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Business Graphics Software

For most of us, the search for business graphics tools need go no further than our own PCs. Today’s desktop suites (Microsoft Office, Lotus SmartSuite and Corel PerfectOffice) include premium presentation graphics and spreadsheet software. That combination is more than capable of handling many business graphics chores. And, in a corporate setting, what’s already on the computer is also likely to be what’s supported by the company help desk, so make sure you’ve exhausted your present software’s capabilities before hitting the local computer superstore.

But if the software already on your PC just doesn’t cut it, the first thing to do is figure out why. Obviously, whatever you choose should have those missing features. Once you’ve fulfilled your basic requirements, check to see if the product(s) you’ve selected also comply with the following:

• Ease of use: The average user breaks out business graphics software infrequently at best, and generally does so in a hurry. Powerful, feature-laden packages can be difficult to relearn, so a simpler graphics application can solve a lot of headaches. Programs such as Software Publishing’s ASAP WordPower run within Microsoft Word and present only a few options at a time, yet give the user lots of design latitude. If you have little need for advanced graphs and fancy tools, the time you’ll save with a package like this is well worth the extra cost.

• Output optimization: The best graphics in the world are useless if you can’t get them to the printer, or film recorder, or projector. Good business graphics software offers drivers for more esoteric devices that Windows 95 may have forgotten; it should also give you the option of limiting on-screen colors and patterns to the ones your output device is capable of producing.

• File handling: Make sure the program can accept--and export--the file formats you need. These can range from spreadsheet (.WKS, .XLS), database (.DBF) and word processor (.DOC, .WPF) files to TIFF, .PCX, .BMP, .GIF and JPEG graphics formats.

• Environment: Some applications build commands or even menus into popular applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel, letting you do most of your work in a familiar environment. If not, make sure the program follows operating system conventions--menu locations, keyboard shortcuts and so on--as much as possible.

• Customizability: Avoid software that doesn’t let you modify titles, move legends, add or subtract text and select/discard data in a flash. If many people in your organization will use this program, it might be a good idea to construct templates, complete with company logos and design standards, and let employees simply fill in the blanks.

• Design guidance: A scalpel does not a surgeon make, and even the most powerful graphics software won’t automatically transform you into a designer or statistician. Many business graphics programs assemble default styles and colors to keep you from going astray; some even warn you when a page is becoming too crowded to be read easily.

  For more details and information on business graphics software, check out our August feature, Go with the Flow.

Business Graphics Software Buyer's Guide

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