Based in San Diego, CA, for nearly 15 years, SmartDraw.com is the creator of SmartDraw, a product the company hails as the ‘World’s Most Popular Business Graphics Software.’ SmartDraw.com tells us that each year more than two million people install and use their software.

SmartDraw aids business users in creating graphics such as flowcharts, timelines, floor plans, calendars, technical diagrams, and more, at rapid speed and with minimal design knowledge required. More than 100 different SmartTemplates are included to help users generate graphics for visually appealing presentations, annual reports, and other communications without starting from scratch.

Hands On
A quick software install opens up access to SmartDraw. We follow the software’s "easy as one, two, three" graphic creation steps.

We select a specific template—from a selection including maps, floor plans, a pedigree chart, a Venn diagram, engineering diagrams, accounting forms, landscape designs, workflow diagrams, even crime scene diagrams—to choose the graphic we want to create. The application’s home screen offers a menu and thumbnails that are easy to navigate through.

The template’s pre-designed graphic is customized when we enter our information. The SmartTemplates have a SmartPanel with task buttons specific to the graphic being created. We can change the shape of flowchart elements, edit colors, change fonts, and more. Text is typed directly in necessary fields and can be customized with textures, shadows, and other special effects. We can also change the overall appearance of our graphic by selecting a different theme from the gallery.

Chart data can be entered manually, copied and pasted from Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, or through imported CSV files. Images can be imported or simply dragged into a chart to enhance appearance.

SmartDraw includes photo software that captures images direct for a digital camera or other source, then allows users to scale and crop them, adjust color, and apply them to graphics.

The new Live Map feature captures live data from the Internet, incorporating land, road maps, and even satellite images into illustrations. Live Maps creates the shape, as well as imports data including GPS coordinates, and land and zip code boundaries. Boundaries are imported as vector graphics that can be manipulated, for example, coloring specific zip code areas.

SmartDraw builds the graphic automatically based on the fields we supply information for and the template’s built-in rules.

Once we create our graphic, we can print it, place it into a Microsoft Office document, or create a PDF file. Mimeo.com is SmartDraw's exclusive print partner. Users can send graphics with a single click to Mimeo print in high-volume, as bound output, or as large format posters.

A help system specific to each template—SmartHelp—is accessible via a dynamic HTML pane if necessary.

SmartDraw users are encouraged to visit the Web site to educate themselves about the type of graphics they can create. An online Encyclopedia of Business Graphics lists every type of business graphic with a definition, an explanation of how it is used, an example, and a SmartTemplate that can be used to create them.

Specifications
SmartDraw requires Windows Vista, XP, or 2000. 256MB RAM and 3GB free hard disk space are also necessary.

A no obligation, free, seven-day trial of SmartDraw is downloadable from SmartDraw.com. The software can then be purchased in single and multiple user licenses via download or CD. A Freedom License allows an organization to purchase a subscription license with an annual fee.

SmartDraw is also available in two industry-specific solutions—SmartDraw Legal Edition and SmartDraw Healthcare Edition. These editions offer additional industry-specific SmartTemplates.