I really wanted this but found it impossible to install. Tried three times but was never able to find where the program was hiding the "install/setup/whatever file". After two hours of playing I had to go to work. It may have been a blessing in disguise. Anything that hard to install may well be equally difficult to use.

Installed without any problems. very nice program indeed. easy to use. Hope we can get more templates free in future instead recharge the credit to get new templates.

The question to ask is: In 2011, do people still use name cards?
If you are rich, famous and powerful, everyone knows you, then you don't need any name card.
If you are poor, low level and unknown, you prefer to be anonymous.
Nowadays mobile phones have a way to send by blue tooth or infra red, you contact details to another person you met in an instant.
Typically, people look for mobile phone number and email address as the two most important contact details.
There are also Facebook and other social media platforms for people to find and contact you.

Program seems to install but when I press the upgrade to Pro button I get an instruction execution fault exception. So the Pro giveaway appears to be bogus. (Win7, 32bit, most recent version of .net) By the time this problem is solved, the "giveaway" will have expired.

I'm getting an unhandled .Net exception from the Help button which is keeping me from hopefully finding out more how to use this program. I am hoping first of all to find out how to get the extra templates the publisher has provided into the program, but I haven't found any clue. If anyone out there has a way to either (or both) fix the .Net error or make the new templates available for use by the program, please post. tx

Wow! Two days in a row with software that will be helpful for me. First I do have Scribus and a couple of others. Each one offers me something a little different I can use. Now for GAOTD software entry. Very nice, simple and clean. Starting with the installation, I did have problems installing and that was due to Norton_Sonar Advance Protect. It just does not like setup.exe :( However, not one to give up, I found a way around that problem (Insight Network Scan, un-quaranteened, check okay and away I went); 2) After getting past that, on to installation. All okay there. I did not have a problem with registration. I might add here that I like the type in the license agreement. Very nice and easy to read - very clean looking. Started the program and my test of ease is to not stop at the help files section. Just dive in. No problems. I placed the program on my other drive, away from "C", as I'm trying to clean "C" up. Put the downloaded templates in with the program and off I went into creation mode. I created two templates (business card and a letterhead stationary) they will have good use. They look pretty good too for just starting out. :) Look forward to try out some other ideas. Installed on Win XP Pro 32-bit SP3, Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400/1 TB drive. Thank you again GAOTD and SpringPublisher Team for another program to try. Have a nice day everyone.

@Brooks

Only copy the subfolder of Gotd_Template,being "Template", to \Users\xxx\AppData\Roaming\SpringPublisher\"Template".The Gotd templates will be added to the existing ones.

Don Hill: I do not understand your reference to "high resolution" being much greater than 350 dpi. I'm a photographer using an independent printing lab who's printers optimize at 360 dpi. These printers put out Giclee quality prints. The program offered today will work very well at that resolution. Are you referring to pixels by chance?

The installation of this program is not as easy as you are used to. When you run setup.exe from the zip file you download, the default directory is c:\ so it is suggested that you pick a different directory to unzip the file. If you are not the admin, the computer might not let you access the root directory. So, pick somewhere else that you can find. I just created a folder in c:/programs(x86)/ called SpringPublisher and put it there. The unzipped file, after you save it is an .msi file which is the real installer file. So, you have to navigate to the folder you just created and double click the msi file to actually install the program.

It installed fine on my Win 7 desktop with I-5 and 6gb memory. No shortcut is installed on your desktop, so you have to navigate back to the installation folder and look for SpringPublisher.exe. You can double click that to open the program. If you want to create a shortcut on your desktop, right mouse-click the file and drag it to the desktop and pick "Create Shortcut Here" from the menu that appears when you release the right mouse button.

When you first open the program, there is an "Upgrade to Pro" button on the upper right side of the screen. When I clicked on that and input the code that was included in the readme text file that was in the zip download, it registered fine and I got a thank you message. I had no luck going to the template store as previously mentioned by others to download new templates. I could paste the register code (CTRL-V) but the web store would not accept the code. However the download link: http://files.giveawayoftheday.com/Gotd_Template.zip works fine and I downloaded the zip file which includes additional templates.

