Simple, powerful desktop publishing - Software Review - Microsoft Corp.'s Publisher - Evaluation

Home Office Computing, Dec, 1993 by Steve Morgenstern

Microsoft Publisher

Rating: ****

For Windows

AT A GLANCE: If you're not desktop publishing full-time, Microsoft Publisher has as much power as you'll probably ever need in an extraordinarily easy-to-use package.

DOCUMENTATION: The 400-page manual is comprehensive and readable, and two online help systems make information instantly accessible.

EASE OF USE: If you can't master this program, you just aren't trying.

SUPPORT: You'll wait on hold for a few minutes, but you'll receive knowledgeable, friendly support when you do get through. You can also go online (my preference) for Microsoft support via CompuServe or America Online.

VERSION REVIEWED: 2.0

LIST PRICE: $199

AVERAGE STREET PRICE: $129

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 286 PC or better, 4MB RAM, VGA or SVGA monitor; DOS 3.1 or higher and Windows 3.1.

PUBLISHER: Microsoft Corp., One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399; (206) 882-8080, (800) 426-9400

You want desktop-publishing capability, but you don't want to make page layout your full-time career. You're a newcomer and you want step-by-step guidance. You want to come off looking professional without a lot of hard work. You want Microsoft Publisher.

Microsoft realizes that when beginners buy page-layout software, they don't just have to learn how to use the software, they need to learn how to put together a publication--whether it's a brochure, flier, poster, newsletter, or matchbook cover. Publisher has several features that take you by the hand and lead you through the process (even those with some DTP experience are sure to appreciate them). You get an introductory onscreen tutorial, Page Wizards that automate building many different types of publications, Cue Cards that provide step-by-step instructions for each task, a complete online help system, a superbly written and organized manual, and unlimited technical support by phone and via online services.

Publisher provides all the basic desktop-publishing tools needed to import and arrange text and graphics, offering everything from the ability to incorporate files created in a wide variety of formats to onscreen guidelines for ensuring accurate positioning of page elements. What's really special about Publisher--and what places it beyond many other midrange publishing tools--are its built-in graphics tools, including a decent drawing program and a powerful text manipulation tool that lets you shape, shade, and distort TrueType fonts to create attractive display type and logos with minimal effort. The wide selection of decorative borders is another graphic strength, along with a shape tool that offers instant access to 36 sizable, customizable graphic shapes.

The tables feature makes row-and-column formatting a breeze; you can import any table created with the leading Windows-based word processing and spreadsheet programs. Another handy formatting shortcut is preset bulleted or numbered lists. And the Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) capabilities of Microsoft Windows 3.1 are fully implemented, allowing you to edit text or graphics in other Windows applications that support OLE and automatically update the version placed in your Publisher document.

When I reviewed the first release of this program, I was generally impressed but bemoaned the lack of style sheets for automated text formatting, the inability to wrap text around irregularly shaped graphics, and the fact that you couldn't view facing pages simultaneously onscreen. All of those shortcomings have been eliminated in the current version.

So what am I left to complain about? Not much, frankly. There are plenty of high-end features that aren't in Publisher, but that's to be expected--this is a midrange page-layout program--not the next PageMaker or QuarkX-Press. As such, the only thing significantly lacking is the ability to load more than one publication at the same time (very useful for cutting and pasting page elements).

If you've been wavering about making the move from word processing to desktop publishing, Microsoft Publisher is what you need.