT overwrite existing files which are newer. Once this information is entered the program files are copied into the specified directory and a Program Manager group and icons are created. Finally you are asked if you would like to view the programs Help file. (Don't forget to delete the files in the temporary directory once the program is installed. They are no longer needed.)
Features
--------
Listing/Description of Features:
Label Designer Plus (LDPlus) v3.1 lets you easily create labels, business cards, index cards, Rolodex(tm) cards, envelopes - almost anything you can imagine! The shareware version comes with 12 preset labels including 8.5" by 11" full page, 3.5" disk, video tape, business card, etc. (most are listed with their Avery(tm) numbers). These can be modified or you can create and add new layouts of your own to its list.
LDPlus takes full advantage of OLE2 (Object Linking and Embedding). (NOTE: If you do not have OLE2 files on your system you will need to download the LABOLE2.ZIP version of LDPlus instead. This version contains the LDPlus program files and all the nedded OLE2 files which are both installed for you by its Setup program. (NOTE: Please see the "What is OLE?" section at the end of this review for more information.)
The program uses DB (Database) fields which let you easily create/use mail merge data files (deliminated text files which can either be created using any text editor or a database program which can export fields to a deliminated text file. See program Help for more details.). This lets you quickly create labels, envelopes, etc. for your mailing lists! Each field in the DB file can contain any information you desire and be up to 50 characters in size.
LDPlus's Auto Counter feature allows you to insert a field into your labels that will take on incrementing value when printed! You can set the starting count at any value you desire. (This is great for printing serialized labels.)
It has a Personal Information section where you can store your Name, Company Name, Phone Number and Address. When you are in "Insert Special Object Mode" (see below) and select any of these fields, for insertion into your label, LDPlus pulls the information for that field from the Personal Information section so you do not have to type in this, often used, info every time you need it (I really like this feature!)!!
LDPlus comes with a variety of powerful tools arranged in floating boxes (or accessable from menus). Here is a brief list of them:.
The Mode Box has buttons for: Text Mode (opens dialog box in which you type text to be placed onto your label), Line Mode (lets you draw straight lines), Box Mode (lets you draw squares or rectangles), Circle Mode (allows you to draw circles, ovals, etc.), Graphic Mode (allows you to insert a Bitmap graphic into your label), Insert Special Object (lets you insert: a DB field, an Auto Counter field, Name, Company Name, Phone Number, Address , or Quick Address (blank Name, Company Name and Address fields which let you quickly create a single label or envelope)), and Select Mode (lets you select any object on a label for modification or deletion).
The Line Box has buttons displaying various line thicknesses from which you can choose. The line thickness you select is used in drawing lines, boxes and circles.
The Alignment Box has buttons for Left Align, Center Horizontally, Right Align, Top Align, Center Vertically, and Bottom Align.
LDPlus has powerful printing features. You can print any number of labels starting from any label position on a page. You can preview your labels before printing them (to make sure they are just right) and you can print your labels with crop marks (small crosses printed at the edges of each label so you can easily cut them out yourself). LDPlus also offers full support for color printers.
LDPlus utilizes full "click and drag" which allows you to size, move, cut, copy, and paste objects or text with the utmost of ease. It uses the right mouse button to call up a floating menu whose options depend on the type of object you are working with and the position of the cursor. If you activate the menu while your cursor is NOT within any selected object the menu options are: Paste, Set Foreground/Background Color, Set Font, Set Rotation, Set Linesize, Adjust Margins and Align All to Grid. If you call up the menu while the cursor is in a selected text object its options are: Cut, Copy, Delete, Vertical/Horizontal Align, Align to Grid, Foreground/Background Color, Font, Rotate Text, and Edit Text. If you activate the menu while the cursor is in a selected graphic object (line, box or circle) the menu choices are: Cut, Copy, Delete, Vertical/Horizontal Align, Align to Grid, Linesize, and Foreground Color. If you call up the menu while the cursor is within a selected bitmap graphic the menu options are: Cut, Copy, Delete, Vertical/Horizontal Align, Align to Grid, and Graphic Info (this displays the actual and displayed width, height and aspect ratio of the bitmap graphic. It also shows you the X and Y scale (as a percentage), the size of the graphic (in bytes) and the number of colors (16, 256, etc.).
LDPlus Menu Options:
Its File Menu has options for: New (create a new label), Open (open an existing label), Import Business Card (import a card created with Chris Maresco's other winning program Business Card Designer Plus - see the review of BCDPlus elsewhere in this edition), Close (close current label), Save, Save As, Print Preview (allows you to see a sheet of labels on screen before printing), Print Sheet (prints a complete sheet of lables), Printer Setup, Edit Layouts, Edit Current Label's Layout, Link to DB File, and Exit Program. The Edit Menu's options are: Cut, Copy, Paste, Paste Special, Paste Link, Delete, Insert Object, Links, and Object. The Mode Menu's choices are: Text, Line, Box, Circle, Graphic, Special and Select (these are the same as for the "boxes" described above). Its Text Menu has options for: Font (style, type and size), Rotate Font, and Edit (lets you modify existing text). The Color Menu lets you set the Foreground and/or Background Color. The Alignment Menu has options for: Setting Margins, Left Align, Center Horizontally, Right Align, Top Align, Center Vertically, Bottom Align, Align Selected to Grid, and Align All to Grid. The View Menu has options for: Zoom In/Out, View Toolbox, View Line box, and View Alignment box. The Options Menu allows you to change the program's Configurations. The Window Menu has options for: Cascade, Tile, Arrange Icons, Close All and has a list of the currently open labels. LDPlus's Help menu lets you either call up Help or the programs About box.