There are folders in the template zip file that are the same name as those already on your computer. So, you have to open each template folder and copy the files inside to the same folder in user directory where the other templates are already installed as has been already been identified by others above. On my computer that is under users/my-computer/AppData/Roaming/SpringPublisher/Template. The "my-computer" in this link would be your computer name whatever it is set up to be.

It seems to do as advertised. The templates give you a good way to start a project or you can customize your own. I haven't played with it too much, but I found it pretty easy to use.

#24, Robert is right about the path to the Template folder for those using Windows XP (at least on my system).

Copy/drag the new "Food" category folder (from the downloaded extra Templates ZIP file) to under the pre-existing Template folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\*username*\Application Data\SpringPublisher\Template

...and simply copy the new/additional ".SPP" files (from the ZIP file) in the other categories (Education, General, Real Estate) to their respective pre-existing category folders, also under the same place mentioned above.

Also, I noticed that it does NOT work to move the SpringPublisher folder (containing the now-updated Template folder contents) from under the account used to install it to "All Users" so that all user accounts could share the application's new templates:

Tried moving:

C:\Documents and Settings\*username*\Application Data\SpringPublisher

...to:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SpringPublisher

(To repeat, the above change did NOT work for me.)

Instead, I found that copying the ...\Application Data\SpringPublisher folder to each of the other user's accounts DID work to allow each user account to launch a registered SpringPublisher.

Am I missing something here? I got it installed, but even after downloading the template library, there are only about 20 template sets. This doesn't seem to me to be a very big selection. :(

However, the program seems like a decent beginner program for someone just wanting to do a down and dirty corporate or personal identity set. I'm gonna keep it and play for it for a while. The price is right!

Downloaded and installed without problems. Clicked run as Admin. Entered reg number. Closed and reopened program. "Get Pro Version" Button no longer there, though nothing about the program actually says Pro. Unzipped the templates and found four folders inside the template folder. Copy and Pasted all to the Program's Template folder, C:\Users\*Username*\AppData\Roaming\SpringPublisher\Templates, on Win 7x64. Re-opened program, and all new templates were there. No Need to download any new templates. The pack available to GOTD has all available and more. Fairly easy program to use. You can alter any of the templates anyway you want to. Change color, change Font, change placement, change design, and much more. I like it. Wish I could find a way to use my own Photoshop templates.
Thanks GOTD, and Spring Publisher.

When you register, the "Upgrade to Pro" button remains until you close and re-open the program.

Does not auto-save, or ask if you want to save when you close.

Google "free business card templates" - there are millions of templates available as jpg files that work with this program and many other programs.

@42 Allen Townsend: google "free business card software" - 38 million hits. Some are really free, some are free downloads of trial versions, some are on-line design websites. There are also templates for Word, etc. to make business cards.

@44 Neil: Depends on whether you're making a business card for yourself, or charging someone else to make a business card.

@45 surelockrich: The key is in the readme.txt file.

Hey Neil, the key is in the "Readme" file as well as in the window that pops up after the availability has been checked. Just copy and paste it in the pop up window that opens when you click the "Register to Pro" Icon! I did it on two different system (and OSes) without any problem.

BTW, 50 votes for "please remove the 'register to pro' button once registered"! That's really nitpicking. When you reopen the program, the button is indeed gone...

Most suggestions here are anyway just rubbish: people who can't create a temp folder on their C:\ and then a subfolder for the new installation, should not discuss the virtues of a "received" software. And the fact the templates are a bit of a hassle to install stems from that giveaway in one zipped file. Maybe it could be automated that way, but this is certainly not obvious for a "one-shot" GAOTD. The destination folder should have been mentioned in the Readme though...

Hey Brooks, I really don't see what your problem is, except that you might not be an administrator on your machine and therefore (?) unable to open the Template folder (it does not say "Library" here, that's on the icon in the program!). Robert was really of help, otherwise I would have had to search for the damned stuff myself.

