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Computer Setup for Graphics Crafts

Make Sure Your Computer Setup Is Up to Graphics Work

In this article I will discuss some of the basic computer setup requirements for trouble free greeting card and graphics designing, as well as for other computer crafts.

You would not be here if you didn’t already have access to a computer. However, greeting card and graphics software programs, including such programs as Print Shop, use an awful lot of random access memory (RAM) and run much better on the faster and larger hard drives now common in new computers.

Consider your computer setup. Is it up to computer crafts?

Also the Microsoft Windows XP operating system is much more stable and easier to use than previous versions of the Windows operating system. You will find your computer runs better and that the dreaded blue screen indicator of a crash becomes a thing of the past.

Windows Vista is another story. In many cases you will find that it is not compatible with older greeting card and graphic programs. I describe some of the problems in these articles: Windows Vista Problems and More about Vista.

I am no computer guru, but you can find lots of articles on the net about Vista.

Now Microsoft has come out with Windows 7 to much critical acclaim.

Windows 7 is what Vista should have been in the first place.

If you want to upgrade your current computer, go to Microsoft.com and download the free Windows 7 upgrade advisor. This will let you know if the operating system will run on your computer.

If it can, the Home Premium version (see link above) is adequate for most users. If not there are other versions available with either more or less features. The Microsoft site describes the diffferences.

I am not suggesting that a new computer setup is necessary to run these greeting card and graphics programs, but if you are having problems, such as slow screen redrawing – in other words it takes a long time for the program to register changes and draw them onto your monitor – or if your computer locks up frequently when using graphics programs, it might be time to consider either upgrading your present system or buying a new one.

One of the best, least expensive and easiest ways to upgrade is by increasing your RAM to at least 256 megabytes (MB). This is a relatively simple procedure, but does require opening the computer case. If you’re comfortable doing this, memory chips can be purchased for reasonable prices online or in local stores. If you don’t want to tinker under the hood, your local computer shop will be able to do this quickly and at little or no cost over the price of the chips.

The installation program is painless, but can be time consuming. Make sure you back up all your data and have copies of your programs handy in case something goes wrong.

All that said, I should point out that computer prices have fallen dramatically over the last few years. You can purchase a complete new computer setup with all the bells and whistles for less than three hundred dollars. These will make your computer crafts programs run like a wiz.

In many cases, it makes more sense to do this than try to upgrade an old machine. With a new computer setup, you will be able to accomplish tasks more easily and quickly than you could on an older machine, especially if it’s over 5 years old.

Dell sells a wide variety of low and moderate price systems. Dell consistently gets high marks for reliability and customer service.

I have used Dell products for years and have been impressed both with the product and the technical support you receive.

Lately I have been buying HP Computers.

I have found them to be a bit more relaibe than Dell. However, right now you can get great deals on new computers just about everywhere you look, so shop around.

If you have been delaying a upgrade because of the bad publicity Vista got, now might be the time to act - to bring your computers up to date and up to speed.

I have also written articles about printers, printer ink, computer greeting card and graphic programs, and supplies that I recommend. Please visit Computer Crafting for an overview of computer related articles on The Artful Crafter website.

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