Sierra Print Artist
| Company type | Software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Desktop publishing software |
| Predecessor | Instant Artist |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Pixellite Group |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Desktop publishing software for creating cards, calendars, stationery, and other projects |
| Parent | Sierra Entertainment (Sierra Home division) |
Sierra Print Artist is a computer program developed by Sierra Home, a division of Sierra Entertainment, designed to assist users in crafting and printing various items such as cards, calendars, stationery, and other creative projects. The software is currently at version 25.
History
The software was initially created in the early 1990s by the Pixellite Group, with the MS-DOS edition programmed by Christopher Schardt. Schardt also developed the first Windows version, while subsequent updates were handled by Ferdinand G. Rios, Tracy Elmore from SAPIEN Technologies, and Vince Mills.
The title debuted in 1992 under the name Instant Artist through Autodesk. Following Autodesk's withdrawal from the consumer software sector, the product was renamed Print Artist. In 1995, Sierra On-Line purchased Pixellite Group along with the software rights and reissued it as Sierra Print Artist under their Sierra Home brand. Despite Sierra On-Line undergoing several mergers and acquisitions since 1996, this branding has been maintained.
The foundational vector graphics and font effect technologies were created by Dane Bigham and Christopher Schardt for Banner Mania, a product released by Broderbund. This technology also served as the basis for the WordArt feature in Microsoft Word. One of the program’s key components, the Graphics Grabber—developed by Vince Mills—organizes thousands of vector and bitmap images using keyword categorization.
Sierra Home also offers versions licensed by Hallmark Cards, marketed as Hallmark Scrapbook Studio Deluxe and Hallmark Holiday Card Studio. Furthermore, certain OEM editions of Print Artist have been distributed bundled with select Epson printers and scanners.