4 ms·

I've never believed that people used Print Shop for greeting cards. Perhaps once, as a novelty, but there is no way that anyone would not prefer giving (or rece

by TMWNN 2y ago

I've never believed that people used Print Shop for greeting cards. Perhaps once, as a novelty, but there is no way that anyone would not prefer giving (or receiving) a colorful, professionally printed store-bought one. Print Shop became a killer app for home computers for the other reasons the article discusses: Custom posters, signs, and banners, the things not readily available at retail.

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glimshe 2y ago
Computer printed cards had a novelty factor vs professional e "boring" cards people had received their whole lives. They also felt handmade, believe it or not!
soylentcola 2y ago
As a kid with a Commodore 128 and no access to stores or cash, I printed loads of those things. Also long banners (much to my father's chagrin as he had to provide the ink ribbons and tractor-fed printer paper).
- parpfish 2y ago
  i made so many cards. and so many "keep out" signs for my bedroom door (with the skull and crossbones clipart and their Thames font because it looked pirate-y)
endlessvoid94 2y ago
I used it for cards all the time!
supportengineer 2y ago
Disagree. Any hand made card is more special. The giver put their time and energy into making it.
wanderingstan 2y ago
Believe it. We used it extensively in the 80s for birthdays, Christmas cards and more. Anything made by computer was instantly special, and the ability to customize card to the recipients interests was viewed as magic. As more of our neighbors and friends got computers, print shop was one of the first programs to be acquired. (Okay, often pirated!)
jancsika 2y ago
> but there is no way that anyone would not prefer giving (or receiving) a colorful, professionally printed store-bought one. Oh boy, you've got a fun education ahead of you today! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_capital https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_capital E.g., mom tells a relative I want to make a card on my computer for them, then tells me they'd really like a card made on the computer. Yay, they need my skills to make them a card. I'm not sure symbolic value includes the joy my mom got from being a kind of P.T. Barnum of my card-printing skills (and card folding-- 2 ply IIRC). But there's that, too. Anyway, that Wikipedia article will unlock a lot of cool new areas and skins that you can't get without it.
drivers99 2y ago
The one kid in my grade in elementary school who actually had an Apple II computer at home did hand out invitations to his birthday party printed with Print Shop. It was the type you would print and then fold the page into 1/4ths. Around 1985/1986.
serf 2y ago
>I've never believed that people used Print Shop for greeting cards. as the son of a Print Shop addicted mother through the early 90s, you've believed wrong. It was pretty empowering for people to be able to customize things. Oddball holidays or festivities that major labels would never touch. Niche topics that were kind of controversial -- it happened at a perfect time when desktop printers became kind of universal and multi-talented. It's hard to find a "Congratulations on the vasectomy!" card at Hallmark. Print Shop made it not only feasible as a one-off gag, but easy.
qq66 2y ago
Many people would rather give something they made than something they bought. Even if "making" means choosing the fonts and border, it still feels like a labor of love than a simple Hallmark card would.
- blooalien 2y ago
  Especially back when Print Shop was popular. Many folks back then took "hand made" as meaning "special", even if it was "handmade" on a computer. It was the "extra effort" involved as opposed to just buying some generic pre-made thing I think that made it "special" to folks. ;)

by TMWNN 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

glimshe 2y ago

Computer printed cards had a novelty factor vs professional e "boring" cards people had received their whole lives. They also felt handmade, believe it or not!

soylentcola 2y ago

As a kid with a Commodore 128 and no access to stores or cash, I printed loads of those things. Also long banners (much to my father's chagrin as he had to provide the ink ribbons and tractor-fed printer paper).

parpfish 2y ago
i made so many cards. and so many "keep out" signs for my bedroom door (with the skull and crossbones clipart and their Thames font because it looked pirate-y)

endlessvoid94 2y ago

I used it for cards all the time!

supportengineer 2y ago

Disagree. Any hand made card is more special. The giver put their time and energy into making it.

wanderingstan 2y ago

Believe it. We used it extensively in the 80s for birthdays, Christmas cards and more. Anything made by computer was instantly special, and the ability to customize card to the recipients interests was viewed as magic. As more of our neighbors and friends got computers, print shop was one of the first programs to be acquired. (Okay, often pirated!)

jancsika 2y ago

> but there is no way that anyone would not prefer giving (or receiving) a colorful, professionally printed store-bought one. Oh boy, you've got a fun education ahead of you today! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_capital https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_capital E.g., mom tells a relative I want to make a card on my computer for them, then tells me they'd really like a card made on the computer. Yay, they need my skills to make them a card. I'm not sure symbolic value includes the joy my mom got from being a kind of P.T. Barnum of my card-printing skills (and card folding-- 2 ply IIRC). But there's that, too. Anyway, that Wikipedia article will unlock a lot of cool new areas and skins that you can't get without it.

drivers99 2y ago

The one kid in my grade in elementary school who actually had an Apple II computer at home did hand out invitations to his birthday party printed with Print Shop. It was the type you would print and then fold the page into 1/4ths. Around 1985/1986.

serf 2y ago

>I've never believed that people used Print Shop for greeting cards. as the son of a Print Shop addicted mother through the early 90s, you've believed wrong. It was pretty empowering for people to be able to customize things. Oddball holidays or festivities that major labels would never touch. Niche topics that were kind of controversial -- it happened at a perfect time when desktop printers became kind of universal and multi-talented. It's hard to find a "Congratulations on the vasectomy!" card at Hallmark. Print Shop made it not only feasible as a one-off gag, but easy.

qq66 2y ago

Many people would rather give something they made than something they bought. Even if "making" means choosing the fonts and border, it still feels like a labor of love than a simple Hallmark card would.

blooalien 2y ago
Especially back when Print Shop was popular. Many folks back then took "hand made" as meaning "special", even if it was "handmade" on a computer. It was the "extra effort" involved as opposed to just buying some generic pre-made thing I think that made it "special" to folks. ;)