Microsoft Publisher Deluxe 2002

Rating:
Summary: The best unknown software ever made
Review: As a small part of my job, I design flyers, formal invitations, posters, business documents, advertisements, and bulletins, and also update the company website. On my own limited time, I make greeting cards, invitations, banners and all sorts of other stuff.

I have used Microsoft Publisher from the inception, and it is the easiest, most idiot proof programme available for all of the above and more. Beginners can use the wizards and templates, which can be modified as you get more familiar with the programme. I am a self taught Publisher user, and if I can do it, anyone can.

Unfortunately, nobody in the professional advertising world and world-wide web uses or has any form of Publisher, so my best advertising creations have to be copied and saved in Microsoft Word, and sent to the advertising agencies to set up in Corel Draw. (I tried teaching myself Corel Draw, but it's not as easy as Publisher, and I gave up)

No website host works with Publisher either, so I have had to begin learning Dreamweaver, which is more complicated and only gives you a tiny space to work in, unlike the full page to which I am accustomed.

The only other drawback I have found is that the clipart collection is stored on-line, so you have to log on to the internet to get clipart pictures, and if you have a slow connection, you're there all day waiting for pictures to come up. They should have some basic clips readily available for simple projects, as in earlier versions.

For people who don't have to interface with the media and web site hosts, this programme is ideal for all your desktop publishing requirements.

Rating:
Summary: The best unknown software ever made
Review: As a small part of my job, I design flyers, formal invitations, posters, business documents, advertisements, and bulletins, and also update the company website. On my own limited time, I make greeting cards, invitations, banners and all sorts of other stuff.

I have used Microsoft Publisher from the inception, and it is the easiest, most idiot proof programme available for all of the above and more. Beginners can use the wizards and templates, which can be modified as you get more familiar with the programme. I am a self taught Publisher user, and if I can do it, anyone can.

Unfortunately, nobody in the professional advertising world and world-wide web uses or has any form of Publisher, so my best advertising creations have to be copied and saved in Microsoft Word, and sent to the advertising agencies to set up in Corel Draw. (I tried teaching myself Corel Draw, but it's not as easy as Publisher, and I gave up)

No website host works with Publisher either, so I have had to begin learning Dreamweaver, which is more complicated and only gives you a tiny space to work in, unlike the full page to which I am accustomed.

The only other drawback I have found is that the clipart collection is stored on-line, so you have to log on to the internet to get clipart pictures, and if you have a slow connection, you're there all day waiting for pictures to come up. They should have some basic clips readily available for simple projects, as in earlier versions.

For people who don't have to interface with the media and web site hosts, this programme is ideal for all your desktop publishing requirements.

Rating:
Summary: Critical 21st century communications tool
Review: Having worked with Aldus and Adobe pagemaker in the high school and college newsroom, I was initally leery when my college graduation gift was a new computer with Publisher loaded in. First, it seemed relatively simplistic compared to the models I had been using and second, if I knew something more confusing, it made little sense to go back.

I quickly became a Microsoft convert and now use the program for every concievable academic, personal and business need imaginable. How I survived for this long previously withhout the program is a medical mystery because I shake my head and cluck my toungue at those people who remain trapped in the past of desktop publishing.

While the formats of the pre-programed options are limited, your personal imagination is expansive, and a hallmark of Microsoft has been the software's inevitable flexbility towards the latter when it would have been easier for them (as many other companies in the early days of the computer revolution) to retain complete control over the program's capabilities and set definite paramaters. From custom projects to color schemes, the user can truly make it "their" publisher.

My only main gripe is that it does not seem to come bundled with many current windows systems.

Rating:
Summary: For business or home use
Review: I originally used this product because it came with my computer, back in 1995. It was so simple to figure out that I ended up using it for all my professional work. It is interchangable with most other programs such as Adobe Photoshop, MS Word or even with the internet. I can do touchup on photos, add a wide variety of text, do newsletters, brochures, flyers, you name it. I have purchased other software that claimed to be better and to tell you the truth, this was the easiest one of the bunch. I have upgraded each version when available with absolutely no problem. The saved data automatically went into the upgrades without loss of information. Definately get this!

