I'm sure that this question has be asked a thousand times . . .

So I'm getting into this whole label thing, and I want to get good and easy to use software. What is everyone using? I know that there have been posts about GIMP and a few others (can't think of them off the top of my head), but what have people found to make the best labels? I picked up Printshop Deluxe 22 today, and I'm pretty sure I've wasted 90 bucks. Good thing my wife's a teacher and will use it for bulliten boards and such. I use CorelDraw Graphics Suite at work for advertising and such, so I'm pretty spoiled. So, if any of y'all can advise, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Photoshop and Gimp are mentioned often. I've got neither so I've used Printmaster combined with paint and even MS Word, but my labels pretty much suck so I need a better program as well.

I use Photoshop and Illustrator for just about anything I do graphically, whether it be labels or not. Unfortunately, neither of those fit the "cheap" category, but they are the best IMHO.

Illustrator is the shiznit

Gimp rocks...but you need to have a little patience at first. It's a public domain (free) Photoshop-style image editor. Versions 2.3+ (still beta) include text tools that can really make your labels shine. Linux users are the target audience, but there's a Windows port. See www.gimp.org.

My new logo was created from scratch with Gimp (scroll down in the linked thread to see the more refined version).

Where can you download Illustrator? Download.com?

I'm sure you can download a trial version of Illustrator at Adobe's website. You need to pay for the full version, though.

You can also dig for the "GIMPShop" version of GIMP. It is skinned to look and function like Photoshop CS2, same menus and what-not.....

Illustrator does a great job, and since most of what you make will be vector graphics it looks good no matter how big or small you make it.

I hate Illustrator, lol. I really miss Freehand.

A little off-topic, I suppose, but what were the regulators thinking when they let Adobe buy Freehand?

I use Freehand, Illustrator, and Photoshop for all my stuff. I'm a graphic designer that works from home so I gots all the good programs and get to watch my fermenter all day, lol.

/I need to think up a name for my brews though...

i wish i could watch my fermenter all day

Inkscape is a free vector drawing. It will make a great replacement for Illustrator. I think vector programs are a lot better for things like label design then bitmap programs like GIMP or Photoshop.

x2 for Inkscape. It's very similar to Illustrator (in fact all the Adobe tutorials will help you learn Inkscape) and it's legaly free.

I use a combo of the Gimp and Inkscape depending on what I'm doing. Gimp is for raster/bitmap graphics, and Inkscape is vector. Text handling in Inkscape is worlds better than what you can do in the Gimp.

90 bucks? I would say take it back you can get Photoshop elements for like 80 and thats going to be the best out there, instead of ******* over the moeny for the full versions of creative suite 3