On both my Win 7 portable and Vista Desktop (and God knows the hassle Vista is giving me!) I just have to click on that Template folder which, in turn, contains 3 subfolders labeled "Education", "General" and "Real Estate". The downloaded "Gold" file has a fourth one "Food". But you do not need to open that "Template" folder. Just copy the "Template" subfolder from the unzipped "Gotd_Template.zip" to C:\Users\"Username"\AppData\Roaming\SpringPublisher\ and the new templates will be added.They will become visible when you click on the "Template Library" Icon in the "New" window, that comes up when you open the program or when you click on the "New Project" Icon.

Ok,

installed this on my wifes machine. So far seems to be ok. Running win7 64bit. I did the install of the extra templates as mentioned but there was not a SpringPublisher folder there, so I created one and extracted them to it. However, the program does not automatically see that and add them to the template list for "Local Templates" you have to navigate to them and actually open them as far as I can tell. So, it is not needed to add them to the appData folder. You can actually just go and extract them to the installed folder under programfiles(programfilesx86) and then just use the open folder button and see them right there. No need to have to go into the users as far as I can tell. So, figured would let all know and save some excess work.

Templates seem to be ok so far. Waiting for wife to see how she likes it for her business.

Zug

Installed on win XP. Works great - its a program that allows you to create a business card design, you can insert/edit text, insert and adjust images, adjust colors. And you can export to a png file in both bleed and non-bleed formats.
#42, I'm not really sure what else you would want in a business card maker. What is it missing? The last time I created a business card, I just used Paintshop Pro and saved the file in the correct size/dpi/format. This is FAR easier to use.

Regarding comments about the 350 DPI, it is plenty of resolution. My Canon DSLR set to normal quality JPG saves at 72 DPI, which works fine for 16x20 canvas prints.
Regarding some of the IDEAs at the top of this page -
1. The installer program (.msi program) was extracted to where I specified (I made it C:\TEMP\). When I ran the installer, it installed in the "Program Files" folder like any other software does. So I'm not sure what that comment is about.

2. Remove the "Register To Pro" Button. Try restarting the program. It is not there the next time you run the program.

3. The comment about making it compatible with Open Office? This program is meant to output an IMAGE file - which it does. What do you mean make it compatible with Open Office, its not a word processor. If you send off for business cards to a printing company, they will want an image file such as a .png file. Not a word document. If the comment is in regard to the letterhead, does Open Office typically handle graphics and colored backgrounds? I'm thinking its actually Open Office that isn't compatible with .png graphics. Not that this program should be compatible with a .doc or .docx format.

4. The comment about including an editor to make your own templates, this program IS an editor AND creates templates. The templates are saved as .spp files. When you create your own card, or modify an existing template, you save it as a .spp file. I.e the same as a template file. Or at least thats how it worked for me.

5. The comment about knowing whether you have the PRO version - if you see the button at the top of the window that says "Register to PRO" then you have not registered it correctly. Once registered and restarted, that button no longer appears.

As far as the other ideas that I thought were good
- make it easier to install the templates in the application data ... directory, or change the default template location to something else. If you just use the OPEN button to open templates, you don't see a preview, but if in the template directory, you do.

- Clicking on the .spp file to open it in the program. Even after the .spp file type is registered (ie do a right click, open with command and select the program to open it, and check the box to make it the default), when the program starts it doesn't open that template. You still have to go to the Open button and select the .spp file you had just clicked on.

#42, Allen Townsend, I haven't tried it, but the free Serif PagePlus Starter Edition has received good reviews, it should be able to do business cards. It's tough to start a business if you have no money, and if you do have a business and still have no money, that's even worse.

plzzzzz let me know the key of thad program !

An oxymoron: Business cards for personal use only?

Hey Robert,
I did exactly as you said concerning adding the templates...(Users\...)but still do not find the templates when I open the template library. I'm using Win7 Ult 32

I need a business card maker too, but don't really like this one. I even contacted CAM Development about there "Business Card Designer Plus", asking them if they could help a POOR mate out and give me a free copy, not having the money to buy their business card maker. They said "sorry lad" cant help ya. If that didn't hurt me feelings. Any ideas?

I work with pro printing a lot. 350 dpi is just fine. 1200dpi for a graphic would be massive overkill.

Requires .NET ( Duh of course, like alot of softwares use .NET framework why whine about it, besides it should be on Your system anyway, Windows Updates more than suggests it. BroderBund Print Shop has it covered anyway I use it.

