Paint Shop Pro Version 4.12 Shareware

Paint shop Pro (PSP) by JASC, Inc. was the leading shareware graphics application for many years. If you purchased a book that included a CD-ROM, it almost always included a copy of Paint Shop Pro.

Versions of PSP before 4.12 had annoying problems, like not remembering it's working directory and, instead of undoing your last edit, it would dump all your edits since you loaded the file.

After version 4.12, the programmer learned how to use the Windows registry. When you try open newer versions of PSP after the 30 day evaluation period, you get a dialog box with the nasty message "this evaluation version will no longer function".

I never have the time to evaluate an application within 30 days after I install it. I'm lucky if I have the time to open the program at all within 30 days. So with newer versions of PSP, all I can evaluate is the dialog box with the message "this evaluation version will no longer function".

In the limited time I was allowed to evaluate the newer version of PSP, I didn't get enough time to become confident that I could handle the application's complexity.

The older PSP version 4.12 is better for the average user. That version fixes the annoying problems, and does not contain all the complexity. You won't get 3D, layers, or vector graphics, but you will get a powerful and easy to use drawing and image processing application. Version 4.12 is a pleasure to use, even for the beginner. And you don't get that nasty "this evaluation version will no longer function" message after 30 days.

Note: version 4.12. vendor.doc part 2: Distribution Requirements. "The shareware version of Paint Shop Pro may be freely distributed, with the following restrictions; written permission must be received to distribute Paint Shop Pro on retail racks, on CD Roms, or bundled with any other product."