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Microsoft Publisher 2000 Pros and Cons Microsoft Publisher
2000 is an amazingly robust program, especially given its low price (i.e. free with many versions of Microsoft Office 2000).
Summary
Microsoft Publisher 2000 represents a a major step forward bringing affordable
desktop publishing to firms and organizations that cannot justify the purchase or training commitment of dedicated page layout programs like Adobe PageMaker or Quark XPress. For the first time, Publisher 2000 permits
accurate colors and easy file output at service bureaus and commercial printers. There's hardly a business or organization in this country that can't immediately profit from the capabilities built into Microsoft
Publisher 2000. Unfortunately, Microsoft has still failed to address some issues that can, unfortunately, undermine the image projected by your print communications. So, although Publisher 2000 is loaded with
well-designed templates and Wizards that save time and ensure professional results, there are still some frustrating things you have to watch out for. Pros
There's a lot to like about Publisher 2000.
Before addressing color and service bureau issues, here are some of its high-points:
- New templates and Design Wizards.
These permit you to easily create a greatly expanded variety of print and online communications. These designs maintain a consistent look across numerous publication types, so you can project a consistent appearance throughout your brochures, correspondence, newsletters and postcards. These designs can be easily customized with your logo and colors and easily "remembered" for later reuse.
- Time-saving design elements.
If you've ever spent hours creating calendars, order forms or subscription forms, you'll love the way Publisher 2000 makes it easy to add these design elements to your publication.
- User friendly.
An over-used phrase, perhaps, but one that takes on a new meaning after you delete a page and then find that Publisher 2000 has automatically saved the text and graphics originally located on the deleted page to the Design Gallery. This feature permits you to easily reclaim text and graphics from deleted pages and use them on another page.
- Right-mouse friendly.
You may find yourself rarely opening the menu to access a needed command. Right-clicking on text or graphic objects reveals the commands associated with the object, making them far
easier to locate.
- Catalog Wizard.
Publisher 2000's new Catalog Wizard takes the work out of creating catalogs. As you insert pages, you can choose the number of products and text elements you want on each page.
Expanded color capabilities
Publisher 2000 frees you from the hit-or-miss school of color management based on trying to guess what printed colors will look like by
observing color on the screen. For the first time, Publisher 2000 permits you to assign spot colors and four-color process colors by referring to the industry-standard Pantone Color Matching System. You can apply
colors by number, by referring to one of the Pantone Color Matching books. These books are available for both coated (i.e. shiny) and uncoated (matte finish) paper stocks.
Service bureau friendly
Publisher 2000 makes it easy to pack your Publisher document files and take or transmit them to a service bureau or commercial printer. No longer are you limited to creating
publications intended for creating "masters" on black and white output on ink-jet or laser printers. Publisher 2000's Commercial Printing Capabilities permits service bureaus and commercial printers to prepare the
separations (i.e. separate layers) needed for accurate spot or process color printing.
- Spot color.
If your publication includes black plus one or two colors, Publisher 2000 can output separations for each of the colors used.
- Process color.
If your publication includes four-color photographs, Publisher 2000 can prepare the CYMK (Cyan, Yellow, Magneta and Black) separations needed to reproduce virtually any color as well as accurately reproduce color scanned images.
Favorite new feature
Publisher 2000 does an excellent job of transforming existing Color Schemes into a two or three color publications. This feature translates the seven
colors used in most Color Schemes into extremely attractive two (black plus a second color) or three (black plus two additionalcolors) publications by the restrained use of screens (or shaded backgrounds and design
elements). This unheralded feature works extremely well. And, since the majority of newsletters and small business publications created with Publisher 2000 are likely to be printed in just two or three colors, the
feature is really welcome. Associated with this feature is the way that Publisher 2000 automatically converts scanned four-color photographs contained in a publication into grayscale images when you choose two or
three color printing. Cons
There are still a few frustrations associated with Publisher 2000. Although it's approaching PageMaker-level capabilities, there are still a few frustrations.Limited Type1 Font Support
One somewhat predicatable problem involves Microsoft's presumed prejudice against Adobe Type1 fonts. Although the Publisher 2000 Print Wizard
automatically locates and includes TrueType fonts with the files it packs for service bureaus and commercial printers, this feature does not work with Type1 fonts. Accordingly, you must still make sure that you
provide your service bureau or commercial printer with copies of any Type1 fonts you have included in your publication. Paragraph formatting limitations
More important, (and
surprisingly), Microsoft Publisher 2000 still lacks many of the paragraph controls that programs like Microsoft Word have long included. Most frustrating of all, Publisher 2000 lacks the ability to detect and control
widows and orphans. Widows and orphans occur when a single line of a new paragraph appears at the bottom of a column or page, or a single line (or sentence fragment) appears at the top of a new column or page. This
is because Publisher 2000 does not include a "Keep With Next Paragraph" command. As a result, it is very easy for subheads to become separated from the paragraphs that they introduce. Nor is there a "Keep
Lines Together" command which prevents single-line paragraphs at the bottoms or tops of columns and pages. Extra vigilence is required to prevent the following problems created by the lack of these commands:
- Isolated subheads.
You have to carefully review your column and page breaks to make sure that subheads aren't isolated by themselves at the bottom of a column or page.
- Fragmented paragraphs.
You have to check to make sure that at least two lines, (preferably three,) appear when a new paragraph begins at the bottom of a column or page.
- Widows and orphans.
You have to make sure that columns and pages don't begin with a left-over word or two from the preceding column or page.
Typeset punctuation
Another problem occurs when importing text prepared with other software programs. When entering text directly into Publisher 2000, the program
automatically inserts the correct typeset punctuation, i.e. apostrophes, open and closed quotation marks and em dashes (long dashes that replace two hyphnens.) This feature, however, only works on text entered in
Publisher 2000. This feature does not work when placing text files created with other word processing programs. As a result, you have to go through the story and manually replace typerwriter-type punctuation with the
proper typeset punctuation. The difference correct punctuation can make is amazing. True, you can simplify this process by using Publisher 2000's Find and Replace feature, but it would be nice if Publisher
automatically corrected text as it was imported. Conclusion
It's hard not to be extremely enthusiastic about Microsoft Publisher 2000.Given the importance of quickly and easily preparing a constant stream of marketing materials that
project a professional image, there's probably no small business, academic department or non-profit that can't profit from Microsoft Publisher 2000. At a remarkably low price, Microsoft Publisher 2000 takes the work
out of preparing good-looking marketing communications. Even if you have not had any previous design experience, you'll find yourself soon creating effective publications, pleasing yourself as well as your coworkers,
customers, prospects, members and donors. |
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