Mouse Clix

By: Hobie Lunin

Software Recommendations from Mouse Clix

By now, my regular readers know that it is very rare for me to push software in their direction. I occasionally get e-mail asking for recommendations and I do try to be honest about my opinions, as I have no corporate sponsor. Here are two software programs that I think very positively about.

I have been using QuickBooks for more than a year now and I wish to recommend it for anyone who has a small business or is ready to start one. It sure makes business life easier. You will probably need an accountant anyway, but there are many things you will be able to do yourself. For instance if you have a few employees, you will be able to pay them yourself, collect the right amount of tax and easily determine how much to send to the IRS and PA Revenue each quarter.

In addition, the program will allow you to make your deposit slips easily and neatly if you purchase the forms. The program also does all the addition so that you do not need to be adding and re-adding your checks to assure the proper deposit.

If you purchase the compatible checks, these will be printed neatly with the recipient, the amount and the recipient’s address so they can just be popped into a window envelope to be sent. Moreover, it leaves you a record that can be attached to the bill you are paying when you file it. As you “write” your checks, you will also be recording the charges to whatever accounts you have selected, so that you will be completely organized, as a small business should be. You will be able to print out a report to let you know how profitable you are at any given moment and compare that with previous years when you have used the program that long.

Another innovation allows you to get a QuickBooks MasterCard for charging your expenses. The status of each such card is available all the time on the Internet and you can cancel a card, if you need to, right on-line. You can also download any charges directly to your program.

Setting up customer accounts is easy and sending invoices and statements is “a piece of cake.” The same is true of your vendor accounts. Keeping track of these on the computer will allow you to take any available discounts before they expire. The program will locate your customers who are in arrears with just a tap of a few keys on your keyboard.

You can also keep track of a company savings account in the same program along with your checking account.

This program, as I said, will accurately make the correct deductions for your employees but will have to be updated when any of the tax rates change and there is a charge for that. Other program updates are free and can be downloaded from the Internet quickly even with a dial up connection. I cannot think of a better way to start your business and have it organized right from day one.

The other Program that I highly regard is Announcements. I have used it for 4 or more years. It can be seen as “just another” card program but it does so much more. While some programs are limited to double fold cards, this program can make single fold cards that are as close to a “Hallmark” as you can get. There is the ability to make your own envelopes to fit any size cards. These are cut out of paper by following the lines on the printout and then pasting them up using a glue stick.

Of course, you can make business cards and return address labels easily, but I have found that I use the Poster program most frequently. A very easy way to make flyers or just make an unusual letter to anyone using pictures easily inserted from anywhere in your hard drive as well as from all the graphics and pictures that come with the program.

My favorite function is one that I have not seen on any other similar program. It is the ability to make posters as large as 6 foot by 9 foot. The largest I have made is one that was nearly 7 foot high by a little more than 2 foot wide. Wow! How can you print out a poster that size? It prints the poster out on regular size paper. You trim two edges to the printed area and then overlap each piece about 1/8” to make a perfect match. Even better is to make an edge-to-edge match but then you will need something to glue the sheets to, in order to line them up. I have made a number of posters using 9 sheets, which makes a nice size to put in a frame and hang (approx. 24”wide by 31” high). The poster can be made from a picture you have taken on your digital camera or scanned from a standard film photo.

You will want to use glossy paper that has some weight to it if you are going to make photo enlargements, but standard letter size paper in 120# weight will work fine for making a text poster. If the poster will hang in a place where it may be moved around, it should be pasted down to a sheet of cardboard or corrugated.

My suggestion is to start by making enlargements of some of your favorite photos to get the feel of the glue up process and also to allow yourself some learning time for getting the highest quality and resolution you can out of both your digital camera and your color printer.

More information on Announcements can be found at www.signaturecolor.com. The price is $14. QuickBooks info is at QuickBooks.com.

Hobie Lunin is a consultant and instructor and can be reached at mouseclix2@yahoo.com. Previous articles are at http://mouseclix.tripod.com