Toolbar and Statusbar:
The program has a Toolbar with buttons for: Create a New Label, Open an Existing Label, Save Label, Print Sheet, Print Preview, Cut, Copy, Paste, Set Font, Set Font Rotation, Edit Text Object, Set Foreground Color, Set Background Color, Zoom In, and Zoom Out. It also has a Status Bar, at the bottom of the screen, that shows you the current postition of the cursor (in X and Y coordinates), the currently select layout, and the status of your Caps Lock, Number Lock and Insert/Overwrite Modes.
Help/Documentation Rating: 9
LDPlus comes with "readme" text and Windows format Help files which adequately answer most questions you may have about the program.
Summary
-------
Powerful in features, but simple to operate, Label Designer Plus is one of the best graphic shareware programs around!! This one really lets your creativity soar! Almost any type of card or label you can imagine - that's what LDPlus helps you design and print out. Plus, if you use Mr. Maresco's other program Business Card Designer Plus (see my review of it elsewhere in this issue), you already know how to use LDPlus - they have almost the same interface (this is one of many features I love)!! Download and register this one as soon as you possibly can!!! It's one of the best pieces of software you can add to your system. You will not regret it!!
Problems and Suggestions
------------------------
List of Problems found:
There were no conflicts, General Protection Faults (GPF's) or program errors encountered during my evaluation of this software.
Technical Support
-----------------
Technical Support Rating: 9
Description:
All inquiries made about the program were answered within 24 hours (via E-Mail) with helpful and comprehensive responses.
What do you get when you register?
----------------------------------
If you do not have the most recent version of LDPlus when registering you can receive it on diskette. If you are registering the most recent version then you will receive the code to disable the registration reminders. You are then entitled to free technical support by regular mail, telephone or E-Mail. You are also entitled to free minor upgrades of the major version you register. Chris Maresco also offers a mailer you can receive once you are registered.
Disclaimer
----------
(DISCLAIMER: This review is provided for information/entertainment purposes only. The author will not be held responsible or liable for any problems which may occur in the use of any of the reviewed software. The author will also not be held responsible if the program reviewed does not operate, in the way stated. With there being so many system configurations possible confilcts/problems can arise which may prevent the reviewed software from operating in the way indicated. This is not the responsibility of the reviewer.)
What is OLE?
------------
Object Linking and Embedding [Oh, that's what OLE stands for]. This is a utility that lets you exchange or share information from one windows OLE compliant application file to another OLE compliant application file [huh?]. Okay, let's say you are writing a business letter (using your favorite word processor) and you would like to include a spreadsheet (created with your favorite spreadsheet program) showing the high number of sales you have had recently. Now, before OLE you would have had to print the letter and the spreadsheet seperately, with their respective programs, and include the spreadsheet as a seperate page attached to the end of your letter. OLE lets you "embed" the spreadsheet into your word processor document, so it becomes "linked" to the letter (becoming a part of it). Now you may come across two terms used with programs that are linked via OLE. These are "server" and "client". The server contains the original information you are linking and the client uses that information (in our above example, the word processor application is the client - the one using the info - and the spreadsheet application is the server - the one providing the info). Once the link is created the information from the server (the spreadsheet, in our example) becomes an "object" within the client application file (the word processor document, continuing our example). OLE objects can appears as icons, text, or graphics. Of course, you are not limited to only two applications sharing information. You can use several Windows applications to create a single document!
There are two types of OLE [something else to remember?]. These are OLE1 and OLE2. OLE2 lets you "drag and drop" objects from one application to another (using our example, drag the icon for the spreadsheet file from the application that created it into your word processor document). Once it is there you can open the server application by double-clicking on the embedded object [excuse me...?]. Just double-click on the spreadsheet in your letter and the spreadsheet program will launch [Oh, okay]. OLE1 lets you embed information from one application to another, but it does NOT let you use drag and drop or let you open the server application by double-clicking. You need to use menu commands for linking and embedding objects [sounds to me like OLE2 is better]. Yes it is. It allows you to better utilize the power of your computer!
Not all Windows applications support Object Linking and Embedding, but most word processors and graphics programs do. So, if you have a well-known commercial Windows word processor or graphic program in your software library it is pretty likely you have OLE1 or OLE2 files on your system already. If you do not have OLE compliant applications (or they are OLE1 and would like to upgrade to OLE2) you can get these files by downloading the LABOLE2.ZIP version of Chris Maresco's Label Designer Plus (located in the Windows Forum Software Library on AOL). This will install both the Label Designer Plus program AND all the OLE2 files [sounds good to me!].
I hope this helps you to understand a little more about OLE. If you have any questions about it or any of the programs I review or if you have any comments, suggestions, tips, or program recommendations please, contact me (via E-Mail) at Mythdancer@aol.com - Hope to hear from you!!!
