Hallmark Card Studio 2011 – Greeting Card Software On Steroids

The history behind greeting cards is fascinating. Did you know for example, that greeting cards may well go back as far as the ancient Egyptians? Or, that there is evidence that in ancient Chinese culture, greeting cards were used to convey New Year’s  “best wishes”?

Stepping into the modern age, greeting cards are now exchanged on virtually every occasion, from Births to Deaths, Marriage, Divorce, Anniversaries ………….. and on special days: Birthdays, Valentines, Thanksgiving ……… and of course, Christmas. By some accounts, more than two Billion Christmas cards are exchanged annually, just within the United States!

There’s no doubt that the greeting card business is BIG BUSINESS. We’re all pretty familiar with the extensive display areas often set aside in retail outlets –  displays that can be captivating, and designed to influence our purchasing preferences.

Personally, I find that buying a premade greeting card can be, more often than not, a daunting experience. It takes me forever to decide whether the card should be funny or serious, traditional or new age, sentimental and sappy, or …………

But, technology has come to my rescue, in a sense. Using the right computer software, I’ve found that I can construct my own greeting cards that are just as attractive as a premade store-bought card. And better yet, my self made cards seem to be more meaningful to those on my mailing list.

Recently, I tested the new Hallmark Card Studio 2011 application, which now includes – not only the tools to construct spectacular greeting cards, but integration with YouTube, Facebook, and other social networks; exclusive Hallmark fonts; and graphics for designing custom calendars, photo cards, note cards, matching stationery and envelope sets, as well as invitations and scrapbooks.

As a bonus, Hallmark Card Studio 2011 provides the user with an Event Planner which includes an address book and mailing list. Event Planner takes the worry out of trying to remember birthdays, anniversaries, and other important events.

Fast facts:

New! User Interface – Easier than ever before with popular design tools now at your fingertips.

New! Integration with Facebook and other social networks.

Enhanced! Hallmark Graphics Collection with even more images.

Photo Cards, Calendars, 3D Cards & 3D Projects.

Hallmark Note Writing Guide.

Easy to Use! A tutorial gets you started fast.

6,700+ Hallmark Greeting Cards and customizable projects.

1,000+ Spectacular Graphics to complement your designs.

Search projects easily by design theme or occasion.

Event Planner can help you keep track of your schedule and contact information (including birthdays and anniversaries) for all the special people in your life.

Hallmark sentiment library with 5,400+ sentiments.

Installation, from the DVD, is the usual click – click – click, and you’re done – straightforward and simple.

The user interface has been designed, it seems to me, to appeal to the hobbyist and is a bit retro.

But, once past the opening screen, the interface reverts to a more familiar classical layout – as illustrated in the following screen capture.

The following screen shots represent a walkthrough in choosing, and then emailing a personalized Christmas card. Clicking on any graphic will expand it to it’s original size. Since these shots were captured on a 22 inch screen, they are very large.

I’ve chosen a rather sentimental card – but aren’t all technologists sentimental?  You’ll notice that there are an abundance of tools and selections available so that you can customize to your hearts content.

Rather than having to stay with an old familiar message, you’re sure to find just what you’re looking for with the extensive “greetings” menu.

Adding sounds, and music to your card is a snap, and adds that “just so” finish.

Emailing your creation, or sharing it on Facebook and YouTube, couldn’t be easier. Simply select, and go for it!

I’ve been using this type of application for years, but Hallmark Card Studio 2011 is a major step up from what I’m use to. The choices and customization possibilities seem endless – very impressive.

Despite the fact that I’ve been using this application for only a few days, and I have yet to really dig below the surface, I have no hesitation in recommending Hallmark Card Studio 2011 to those who enjoy that special feeling that comes from construction their own greeting cards.

The application is available at $29.99 at the the publishers website here.

System Requirements: Windows XP, Vista, Win 7.

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The Winners in the SYNCING.NET Free License Giveaway Are…..

I’m happy to announce the 6 winners of a pair of free license for SYNCING.NET – Business Edition, a superior file synchronization application, that is easy to setup, customize and run, for both less experienced, and expert users alike.

Congratulations to the winners: Corker, David,  Grr, Rod, Luiz, and Rick.

Each winner has been notified directly. If you weren’t one of the lucky winners, you can test drive this great application for 30 days by visiting SYNCING.NET.

Thank you, to all those who participated.

SYNCING.NET – Business Edition Review:

In today’s rugged business environment, having a “competitive advantage”, over the competition, is not just a buzz phrase, it’s critical to success.

Controlling information in such a way, that all parties with access to that information access the same information, all of the time, can be a significant competitive advantage.

Roadblocks that inhibit the exchange of, or access to, the same data, will, unquestionably negatively impact a company’s profitability, and long term viability.

By synchronization data files on multiple computing devices – maintaining the same version of the relevant files, employees can manage their time more efficiently and productively. Enhanced productivity and efficiencies are an obvious competitive advantage, with direct impact on the bottom line.

SYNCING.NET – Business Edition is a premium enterprise grade application, designed for small and medium sized businesses with a difference. SYNCING.NET – Business Edition, has been created with one overriding consideration – simplicity and convenience.

With SYNCING.NET installed, an enterprise now has the ability to synchronize Outlook e-mails, contacts, calendars and tasks in real time, as well as Windows files of any size and type.

If you are in the market for a simple, safe, and complete solution to meet your company’s data synchronization needs then SYNCING.NET, with its  user-friendly interface, and low maintenance, should meet or exceed your expectations.

Fast facts:

From the developer –

SYNCING.NET Business Edition allows administrators to define user rights. Administrators can allow read-access only, as well as other levels of access for particular users to add or change own content without restrictions.

