One of the great things about the move to Windows 95 is that it lets you take advantage of great deals on software that only happen when a shift is made from one platform to another. One example of this is the new ABC Graphics Suite, which is sold by Micrografx. This suite contains four very powerful applications (Designer 6.0, Picture Publisher 6.0, ABC FlowCharter 6.0, and ABC Media Manager), each of which have been fully updated for Windows 95. Even better, the price on these apps has now been dropped to only $299 ($149 for a competitive or version upgrade), which is less than what only one of these apps sold for just a year or two ago!

Being Windows 95 compliant means that these apps are all fully 32-bit, and support such features as long file names, drag and drop, and OLE 2.0 (including OLE 2.0 automation, which means that you can use programming languages such as Visual Basic to build applications and other tools to control and automate these apps). Micrografx has gone even further, though, in building Office 95 compatibility into the suite as well. This means that you can call up any one of these apps while working in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Access to add or edit graphics, charts, and special effects to your documents. Support for the Microsoft Office Binder is also included, so you can create multipart documents using files from all of these programs. Icons are added to the toolbars of all the Office apps and the Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar to easily let you access the ABC apps whenever you need them. Being 32-bit makes all of the ABC applications work faster than the old Windows 3.x versions, and allows you to do things that just weren't possible in the past (for example, you can now apply a special effect to one file while simultaneously editing a second file without any slowdown in speed).

Designer 6.0 is the vector-based editing part of the suite and is a direct competitor to programs such as Corel Draw. In this version, Designer has added support for several new file formats, including Corel CMX files. It lets you edit files down to a precision of only one micron (!), and supports up to 32,000 layers in your illustrations. You can now produce EPS color separations for use with desktop publishing apps such as PageMaker and can also import, edit, and export files to and from CAD apps such as AutoCAD. Of course, Designer also supports such features as placing text on a curve, warping images, autotracing, blends, gradients, and dimensioning.

Picture Publisher 6.0 is the bitmap editor in the suite, and is similar to programs like Photoshop. It supports features such as layering and masking, and has an unlimited undo and redo capability (which is great for fumble-fingered editors like myself!). New features in this version include support for the 32-bit Kodak Precision Color Management System, which lets you calibrate your monitor for precise color matching. Picture Publisher also includes support for the new GIF89a file format, which lets you produce transparent and interlaced GIF files for use in World Wide Web pages (they display faster on the page as you download them).

ABC FlowCharter 6.0 is the business graphics component of ABC Graphics Suite. This app lets you create flowcharts, diagrams, and other business charts (e.g. Pareto charts). FlowCharter also contains a DataAnalyzer component that lets you perform statistical charting on data transferred from flowcharts and spreadsheets with the help of wizards that can also help design and modify your charts. The program also contains 60 shape palettes with over 2,000 symbols that can be rotated and placed anywhere on screen. These shapes are also intelligent in that they can be easily connected together to form diagrams (similar to features in products such as Visio).

ABC Media Manager is an image cataloger that can display thumbnail images of your graphic files. It can handle over 35 different file formats, and can import and export files as well. The program can be used with any program that supports OLE 2.0, and can easily drag and drop images directly into your applications. It can also be used to cut and paste images between applications. Media Manager also supports keyword searches, which come in handy when you're looking for a specific image in your clipart libraries.

While all these programs are very powerful, they're not that hard to learn, thanks to the fact that all the apps use an interface just like that of Microsoft Office (so if you already work with those programs, you're well on your way to learning ABC Graphics Suite). In addition to the standard online help, the package also includes two manuals and a quick reference card. The 152 page users guide gives you a somewhat brief overview of each program and is task oriented. The 709 page media guide lists all of the fonts, clipart and photos that come with the suite.

A couple of extra apps that come included in the ABC Graphics Suite package is the 16-bit version of ABC SnapGraphics 2.0 (an entry-level business graphics program for producing quick and dirty drawings and charts) and Visual 3D (a 32-bit program for producing 3D text for enhancing the look of charts and drawings; it comes with a number of 3D objects that can be used with Media Manager). The package also comes with 30,000 clipart files, 7,000 photos, and 250 fonts. Needless to say, if you're looking for that "perfect" clipart image to use in your next project, you'll probably find it in this package!

ABC Graphics Suite contains a powerhouse set of applications, represents a tremendous value, and is especially valuable for users of Microsoft Office (although it works just fine with other applications as well). It's all the graphics power that most users will ever need!

ABC Graphics Suite, Micrografx, Inc., 1303 Arapaho Rd., Richardson, TX 75081 (www.micrografx.com). Phone: (800) 676-3110. Fax: (214) 994-6477. Price: $299 (competitive/version upgrade: $149).

Gateway offers this column to its readership as a service, but please note that it is not responsible for the accuracy or opinions of the author and offers no warranty either expressed or implied that the information will produce the desired result.

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