What Is Known About Print Shop for Mac 4.1 by Mackiev Software?

Yesterday I got a reply from the Mackiev CSR who handled my order for the update back in December. He admitted they have not started sending out the v4.1 update. No explanation about the delay, however, nor any indication of when they will actually make the update available. I'm planning to keep in contact so they don't forget me.

This email that MacKiev sent out in December 2021, saying that the 64 bit Printshop update was "almost ready" and that those that purchased version 3 would get the update for free, is merely VAPORWARE. Don't hold your breath. After I answered MacKiev's request with my email, my mailbox began to fill with 20 pieces of junkmail per day. I have to wonder if MacKiev was just selling my contact info to bogus vendors.

Well, that’s the rub. MacKiev’s website says that the new Printshop is available only to educational organizations in North America. So you can’t buy it. I don't know what’s going on with these people but I can offer a guess that some kind of copyright or patent issue is at work here and they can’t offer it for sale in the U.S.

I received an email just this past week with details of an available update. The email included a link to download the updated version. I was not able to find an update on their website, but was able to access the file by the link included in their email. While I don’t have a computer running Catalina or higher, the PrintShop app was updated successfully.

Hello all,

The Updater to 4.1 does check to see if you have already 4.0 installed (even if it is greyed out). The Updater then replaces that with 4.1 and the operating system then recognizes it as ThePrintShop4.0. By the way, I agree totally with another user who characterized the Bruderbund porting of PC Printshop to the Mac environment as a throwback and worthless.

Anyway, if you don't have 4.0 in your Application directory, then the Update won't work. So if you were waiting for an update of an earlier version, like 3.0, I think that's what Alexander (the current owner) meant when he said it is not yet available.

I found the email exchange I had with Alexander of MacKiev.

"...INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

1. Check for a previous version.

Make sure you have a previous edition of The Print Shop 4 installed. The installer will look for version 4.0 or 4.0.1 on your computer. If you do not have one of those installed and do not have a way to install one of them, you should contact Live Chat for assistance. (See GETTING SUPPORT, below.)

2. Launch the installer.

After you have completely downloaded the installation file (see IMPORTANT NOTES FOR DOWNLOADING, above), double‐click on the installer and follow the on‐screen instructions.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

If you need assistance, please click here to reach a Live Chat support agent 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

The bottom line is that only the software vendor can speak with certainty about their product. I suggest that you contact them with your questions.

I, too, got the email 12/31/2021 saying they were updating and to expect an update email in a week. I asked if I could still update since I’d already deleted the old version. They said yes. Yesterday, I emailed asking about the update, and I got a reply late last night saying, “We are putting the finishing touches on The Print Shop for Mac updater . . . As soon as the update is ready, we’ll email it to you.” Both times I’ve emailed, I’ve gotten a reply from “Alex.” I’m beginning to think he’s the only person at Mackiev actually on The Print Shop Team. And yes, I, too, question the ethics of MacKiev.

KnitterPoppi wrote:

I think you are mistaken. The 64 bit Print Shop to run on Monterey is not yet available.

I replied to this thread in January with details of my email from MacKiev and subsequently installing Print Shop. I can confirm with 100% certainty that it does indeed work on Mac OS Monterey. I checked it less than an hour ago.

I just chatted with Mackiev. 64 bit is available to present owners of Printshop 4. Printshop 4 is not available to purchase in North America because of legal reasons...did not say what those reasons are and also said, when asked, that legal reasons are not holding up update for older versions. There is no ETA for the update for older versions. When I was sent an email that 64 bit was going to be available soon, I updated to Monterey, now I can't use old version of Printshop. Is anyone using other comparable software? I am tired of waiting. Thanks.

Hi Knitterpoppi,

I am not mistaken. I am running Printshop 4.1 on an iMac with the 12.2.1 version of Monterey. I got the Updater as described above.

Glad it worked out.

Perhaps one day they will update their website. If you try to download the update, it says "We are currently working on a compatibility update for your edition of The Print Shop. We will let you know by email as soon as this free update is ready."

At any rate, anyone who searches the internet about this issue and finds this post, they can know that the solution is to contact Mackiev directly. Thanks Bluesbrother3.