The best way is to download it directly from this site. This will always assure that you have the latest version. To download the trial, click on a product (on the left) to go that product's section of the web site. Then click on 'FREE Trial' under 'Downloads'. Follow the instructions found there.

It is very rare that our site is down or cannot service your download attempt. However, in times of extremely high traffic or other unusual circumstance, it may be possible that downloads are either too slow or do no response. If you cannot download a file, try waiting a few minutes and trying again. If there's still some difficulty, contact us by email and we will be happy to either e-mail the trial, or mail you a CD.

The free trial version is yours free to evaluate for the trial period. It is nearly identical to the full version in functionality and operation. However, there are a few differences that exist to deter abuse and to encourage purchase of the full software. Here is the complete list of differences:

• Time limit and reminder screen. The trial will only function for the trial period after you install it on your computer. You can use it as many or as few times as you like during this period. During that time, when you start the program a screen will appear reminding you that you are using an evaluation version and indicating how many days are left on the free trial. After the trial period, it will no longer allow you to 'Continue' into the program without registering. Naturally when you register, this restriction and the reminder screen will be completely eliminated.
• Small banner on output. In the trial version, when you print a diagram, a small text note appears on the lower right corner of the output indicating that the diagram was created with an evaluation version of the program. The text is NOT present when printing with the full version.
• Caption contains text "(unlicensed)". The caption (program title) of the trial version contains the text "(unlicensed)".
• Complexity limitation. The trial version does not permit you to create large complex diagrams. We added this limitation reluctantly to prevent the trial from being used for a complete one-time project by persons with no intent to evaluate it for possible purchase. The complexity of the diagram is limited by the number of 'objects' in the diagram and it varies based on the product. When you reach or exceed this limit, a warning message will indicate the limitation. Because performance with large diagrams has never been an issue with any or our products, few customers find the complexity limitation to be an issue during evaluation. However, if you have a good reason why your evaluation cannot proceed with this limitation, please contact us and we will try to help.
• Plus. The full versions may contain more shapes, templates, and sample diagrams depending on the product. This is an incentive to purchase. However, we try to include most of the content in the trial version so that the trial is as thorough as possible. If you need shapes that are not present in the trial, try adding the free extension packs. Otherwise, we may not have the additional shapes available, but feel free to contact us and ask.

The trial has no limitations of any kind other than those mentioned above. You CAN print diagrams, save them, paste them in other apps, and so on. If you come across some feature that does not operate as you would expect, it is not because you are using a trial version. Also, the trial version does not have any known bugs that the full version does not. So if you run across a problem or impediment in the trial, first look at the list in the previous question. If you experience some other problem or restriction, please review our help resources to be sure that you are using the feature correctly and that it is not a know bug or incompatibility. Do not assume that upgrading to the full version will solve a problem of this kind. If in doubt, please ask.

We encourage you to share the trial version with anyone who may want to evaluate our software. This includes installing it on as many computers as you like. However, please be sure to distribute ONLY the trial version and only exactly as you received it. The trial version of all our products are named xxtrial.exe where 'xx' identifies the particular product. You may distribute these files as you like. However, to make sure that old trial versions do not circulate beyond our control, we ask that you instead direct other people to our web page where they can download the trial from the source.

The license that comes with the trial version does not permit its use beyond the trial period and accordingly several security steps prevent this. We have streamlined the purchasing process to permit immediate access to the full unrestricted version within minutes after a purchase, so your work will not have to wait long to continue. If in doubt, make your purchasing decision a day or two before the end of the trial period.