Historical Facts and Fiction
"TLC is swallowing everything"


The PrintShop and PrintMaster Today (1999)

The Learning Company (NYSE:TLC) owns and distributes both The PrintShop and PrintMaster, (apparently) positioning their two competive products strategically against each other. "Just look on the shelf the next time you are in your favorite computer store. PrintMaster and PrintShop will probably be beside each other in the same size boxes."

As a matter of fact, the only other two products that appear to compete "head to head" with TLC's PrintShop and PrintMaster are Print Artist from Sierra and Print House from Corel. All these products are excellent, leaving little room for competition, and TLC with their two competing leading products will likely continue to dominate.

On March 6, 1998, The Learning Company Inc., announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire all of the stock of Mindscape, Inc., the publisher of PrintMaster. MindScape is now a division of The Learning Company. "Yep, it's the same software. Unison was bought by Kyocera and then at some point sold PrintMaster to (Micrologic which was then bought by) Mindscape... "

Broderbund Software, Inc., the publisher of The PrintShop, is also a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Learning Company.

The Learning Company has grown through aquisition. On December 7, 1995 The Learning Company (NASDAQ: LRNG) and SoftKey International Inc. (NASDAQ: SKEY) announced a definitive merger agreement.

At that time Learning Company terminated its merger agreement with Broderbund Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: BROD) but the merger with Broderbund was later resurrected.

On October 24, 1997, SoftKey International Inc. announced that the company had changed its name to "The Learning Company, Inc." "As the market share leader in educational software, we are America's Learning Company," said Michael Perik, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.


© CopyLeft Bill Buckels 1999
All Rights Reversed.