Create professional-quality publications easily with intuitive design tools
Create professional-quality publications easily with intuitive design tools
Vote (400 votes)
Program license Trial version
Developer Microsoft
Version 16.0.15128.20280
Works under Windows
Vote
(400 votes)
Developer
Microsoft
Works under
Windows
Program license
Trial version
Version
16.0.15128.20280
Pros
- Has dozens of templates for commonly printed documents
- Finds images online and gives you access to clip art
- Many export and import options available
Cons
- Sometimes exported documents have poor formatting, but this depends on the design and program opening the document
Microsoft Publisher is used for desktop publishing and minor graphic design and it specializes in business documents. This program comes with various templates for business cards, brochures, letterheads and more. You can also create custom templates or start with a blank canvas and make your own custom designs.
Templates
One of the hallmarks of Microsoft Publisher would be templates. There are dozens of default templates to choose from and you can create your own as well. Publisher specializes in making print-ready designs and the majority of templates are for commonly printed items like business cards, brochures and more. Not only does this make it easier to print the design when you're finished, but the templates have areas specifically for text and images.
You can quickly swap the default text and images with your own and be finished in minutes. You can also move these sections around to make a truly custom design. If templates aren't your thing, then you can simply set the page size and start designing.
Import and Export
Most desktop publish programs are used in the middle of the design process. For example, you might make images or designs in one format, edit them with the desktop publishing program and then finish and print them in another program. As such, Publisher is able to import and export many different file types.
You are able to import Word files, TXT documents and HTML files. You can export as TXT, Word, HTML, PDF, JPG and other formats. While Publisher will do its best to keep the format correct, you may notice that certain fonts, images or placement of objects are off when you open the exported file. You can usually avoid this with static files like PDF, but then you run the risk of not being able to edit the exported file.
Images
You'll need great images for your document. Previous versions of Publisher could only access Microsoft clip art. While some of these images are great, you'll find that the selection is limited. The newest version is capable of looking online and going through Facebook, Flickr and other websites for images that match your needs.
Simply enter a search term and you'll find an image for your needs. If you are printing this for personal use, then there should be no problem using the image. If you plan on selling or using the document commercially, then be sure to check the image's copyright terms. Some images allows this while others require purchasing a license or getting permission from the creator.
Pros
- Has dozens of templates for commonly printed documents
- Finds images online and gives you access to clip art
- Many export and import options available
Cons
- Sometimes exported documents have poor formatting, but this depends on the design and program opening the document
Pros
- Included w/ Office 2013 (PC Versions)
- Easily Create and Publish Documents
- Automatic Cloud Storage
- Fetch Photos from Flicker and Facebook
Cons
- Online Clipart Only
Microsoft Publisher 2013 is a publishing tool for desktop computers that comes with every copy of the PC version of Microsoft Office 2013, and it is built for novice users who want professional editing tools.
Unlike older versions of Microsoft Office, Office 2013 includes Publisher 2013, one of the most intuitive tools for creating print publications such as magazines, menus, posters, business cards, greeting cards, and much more. There is a free trial version of the software for those that want to test it out before purchase, but users must have a Microsoft account in order to take advantage of the free trial.
Microsoft Publisher 2013 includes a number of features that make it a leader in its field. It has a canvas where photos can be uploaded and arranged by simply dragging them from place to place, and pictures can now be swapped by dragging a photo over the one to be replaced. Once the mouse is released, the switch takes place. It is quite intuitive, and accidentally swapping images is easy to avoid thanks to the pink highlight and clearly marked icons.
The new Apply to Background command is quite handy as well. Users can now click on any image in the canvas and have it expand to fill the whole thing or become tiled so that multiple images in the original size populate the canvas.
Unlike older versions of Publisher, this newest iteration has been integrated into Office 2013 very thoroughly. To make this more obvious, formatting options and tools that already exist in PowerPoint and Word have been included in the same design. Perhaps the most helpful tool that was ported from Office 2013 is the app's ability to fetch photos from the internet using the credentials of the Microsoft account connected to the software.
Users can use a single window pane within the app to search for images from a number of prominent social media sites, like Facebook and Flickr, as well as the clip art found on Office.com and any local images that might fulfill the search requirements. There is already a plethora of clip art, and the ability to search through the internet only gives the user even more control over the content they easily transport into Publisher.
Users will find that Publisher 2013 is also highly intuitive thanks to the streamlined user interface. There is a single tool bar that holds the vast majority of the most common commands, and there are also hotkeys and editing menus that can be shown with just a few clicks. On the right hand side of the app, all images uploaded to the program are visible in the Scratch Area.
For the novice or intermediate user that wants to create stunning print publications, there are few apps with the same utility and power as Microsoft Publisher 2013.
Pros
- Included w/ Office 2013 (PC Versions)
- Easily Create and Publish Documents
- Automatic Cloud Storage
- Fetch Photos from Flicker and Facebook
Cons
- Online Clipart Only
