Are you looking for an alternative way to create content for your business, but you don’t want to spend too much money? Is it becoming too expensive to outsource your sales material?
Do you want to be able to take control of your content designs for your business? Are you wondering what is Microsoft publisher? Many business owners or freelancers need to design their own publications but often don’t know where to start.
That is where Microsoft Publisher comes in. Please continue reading below, this brief article will go over what Microsoft publisher is, how you can use it, and other helpful tips to get you started.
What Is Microsoft Publisher?
Microsoft Publisher is a Microsoft application used to create and publish digital content. This application has easy-to-use features that are great for everyday users, small business owners, parents, or freelancers who design publications.
Microsoft Publisher works as efficiently as Microsoft Word, but instead of using specific tools for text, you will be using tools to edit visual content and page layouts.
What Is It Used For?
Microsoft Publisher is perfect for professionally designing and publishing materials. You can easily create your own greeting cards or your own mailing label.
What you can design on Microsoft Publisher:
- Postcards
- Brochures
- Flyers
- Event posters
- Newsletters for your small business
- Newsletters for organizations
- Birthday cards
There are other things that you can create and design on Microsoft Publisher; the possibilities are endless.
If you want, you can utilize the Microsoft Publisher templates they provide or start from scratch. If you have your own content that you want to edit, you can easily transfer it onto Microsoft Publisher.
Microsoft Word vs. Microsoft Publisher
Although the two programs look pretty similar, they are definitely different. Microsoft Word is best for creating legal documents, letters, articles, and resumes. MS Word is best for word processing, whereas Microsoft Office Publisher is used for desktop publishing.
Microsoft Office 365 and Mac
You may be wondering if is Microsoft Publisher available for mac, and the answer is yes! If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you will see that MS Publisher is included for Mac and Windows.
Microsoft Publisher Cost
If you want to purchase the Microsoft 365 subscription to get Microsoft Publisher, you can, but you do not have to. Microsoft 365 includes Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, Publisher, and Powerpoint.
If you want Microsoft Office Publisher on its own, you will have to purchase it from Microsoft. Unfortunately, there is no Microsoft Publisher free edition online.
Microsoft Publisher Features
Microsoft Publisher has excellent easy to use features such as mail merge tools and personalization tools to make sure your project is just what you want it to be. You also have access to document-sharing abilities and drag and drop pictures interchanging and importing.
How to Use MS Publisher
If you already have the program installed on your computer, go to your computer’s Start menu and select Microsoft office-Microsoft Publisher. You will need to know few basic things before you get started as MS Publisher is a bit different than MS Word.
MS Publisher Objects
Once you have Publisher open, you will notice that everything is formatted into movable type “boxes.”
These boxes are also known as “objects,” and they are outlined with a border with four white squares and four white circles. They may look strange at first, but those boxes are easy to manipulate, group, edit, and move content.
Adding Text
If you want to add text to your project, you can either create your own text box or edit the object directly. To make your own text box, go to the Insert Tab and click on the Draw Text Box command.
You will then be able to create your own text object wherever you want for your project. If you use one of the templates in Publisher, there will already be text boxes filled with dummy text that you can edit.
Adding Pictures
It is easy to add pictures to your project; you need to click on the Home tab and select Pictures. You can either import photos from a file on your computer, a Bing search, or from your OneDrive. If you need to format the images, you can select the Format Tab, and it will give you different options.
Building Blocks
Building blocks make it extremely easy for you to customize and build your publication project by giving you pre-made elements. You can find these building blocks under the Insert tab. Once you find the element you like, you can then click and drag it to resize and reposition it.
Design Checker
Once you are satisfied with your publication, you will want to use the Design Checker feature. This tool helps you review your final content layout to see if there are any design issues. If there are any technical issues, there will be a notification on the right side of your screen.
It will let you know if an object is partially off the page or if any other issues need to be fixed. If you aren’t sure how to resolve the issue it presents, an Explain option will tell you how to edit the problem.
Create Content Now
Once you have the basics down for using Microsoft publisher, you will be able to create various types of content.
Gone are the days of asking what is Microsoft Publisher; now you have all you need to make professional-looking content without paying a heavy price tag. If you are looking for “Microsoft Publisher for Mac” or more information on other software that you can use to create content, check out our Software tab!
