With so many good, inexpensive printers and digital cameras available, Mac users can crank out greeting cards faster than Hallmark can. You can make such cards with a wide range of software, but Script Software's OS X-only Easy Card Creator 1.1 Standard Edition is designed to let you focus on this one task. However, the program doesn't live up to its name, making it a poor investment even at $30.

At startup, an Assistant breaks card setup into manageable chunks: inserting an image, writing a message and applying basic formatting, and choosing the number and placement of folds.

After you're done with the Assistant, ease of use begins to suffer. For example, when you double-click on text to edit it, a separate text window with an opaque white background takes over.

The interface is inconsistent in several small ways that add up to confusion. For example, in the Properties palette, which gives you control over the appearance of your card's text and objects, you choose colors for text and borders by clicking on a color bar. To choose a background color, however, you have to click on a blank space; this action brings up a Colors window.

If you're looking for explanations of these and other quirks, you won't get immediate satisfaction from the program's Help menu. When we clicked on it, the Help icon appeared momentarily in the Dock, and then Help quit.

Despite these shortcomings, the application does have some worthwhile elements. You can drag and drop images onto any card panel; it's easy to create and send basic e-mail cards with images and HTML-formatted text; and the Properties palette dynamically adjusts to accommodate an object you've selected.

Macworld's Buying Advice

If you want a fast, easy way to create paper and electronic greeting cards, Easy Card Creator 1.1 has potential. But Script Software needs to iron out the program's kinks.