MS Publisher is a classic part of the Microsoft Office suite and is included in the Microsoft 365 Subscription.
Its primary function is to help users to easily create publications for the internet, email, and printing. Online design tools and Adobe Products have in some ways taken precedence over MS Publisher in recent years. However, its features remain relevant to many, and the familiar layout can make it more friendly to beginners than many alternatives.
Flyers, Brochures, and Newsletters
If you’ve used Microsoft Publisher for anything in the past, it’s likely to be creating a flyer, invitation, or newsletter. The software includes hundreds of built-in templates for specific events and occasions which can make this process relatively quick and easy.
There are more layout and printing options than you’ll find in MS Word, and you may find editing the layout and graphics simpler too.
If you’re a complete beginner, there’s also a variety of wizards which can walk you through creating and editing different publications step by step. Since the menu and layout are similar to Microsoft Word, it can also be easier to get the hang of than you may expect.
To replace the template text, all you need to do is hover over the selected area, click, and type in your own message. Replacing images and graphics is easy too on the newest edition of the software, you can simply drag and drop.
Graphics, Images, and Text
Once you’ve spent some time with MS Publisher or received some training, you can also begin incorporating some more advanced features in your publications. Why not experiment with editing the colour scheme to reflect brand colours, design your own images in the publishing drawing toolbar, or use the graphics manager pane?
Publisher also allows you more minute control over typography than MS Word. You can precisely control the spacing between words and letters, use graphics in typography, and set styles.
Mail Merge
One of the features which makes Publisher particularly useful for creating email campaigns or newsletters is the Mail Merge feature. Once you’ve formatted and written your basic email, you can use the tools in the Mailings Tab and a data source – like your Outlook contacts list, to personalise the newsletter for particular groups or individuals.
The tool creates multiple versions of the same basic email template, which can then be used for functions such as greeting recipients by name, or for sending different people different pieces of information depending on your chosen filters.
You can then send these personalised publications as emails or print them out to distribute as hard copies.
Design Checker
Another useful feature of MS Publisher is the Design Checker function. If you don’t feel confident with graphic design or the restrictions of your printer, it can be an invaluable tool to check whether you’ve made any errors before printing or sending off your publication.
The tool can run a mixture of checks depending on the kind of publication you’re creating, including scanning for improperly scaled images, objects too close to the page margins, and correct linking structure.
Website Publishing
You can also use MS Publisher to design simple web pages. Simply choose an appropriate template, or start from scratch, and arrange the objects as you’d like them to appear online with the drag and drop tools. You can then link these to other web pages you create to form a website. You can then export the file to HMTL format.
Excited to Know More?
Elliot Training provide 1-day advanced workshops to improve you or your company’s skills in the MS Publisher software, including Mail Merge and Website Building. Find out more here and sign up today.