In today’s time of side hustles and additional income other than the regular 9-5 job, almost everyone is honing their tech skills. As a result, DIYers are increasing in number, and they don’t want to rely on anyone to get the job done, including creating and publishing their digital content. To make things easier for DIY enthusiasts, Microsoft and other giants have programs to help. For instance, Microsoft Publisher boosts DIY efforts for print publications. The app offers reasonably priced subscription plans and user-friendly desktop publishing features. As a result, it is an ideal app for businesses, parents, educators, and freelancers who don’t have a professional graphic design background but want to design publications.
Since the app is developed by Microsoft, it is readily available on Windows computers and laptops. But if you are using Mac or recently shifted to the Mac environment from Windows, you may find the app is absent. So, is Publisher available for Mac? Unfortunately, Microsoft Publisher is only available for Windows, but there are worthy alternatives Mac users can use, such as Swift Publisher and MarsEdit.
Continue reading to learn more about Microsoft Publisher.
Why Use Microsoft Publisher?
Have you worked on Microsoft Word? If so, it will not take you more than a few minutes to understand how to work on Microsoft Publisher. The only difference between the two apps is that instead of using tools for writing text, you will use tools for visual content and editing page layouts.
On Microsoft Publisher, you can do everything needed to design and publish your project professionally. For instance, you can create event posters, customized birthday cards, business cards, brochures and postcards, newsletters, etc. However, this is not all. MS Publisher shines when it comes to personalizing and editing content. You can use templates or work from scratch. You can even modify your existing content.
Are There Templates to USE?
You can work on your project from scratch, but if you need help to get started, MS Publisher offers a wide selection of premade layouts and cookie-cutter templates. You can use them to feel inspired.
You can use templates by clicking on File > New > choose one of the featured templates or click Create > select Built-in, select a category to choose a template, and click Create to use the template. Then, you can start formatting and modifying the template to suit your specific needs.
Can You Convert PDFs to PUB?
You can easily convert PDFs to PUB to edit your project. You can do this using Able2Extract PDF converter or an online converter of your choice. If you are using Able2Extract, open the converter and choose the content you want to convert. Then, click the Convert to Publisher option and save the new .pub file to your system.
How to Get Started on Working with Microsoft Publisher?
● Add pictures – Click Home > Pictures to add pictures to your project. You can also insert pictures from OneDrive, a file or download them online from Google or Bing. Then, format your pictures by going to the Format tab.
● Add text – If you want to add text to your project, you can work with text boxes. You can add and edit the text in these boxes. Go to the Insert tab and click on the Draw Text Box command. Then, drag the box and add text wherever you want. In most templates on the app, you will find premade objects and boxes that come with dummy text. You can double-click on it to edit the text, customize the color, change the font, etc.
● Use the Design Checker – After you have finished putting together your publication, remember to use the Design Checker option. This can be accessed by going to File > Info > Design Checker. This tool lets you analyze the final content for design or layout problems. You will see it on the right side of the interface. Design Checkers is like a regular spell checker with MS Word, but it checks the layout and design instead of textual typos. The tool will analyze your content so that you can detect and fix problems before printing your content. You do not need to worry if you are not a professional designer because the tool will offer suggestions and explanations on how you can fix the issues. If you want to specify your problems, you can open the Design Checker Options dialog box.
Finally, once your project is completed and saved, you can print it. The app comes with standard print functionalities, and you can select the Print option by clicking on File.
Final Thoughts
This guide will help you get familiarized with Microsoft Publisher so you can start creating or editing your project. Remember to save your progress, so you don’t lose your work if there’s a glitch. All the best!