I downloaded and installed the software. I have tried everything to get the extra template packs installed, including running as administrator. Nothing works!!!!! Sounds like a good program but I think it needs some work to be user friendly. Therefore I am uninstalling it. Maybe next time guys.

Works on 7 64bit just fine......if you an find the installer! Look for "sp_setup" in the root directory of "c" drive. Run this to install. Not really sure if it's worth bothering though. It's pretty basic and the templates- if you find and instal them- are rather limited in scope- IMHO.

Hey guys, no need to download templates one by one through the program's Web Store and its registration chores: they are all there in the one "Gold" file you can just download from this very page (the link isjust below "Features")... Or you use the url from the ReadMe file (still the same "Gold" file).

Then, unzip them and as Robert said above, copy them to "C:\Users\*Username*\AppData\Roaming\SpringPublisher\Templates". I do agree whith the comments that say that the program should take care of this. If the publisher intends to add more templates, the users should be able to import them directly in one way or another...

To those complaining they have to pay for the templates, just check: all the ones proposed in the "Web Store" are in this "Gold" file for... free. Thks GAOTD!

To me this looks like a nice easy little program that should do the job (whenever I need it to).

And, if you don't like it, just uninstall it (that's what the likes of "Revo Uninstaller" are meant for ;-). And if you think it's "worthless", remember, once again: its free here. Which makes it worth nothing to... my purse.

everything works as it says on the tin.vista.
this is a 'can do the job piece of software'.
has layers and .png import....what else do you need.

For the benefit of #31, this program does most definitely install on Windows 7 64 bit.

What is unusual is that the Setup.exe is not the installation program.

When you run Setup - if you read the screen that pops up - you are asked to input the location of where you want to extract the installation program.

By then running THAT, the extracted .msi file, the program will most certainly install.

Before downloading a program, I always visit the vendor's website looking for samples of what the program can do, and if there is a video showing the program's capabilities. I do not want to load a program into my computer unless I know it is useful to me.

Unfortunately the screenshots given in the website is minimal and and unimpressive.

This looks like a pretty outdated piece of software, works just fine on Win 7(64bit) but very limited and not worth keeping. Also found it impossible to download templates from website - Won't be keeping this.

@Jeffrey B

Templates are not system files and can be extracted wherever it is of more convenience to you.

You will be able to upload them to SpringPublisher using "Open" option in the main window.

this doesn't install on Windows 7 64-bit. Don't bother, I tried 3 times. I usually like these giveaways but don't bother with this one folks if you are the same system as me. quad core, 4GB RAM, and nothing...won't launch not shown under all programs, not desktop icon, no start menu icon, it just disappears.

One thing it seems some are forgetting about dpi, is that the eye can only see between 300 and 350 dpi anyway; so 350 dpi is a high resolution. As for printers, to achieve a 4-color process at 350 dpi would require a printer capable of 1400 dpi because each dot can only contain one color. So a 1200 dpi 4-color printer is actually printing a 300 dpi image.

http://files.giveawayoftheday.com/Gotd_Template.zip
Where this files go to? Tried to extract to where SpringPublisher located, but it is not permit, Access is denied.

First time to run install, then after it is done and said you have to uninstall previous version. That didn't check at first place before install. So I uninstalled previous version (that was last June 2011 from Giveaway , it has no version number). Run installation again. After installed, one messenger said "Please use Window Update to check for any critical updates to the .NET Framework." Some machine do not have .NET Framework. I'm using Vista Window. I ignore that NET Framework.

Thanks, Robert!

I believe that most users will have a harder it right to install these templates. The developer should simplify the installation.

Tried running the program as an administrator and register but still cannot upgrade to Pro version

Please copy the template files to:

C:\Users\your username\AppData\Roaming\SpringPublisher\Template

@Robert
Actually, in my win.xp.sp3 the path is:
C:\Documents and Settings\*username*\Application Data\SpringPublisher\Template
Cheers.

Installed on Win7 32bit but can't get it to launch. SpringPublisher.exe just hangs under TaskManager. Uninstalled it.

tried twice but the installer closed and there is nothing to launch on the start menu, or under all programs, or on the c drive in 'program files'. oh well. windows 7 sp1, 64 bit. core i5 w/ 8GB ram.

