Fit to print

Entrepreneur, March, 1999 by Cassandra Cavanah

Do-it-yourself publishing puts your business's image in your own hands.

Creating and producing business cards, letterhead, brochures and even Web pages from the comfort of your own office has changed the way many small businesses work. It used to be that ramping up a business meant spending a significant amount of time and money on designing and printing your company's identity pieces.

But today, there are software solutions that let you quickly and easily create marketing pieces that look both appealing and professional. Called nonprofessional desktop publishing programs because they aren't designed with the depth and breadth of such professional publishing programs as Quark Xpress or Adobe PageMaker (programs that are typically used in magazine publishing and professional layouts), these programs still pack a lot of power. Microsoft Publisher 98, a component of the Microsoft Office suite that is also sold separately, and Corel PrintOffice, from the company that markets the WordPerfect suite, are the desktop publishing programs we put through their paces for this column.

GETTING PUBLISHED

Microsoft Publisher is the leader in its class - at least in terms of sales. At the time of this writing, Microsoft had announced plans to introduce Publisher 2000 by mid-1999. Although Microsoft sent me a beta copy of Publisher 2000, it failed to install on my computer after numerous attempts; therefore, Publisher 98 is the program reviewed here.

If you buy the Publisher 2000 version, here are some of the product enhancements you'll find. Microsoft is touting stronger integration of Publisher 2000 with its Office suite. For example, Office users will be able to create a document in Word or a presentation in PowerPoint that incorporates the same look as a brochure created in Publisher. Publisher 2000 also purports to give users a wider range of templates to choose from, including catalogs, booklets, menus, awards, gift certificates and advertisements. The number of included designs (professionally designed looks that can be modified for your business) has also been increased. The set of features Microsoft seems proudest of is Publisher 2000's extensive publishing solutions, which now include extensive support for commercial printing, the ability to put out documents using the traditional four-color process, and even more bells and whistles.

Publisher 2000's features may sound a bit overwhelming and even somewhat "professional," but if your business relies on printed materials that go beyond general letterhead and business card needs, you can see why such a program may be just what you need to get your marketing efforts off the ground.

PUTTING IT TO THE TEST

Upon opening Publisher 98, I was offered a demo to take me through the program. Being familiar with other Microsoft products, however, I ignored it and began the task at hand. Selecting from the lengthy list of publication types, I chose business cards. Next, I opted to design my card on plain paper. There's also the option of using specialty paper with pre printed color graphics.

Once I chose a basic design, both the card and the Business Card Wizard popped up. Publisher users can choose to rely on the Wizard, which takes you through the design process step by step, letting you choose a color palette and helping you input the correct text (name, tide, company name, and so on).

As I went through the process, I realized the card I'd chosen wouldn't work for me because it had a spot for a logo - and I hadn't designed one. But when I clicked on the logo to delete it, a dialog box with the question, "Do you want a design without a logo?" popped up. When I ticked yes, the card was redesigned to exclude the logo. The whole process took less than five minutes.

Creating letterhead was just as easy, though I was surprised the program wasn't smart enough to default to the style I'd chosen for the business cards. Because the program doesn't support two open files at once - another drawback - I had to exit the letterhead creation, open the business card file and check my design choice. Still, my work was all done within 15 minutes, and I was in business.

If you haven't already taken your business to the Web, Publisher is also capable of creating HTML pages for a Web site.

TESTING THE POWER

Corel PrintOffice is more than just a desktop publishing program. This program comes loaded with Corel PhotoHouse for working with digital images, allowing you to touch up, alter or enhance images before using them in your business's marketing materials. Additionally, you'll find Corel Colleagues and Contacts, a basic personal organizer that includes a calendar and address book.

Loading Corel PrintOffice was simple, if somewhat time-consuming. This product requires minimal babysitting during installation, however, so you're free to use the time often wasted clicking through dialog boxes.

When it came to working with Corel PrintOffice, I was slightly less ambitious than I was with Publisher 98 because, as a Microsoft Office user, I'm less familiar with the Corel interface. So instead of diving in to create a document from scratch, I opted to start my design process by relying on one of Corel's templates. Although similar in concept to Microsoft's Wizards, Corel's templates aren't nearly as easy to use.