Free May Be All You Need

Free software is great. But free isn't necessarily better in every way. But for some people free software does everything they need it to do.

Graphics Software Guide Sue Chastain reviews the new Picasa 3. While she says advanced users might want to pass on this one, it's near perfect for beginners:

"Picasa has just about everything home users will need for working with and sharing their personal digital photos. Version 3 is a great step forward for what was already an excellent photo manager for beginners. Best of all, it's free!" read complete review

For in-house and freelance designers, sticking with the often pricey industry standards (such as InDesign or QuarkXPress or Photoshop) may be the best choice for maximum compatibility, features, and support. But for everyone else -- home users, small business owners -- free may be all you need. Consider some of these very capable freebies:

• Free Windows Software for Desktop Publishing
• Free Mac Software for Desktop Publishing
• Free Open Source Desktop Publishing Options <-- small business owners and self-publishers, check this out.
• Free Graphics Software