Forgot to mention that is if you are on Win7 or Vista...

If you are on XP you will have to go to

C:\Documents and Settings\*Username*\AppData\Roaming\SpringPublisher\Templates

I think Win2k is the same, but don't quote me on that...

Surprised noone mentioned this yet. To install the GOTD Template Pack, Extract the archive and copy the files to

C:\Users\*Username*\AppData\Roaming\SpringPublisher\Templates

Replace *Username* with your username of course.

Hope that helps :)

-Robert
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel Celeron 900 @ 2.2GHz
2GB RAM

Just a note: When you register the program, it is not fully registered. If you want to download templates, you have to register again. This can only be done if you are running the program as admin.

Go in like you want to create a new document and choose the "Template library" button. Click "Web Template Store" and you should see in red letters "Upgrade to Pro". Click on that, paste in the registration key, submit it, and restart the program. Repeat those steps again and it should now say "Recharge Credits" and be orange.

Note: This may have been because I didn't run the program as admin initially, but even then I was able to register the main program on the first try without admin privileges. I do not understand why there were 2 separate registrations...

@8 This means the file you downloaded became corrupt. The fix is easy, just delete that one and download it again.

@10 Run the program as administrator. Right click>Run As Administrator, and if that option is not there, Right click>Properties>Compatibility>Run as administrator>ok

@13 I did not have any trouble pasting into the registration boxes?

-Robert
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel Celeron 900 @ 2.2GHz
2GB RAM

Installed on Windows 7 64 bit without a problem, (but why the confusing installation process?). Had no problem with Ctrl+V pasting of the registration code though, as suggested above.

When run in a normal window many of the icons did not show correctly. i.e. one of them read “age manage” which I presume to be “Image Manager”, but on my 24” monitor at full screen, even with medium resolution, some icon text was still missing.

There are so many packages like this, a vast majority of them free.

I found the templates a bit ‘dated’, and the whole program somewhat limiting. Having used Microsoft Publisher for some 20 years, and Inkscape for more complex drawings as well as simple posters and/or web design, I really cannot see any value in keeping SpringPublisher – now uninstalled.

It certainly cannot in any way be described as "Pro"

Installed find Windows 7 32 bit but when went to copy and paste registration code it only allowed you to manually type the code in. Once that was done after putting in the licence code I got the message "registration failed, invalid license code" I say GOTD gets the right information before putting it up for download!

A very simple program to use, other than setting the angle of an inserted image. You cannot set the angle in degrees, and the slider does not show the angle until you stop rotating the image!
Some aspects of the program appear to be the Pro version which allows commercial use, however the registration contains the term “non-commercial,” some clarification is required.
I wouldn't be willing to pay the asking price for this program, needs more templates and functions.
Pete #6
Please enlighten us!

Useful program. Limited as far as templates. Tried to get extras from above link but "gotd_Template.zip couldn't be downloaded" after several retry

Also how does the program recognize these or purchased templates?

Norton Internet Security complains when running set-up. While http://anubis.iseclab.org/index.php indicates "The executable creates and/or modifies registry entries. " and gives only a caution flag and then tells that "This executable only modifies files in the user's directory.:
virusscan.jotti.org/en says that 0 out of 20 virus progs detect any problems.
Should be safe.

The sp_setup does not get a flag from NIS while installing.

After installing on XP with SP3, I got a .net exception warning. After ignoring the warning, the program still worked.

Interface is a bit basic/simple and shows big buttons on my machine set with a lowish screen resolution. Wife being short sighted this is a very good thing!

For me a mixed bag of easy to use for layout and manipulation, but then a few things a beginner might get confused on, e.g.,
- choice of business card size (seems most of my cards I get in Asia, whether from US, Europe or Asia are the same size๗
- show bleed mark, show crop mark in the print dialogue.
- copies of each document pull-down actually is selecting cards per sheet
On the old machine, it was slow to respond on mark/unmark those options to see what they do.

For 24 dollars, may be a good, short/not too steep learning cruve program to make name cards/business cards. For Free - Whoopie! thanks.