Broderbund BannerMania

[Scott Baret]

Here's a program you don't hear about every day. I bought a brand new in-box copy (with a blank registration card!) on eBay. My intent is to use it for bulletin boards and such, especially as I have many coloured ImageWriter ribbons sitting around.

I love this program, especially the transmogrify feature–text can be manipulated in almost any way possible. Think MS's WordArt, only more elegant (I think the guys who worked on BannerMania worked on WordArt years later).

The only thing you can make on here is a banner, yet I've never seen a better banner program and probably never will. I already have a co-worker who wants me to make one for a football game and will probably have more requests coming, as I have the right printer for the job (plus a program light-years ahead of Print Shop, even the Deluxe version).

I know this program wasn't too common when it was new so your chances of finding it aren't too good–I've looked for a few years and sprung at this one immediately during one of my rare web breaks (and after hearing about an assignment in which I'd need something like this).

The best part? All of this high-end text manipulation, which leaves WordArt in the dust, comes uncompressed on a single 800K floppy! Proof that modern software is far too bloated.

 

[WorkgroupServer]

yeah its a great program! I've got a copy for the Apple IIGS and it actually makes nice banners that can be printed on ImageWriter II's...

 

[LCGuy]

I've got a copy of that on a hard drive here somewhere. Good program...I remember using it back in primary school. Our grade 4 classroom, i remember, had a huge banner at the front of the room that had been made in it: "CAUTION: ANGRY TEACHER". I always remember thinking how appropriate that was...because she got very cranky very easily!

 

[funkytoad]

Good software.

I actually got "The Playroom" from Broderbund sitting around here somewhere.

 

[Franklinstein]

The Playroom! Man, good times running that in 3rd grade. I'd like to find a copy of that for my 5200/75LC.

I've never heard of BannerMania, though. I've got a version of Print Shop Deluxe somewhere...

 

[Scott Baret]

I have Print Shop Deluxe CD Ensemble. Basically it's PSD plus the Companion program and a ton of extra graphics and fonts.

I must say, the banner module on PSD is nowhere as good as BannerMania.

I don't own the Playroom but I do have Treehouse, which is similar except it's for older kids. Treehouse also came with a little cassette tape with some educational songs about the orchestra on it--mine is still operational and I in fact found it two weeks ago when looking through some tapes!

 

[iamdigitalman]

oh this brings me back. I remember using this program on my dad's 486 in my youth, printing up banners all the time on his old epson tractor-feed (and annoying the hell out of the neighbors in the process).

fun stuff.

-digital

 

[Scott Baret]

Update: I already put the program to good use! A co-worker wanted a banner made and since I had the program and an ImageBanger I went ahead and did it.

It looks awesome...so professional. The colour is awesome...you don't even need a colour Mac or 32-bit QuickDraw to use it! (I used a Classic and an ImageBanger II for this operation--it gave me a nice shade of red and a nice shade of blue; I had to use names and shades of grey only on the computer to control what output I got).

I should also mention that this particular ImageBanger II was one of the very first off the line in 1985. This is the first real print job I have given it yet it has sat around my house since 2004. Goes to show that some things never lose their wonder.