Digita International
£24.95
There have been surprisingly few programs for the ST to produce
labels or mailing shots, in fact I can think of only one, LabelMaker
(reviewed last issue) and that was written because there were no
other programs available. Digita International have now, however,
converted a popular Amstrad program over to the ST and Mailshot
should be able to handle almost all your mailing requirements. It is
also quite suitable as a mini database.
Mailshot does not use GEM but it does use the mouse and gives you
full WYSIWYG with a unique system of scrolling labels up and down
the screen. Each label is entered exactly as it would be if you were
typing directly onto paper but of course with the added facilities
of a computer database that allows sorting or searching of records
and manipulating of labels. The program comes with a manual/tutorial
but the tutorial could have been a lot better. The program is,
however, quite easy to use after having glanced through the manual
once or twice.
Let's assume that you have a list of names and addresses that you
want to store for mailing. Just click on ADD (or use the keyboard)
and type in the first label. Arrow keys can be used to move about
anywhere within the label and the label is terminated by hitting
RETURN on the last line. Hitting RETURN again will take you on to
the next label and so you keep adding as many labels as you wish.
Simple. The completed set of records can now be saved, sorted or
printed. Saving the labels is straightforward and several sets of
the same labels, sorted in different ways, can easily be saved.
One of the major problems with many databases is the inflexibility
of sorting and you often have to plan quite carefully when setting
up database fields to ensure that you can sort as required .
Mailshot has a unique system of markers which make sorts infinitely
flexible. If, for example, you wish to sort on a surname, many
databases force you to have a separate field for the surname or to
type surname first followed by initials. With Mailshot you simply
press a function key to place a marker before you type the surname
and then perform a sort on this marker. Up to four markers can be
used in any label so that several different sorts or levels of sort
can be made. The markers can also be inserted on labels already
entered so there is no problem if they are missed out as you type
and, of course, you can go through a list and put the markers in
another place thus allowing different types of sort. With this
system it is quite possible to sort in almost any fashion you wish,
a very powerful feature. Sorting is done in memory and is extremely
fast.
Printing is also straightforward and flexible and you
can set up labels in a number of ways. Margins can be altered and
the user can choose the number of labels across as well how many of
each label to print. A message can also be added to the label before
it is printed. Normally the whole file is printed at one go and this
is where one of the problems with the program arose. If your printer
goes wrong or jams part way through a printout there does not seem
to be an easy way to start printing again at a particular label. It
is possible to get around this but it is not as simple as it should
be.
There are several other features such as being able to add 'memo'
lines to a label (which are not printed), there is automatic
detection of duplicate labels and conventional searching on any
line. The program caters for up to 3,000 labels per database and
these can easily be broken down into 'subsets' so that different
types of mailing can be performed from one set of records. This
makes it possible to perform a mailing in an almost totally
arbitrary fashion, which is seldom possible on conventional
databases.
Mailshot is excellent value at £24.95 and will probably satisfy the
labelling needs of almost every home user. An enhanced version of
the program called Mailshot Plus is also available at £49.95 but the
few extra features will probably not be needed by most home users.
If you have a printer you almost need Mailshot and you will probably
find untold uses for it. Because the program is called Mailshot you
might think that it can only be used for long mailing lists but it
can just as easily be used for labelling disks, schoolbooks,
membership cards, photographs, bottles of wine, video tapes and much
more. It could end up as one of the most used
programs you buy!
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