<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
was	O
a	O
graphics	O
editing	O
software	O
created	O
by	O
the	O
ZSoft	B-Application
Corporation	I-Application
in	O
1984	O
for	O
computers	O
running	O
the	O
MS-DOS	B-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
as	O
a	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
paintbrush	O
program	O
for	O
the	O
IBM	O
PC	O
,	O
PCPaint	B-Application
,	O
which	O
had	O
been	O
released	O
the	O
prior	O
year	O
by	O
Mouse	B-Device
Systems	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
responsible	O
for	O
bringing	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
to	O
the	O
IBM	O
PC	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1984	O
,	O
Mouse	B-Device
Systems	O
had	O
released	O
PCPaint	B-Application
to	O
compete	O
with	O
Apple	O
Paint	O
on	O
the	O
Apple	O
II	O
computer	O
and	O
was	O
already	O
positioned	O
to	O
compete	O
with	O
MacPaint	B-Operating_System
on	O
Apple	O
Computer	O
's	O
new	O
Macintosh	B-Device
platform	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
MacPaint	B-Operating_System
,	O
PCPaint	B-Application
enabled	O
users	O
to	O
work	O
in	O
color	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Paintbrush	O
was	O
released	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
PCPaint	B-Application
had	O
already	O
added	O
16-color	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
's	O
64-color	O
Enhanced	B-Device
Graphics	I-Device
Adapter	I-Device
(	O
EGA	B-Device
)	O
,	O
and	O
Paintbrush	O
followed	O
with	O
the	O
PC	O
's	O
advantage	O
of	O
EGA	B-Device
support	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
The	O
EGA	B-Device
supported	O
64	O
colors	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
any	O
16	O
could	O
be	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
in	O
normal	O
use	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
following	O
the	O
lead	O
of	O
Mouse	B-Device
Systems	O
and	O
PCPaint	B-Application
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
pieces	O
of	O
software	O
on	O
the	O
PC	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
computer	B-Device
mouse	I-Device
pointing	O
device	O
,	O
the	O
earliest	O
versions	O
of	O
Paintbrush	O
were	O
distributed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
mouse	B-Device
included	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
their	O
competitor	O
,	O
Mouse	B-Device
Systems	O
,	O
bundled	O
their	O
mice	O
with	O
Mouse	B-Device
Systems	O
 '	O
PCPaint	B-Application
in	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
Christmas	O
1984	O
,	O
amidst	O
record	O
sales	O
volumes	O
in	O
the	O
home	O
computer	O
market	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
had	O
created	O
a	O
"	O
sidecar	O
"	O
bundle	O
for	O
the	O
PCjr	B-Device
,	O
complete	O
with	O
their	O
mouse	B-Device
,	O
but	O
with	O
their	O
competitor	O
's	O
product	O
,	O
PCPaint	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Paintbrush	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
no	O
longer	O
needed	O
to	O
sell	O
the	O
software	O
of	O
their	O
competitor	O
in	O
the	O
PC	O
mouse	B-Device
hardware	O
market	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
same	O
market	O
advantage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
mechanical	O
mice	O
outsold	O
Mouse	B-Device
Systems	O
 '	O
optical	O
mice	O
after	O
a	O
few	O
years	O
,	O
but	O
PCPaint	B-Application
outsold	O
Paintbrush	O
until	O
the	O
late	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
most	O
other	O
applications	O
before	O
and	O
since	O
,	O
Paintbrush	O
version	O
numbers	O
were	O
recorded	O
with	O
Roman	O
numerals	O
(	O
ex	O
:	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
II	O
,	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
IV	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Along	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Paintbrush	O
,	O
ZSoft	O
,	O
following	O
in	O
the	O
footsteps	O
of	O
PCPaint	B-Application
's	O
Pictor	O
PIC	O
format	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
popular	O
image	O
format	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
,	O
created	O
the	O
PCX	O
image	O
format	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
version	O
of	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
released	O
in	O
1984	O
only	O
allowed	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
limited	O
EGA	B-Device
16-color	O
palette	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
II	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
3.10	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
Plus	O
1.20	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1987	O
a	O
Microsoft	O
licensed	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
2.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Windows	B-Application
1	I-Application
and	O
2	B-Application
version	O
,	O
named	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
1.05	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
was	O
released	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
called	O
Publisher	B-Application
's	I-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
allowed	O
import	O
of	O
images	O
via	O
TWAIN-based	O
capture	O
devices	O
like	O
hand-held	O
and	O
flatbed	O
scanners	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
III	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1988	O
,	O
allowing	O
256	O
colors	O
and	O
extended	O
SVGA	O
resolutions	O
were	O
supported	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
hundreds	O
of	O
custom-tailored	O
graphics	O
drivers	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
IV	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1989	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
IV	O
Plus	O
,	O
an	O
updated	O
version	O
released	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
,	O
supporting	O
scanners	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
1989	O
,	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
Plus	O
1.12	O
for	O
Windows	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
eventually	O
becoming	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Paint	I-Application
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
Plus	O
for	O
Windows	O
v1.5	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
V+	O
came	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Application
1.0	I-Application
was	O
adapted	O
to	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
graphical	O
environment	O
in	O
1993	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
and	O
Publisher	B-Application
's	I-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
were	O
supplemented	O
and	O
later	O
replaced	O
with	O
the	O
more	O
budget-oriented	O
PhotoFinish	O
,	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
1991	O
,	O
with	O
version	O
4	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
ZSoft	O
was	O
sold	O
,	O
resold	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
finally	O
absorbed	O
by	O
The	O
Learning	O
Company	O
,	O
an	O
extremely	O
low-priced	O
and	O
simple	O
graphics	O
application	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1994	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
Designer	O
.	O
</s>
