Product: Fancy Labeller
Supplier: MEWsoft, 11 Cressey Road, London NW3 2NB. Tel. 01-267 2642
Price: £12.95 incl. VAT

Readers of Beebug might be familiar with the products from MEWsoft: they are simple, but nevertheless useful programs, available to help with everyday life. The Fancy Labeller is no exception to this.

Producing labels, whether to grace Auntie's latest batch of homemade marmalade, or use as an attractive bookplate in the library collection, has never been an easy task. With MEWsoft's Fancy Labeller, these and others can be produced quickly and easily, in a matter of minutes. An Epson-compatible printer is required, capable of implementing the Plotter Graphics mode.

When the software is booted, the working environment is entered. This represents a menu selection at the top of the screen, with the work area below.

A label consists of three components: its size, the frame, and the text. From the main menu, the Set Values option allows the size of the label to be modified. You can also specify, amongst other things, how many labels are to be printed across the page and down the page.

Once the size has been correctly specified, a border needs to be retrieved from the disc. Five different types are supplied as standard. The name of a border is entered, which is then loaded and displayed. If you enter an invalid name, a list of the currently available frames is displayed for selection.

It is then necessary to place your text on the label. It is done by selecting the Edit option, moving the cursor to the desired place and typing away. Basic text manipulation is available to assist in the design, i.e. inserting or deleting of lines, and shifting the text on a line to the left or to the right.

In addition to the computer's typeface, another three, supplied with the system, can be used on the labels: a modern face which resembles Century Schoolbook, a brush which resembles Flash Roman, and a sans serif which resembles Euro-style. The required typeface is loaded by choosing the Load Font option and entering the name; a menu selection indicates those available if an invalid file is quoted.

When editing the text, F1 toggles between the computer's typeface and the loaded one. These alternative fonts are double size, i.e. each character occupies 2 by 2 characters of the computer's typeface. When the two typefaces are used carefully, the results can be most effective.

Although the fact that only one 'soft' font can be used at a time (in addition to the computer's one) might appear to be a limitation, it isn't. For most purposes, the use of more than two typefaces distracts from the aim, i.e. to communicate information quickly and in an aesthetic manner. When given the option for multiple typefaces, most people feel obliged to use as many as possible, which gives poor results; so this 'restriction' is more of a blessing in disguise.

Once the text for the label has been entered, it can be printed out ready for use, or saved to disc if required, along with details of the label size, typeface, etc. The only information which is not saved is the detail of how multiple labels are to be printed; a minor irritant. Throughout use, the Fancy Labeller is extremely easy and intuitive to work with. Indeed, little reference was made to the instruction sheets, which are only needed when configuring the system for multiple column labels, where helpful suggestions are made.

Again, MEWsoft have produced a simple, but effective piece of software that could be put to a multitude of tasks, and should find itself easily used by one and all.

Additional fonts and borders are available for just £6.95 (for approximately 8 fonts and 18 borders). A font and border designer kit is also available, for £8.95, which enables existing ones to be edited, or new ones designed. These will be examined in a future issue of Beebug.