As the administrator you can manage all of your PCs from any Outlook Group or Sync Folder. In your absence, you can also add up to three additional users as administrators. Even if you have to be away from the office you know your team will still be synchronized.

SYNCING.NET provides a Guest Role option within the Business Edition that allows read-access only, keeping crucial files and data safe from accidental changes.

When creating an Outlook Group or a Sync Folder, you can specify who you want to invite to join these groups. This allows for complete control over who has access to the shared data. Invite/removal privileges are for the Group originator and administrator only.

SYNCING.NET synchronization is automatic and silent. Complete background functionality means you are freed up to focus on the task at hand and nothing else.

If you’ve got an internet connection, then you’ve got real-time updates. SYNCING.NET is completely location independent, so you can easily work on files and Outlook from the road and synchronize that data with every PC in your Group – no server needed. Even working offline is no problem. The second you are back online the data changes you’ve made are automatically synchronized.

SYNCING.NET software only synchronizes the changes in the data – not the entire file. This results in extremely fast, real time synchronization.

When creating an Outlook Group or Sync Folder, you are given a prompt that allows you to individually choose which folders are to be synchronized between the computers in your Group or Folder.

Our simple, intuitive user interface helps you easily sync your Outlook and files. The software is powerful, yet easy to utilize – for any level of PC user.

SYNCING.NET uses military grade, highly secure 256-bit AES encryption for end-to-end transmission. This encryption complies with the 1024-bit RSA authentication to the highest safety standard (military grade).

The key products of the company include three major editions to meet every user’s need: Business Edition, Home Edition, for the home user, and the Professional Edition, for the professional user.

System requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Additional requirements: Microsoft .NET Framework

Download a free 30 day trial at: SYNCING.NET

Purchase price: $225 USD.

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.

License Giveaway – SYNCING.NET Business Edition, 12 Free Licenses

Continuing with Tech Thoughts occasional focus on business applications, we have arranged with SYNCING.NET to give away 12 licenses (retail value $225 U.S. each), for their flagship application SYNCING.NET – Business Edition, a file synchronization application designed to maintain the same version of files on multiple computing devices.

To enter the contest to win one of the licenses, simply add a comment at the end of this article. On June 7, 2010, all comments will be added to the online List Randomizer, and the first 6 names that appear, will win a free registration code. This week is already off the rails time wise, so I won’t necessarily acknowledge your comment. Once you see your comment in the comment column, you can be sure your entry has been noted.

Please note: Winners will need a separate key for each computer he/she is planning to sync, so we will draw 6 winners (2 licenses each).

Read the following review and I’m sure you’ll agree this is a contest worth entering.

In today’s rugged business environment, having a “competitive advantage”, over the competition, is not just a buzz phrase, it’s critical to success.

Controlling information in such a way, that all parties with access to that information access the same information, all of the time, can be a significant competitive advantage.

Roadblocks that inhibit the exchange of, or access to, the same data, will, unquestionably negatively impact a company’s profitability, and long term viability.

By synchronization data files on multiple computing devices – maintaining the same version of the relevant files, employees can manage their time more efficiently and productively. Enhanced productivity and efficiencies are an obvious competitive advantage, with direct impact on the bottom line.

SYNCING.NET – Business Edition is a premium enterprise grade application, designed for small and medium sized businesses with a difference. SYNCING.NET – Business Edition, has been created with one overriding consideration – simplicity and convenience.

With SYNCING.NET installed, an enterprise now has the ability to synchronize Outlook e-mails, contacts, calendars and tasks in real time, as well as Windows files of any size and type.

If you are in the market for a simple, safe, and complete solution to meet your company’s data synchronization needs then SYNCING.NET, with its  user-friendly interface, and low maintenance, should meet or exceed your expectations.

Fast facts:

From the developer –

SYNCING.NET Business Edition allows administrators to define user rights. Administrators can allow read-access only, as well as other levels of access for particular users to add or change own content without restrictions.

As the administrator you can manage all of your PCs from any Outlook Group or Sync Folder. In your absence, you can also add up to three additional users as administrators. Even if you have to be away from the office you know your team will still be synchronized.

SYNCING.NET provides a Guest Role option within the Business Edition that allows read-access only, keeping crucial files and data safe from accidental changes.

When creating an Outlook Group or a Sync Folder, you can specify who you want to invite to join these groups. This allows for complete control over who has access to the shared data. Invite/removal privileges are for the Group originator and administrator only.

SYNCING.NET synchronization is automatic and silent. Complete background functionality means you are freed up to focus on the task at hand and nothing else.

If you’ve got an internet connection, then you’ve got real-time updates. SYNCING.NET is completely location independent, so you can easily work on files and Outlook from the road and synchronize that data with every PC in your Group – no server needed. Even working offline is no problem. The second you are back online the data changes you’ve made are automatically synchronized.

SYNCING.NET software only synchronizes the changes in the data – not the entire file. This results in extremely fast, real time synchronization.

When creating an Outlook Group or Sync Folder, you are given a prompt that allows you to individually choose which folders are to be synchronized between the computers in your Group or Folder.

Our simple, intuitive user interface helps you easily sync your Outlook and files. The software is powerful, yet easy to utilize – for any level of PC user.

SYNCING.NET uses military grade, highly secure 256-bit AES encryption for end-to-end transmission. This encryption complies with the 1024-bit RSA authentication to the highest safety standard (military grade).

The key products of the company include three major editions to meet every user’s need: Business Edition, Home Edition, for the home user, and the Professional Edition, for the professional user.

System requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Additional requirements: Microsoft .NET Framework

Download a free 30 day trial at: SYNCING.NET

Purchase price: $225 USD.

If you found this article useful, why not subscribe to this Blog via RSS, or email? It’s easy; just click on this link and you’ll never miss another Tech Thoughts article.