Rating:
Summary: Better off sticking with Microsoft Publishing 2000
Review: I own Microsoft Publishing 2000, which I bought several years ago for just [$$$], of which I have always had success. A couple months ago, I bought Microsoft Publisher for [$$$], thinking it would be more improved, up-to-date, and that it would have the same features as Microsoft Publishing 2000, with more. I was wrong.
Microsoft Publishing 2000 had everything: thousands of great ClipArt pictures built-in. Microsoft Publisher had the scantiest selection of ClipArt I have ever seen. I thought to myself, OK, I paid about [$$$] for this program and it can't even offer me good ClipArt? Also, after many tries, I couldn't (and still can't) find how to insert text without outlining it with a visible box, that shows up even when printing. There were many other things that are too numerous to outline here. My point is, if you already have Microsoft Publishing 2000, stick with it, and even if you don't and are considering buying Microsoft Publisher, pay about [$$$] cheaper and get an easier-to-use, amateur-friendly program that makes things simple - Microsoft Publishing 2000.

-AG

Rating:
Summary: I love this product
Review: I put together a newsletter for a nonprofit parent education school. Publisher is so easy to use it makes my job a breeze! I love the fact that I can just cut an article for Microsoft Word and paste it into my publication. It's very user friendly. I highly recommend it!

Rating:
Summary: Microsoft Publisher 2002
Review: Microsoft has released another new version of Publisher. This program is excellent for those who do not have much knowledge of html or who want to work within preset templates. If you need it done fast and are satisfied with using pre-designed templates where you simply enter your specific data, this is a program you will want to invest in.

If you are the type of person who prefers to create your own web site from scratch or even design your own newsletter from scratch this program is not for you. In working with it I found that it takes more than the common knowledge that many of us have to work within the pre-designed template and still add some of your own coding.

"Since you are limited to templates, there is little that you can do to change the look of the project unless you create your own template," according to Jerry Stanley, Compute! Technician. "So for those who have already made their own template, Publisher can be a great timesaver."
The first project that I tried with Publisher was recreating my website. I already had most of the site done and only wanted a program to simplify changes and make it more professional looking.

To begin the project, I wanted to add additional bullets on the left hand side of the web page I was designing. I tried to write my own code as well as copy and paste Microsoft's code. I was not successful using either technique. I ended up with a second bullet that was actually linked to the same data as the original instead of getting another instance of the bullet. Changing the heading of this bullet also changed the heading of the original bullet.
"Although there is an option available to enter custom code into a project, there isn't an intuitive interface for determining the location of the code," Stanley advised. "Most other HTML editors have a code view as well as a preview view which would let one know where the new code would be placed."
In the end when I simply used what was available and didn't try to add anything that wasn't already part of the program, I was able to create a project that had a very professional look and feel to it in a very short amount of time.

Rating:
Summary: Publish This: ONE OF THE BEST
Review: Microsoft Publisher has always been one of my favorite programs. Although with upgrades it is now left out of some OFFICE suites, it deserves to be there alongside WORD, EXCEL and POWERPOINT as it is one of the best programs Microsoft has come up with.

Printing brochures,cards, newsletters, etc. as well as importing clip art into documents is simple enough for the novice user; sophisticated enough for any home office or small business.

Everything is straight forward and if you have ever used any of the Office Suite products, then this just follows the norm so you won't be spending any time reading the instructions: you can start creating as soon as you've loaded the program onto your system.

Rating:
Summary: Publish This: ONE OF THE BEST
Review: Microsoft Publisher has always been one of my favorite programs. Although with upgrades it is now left out of some OFFICE suites, it deserves to be there alongside WORD, EXCEL and POWERPOINT as it is one of the best programs Microsoft has come up with.

Printing brochures,cards, newsletters, etc. as well as importing clip art into documents is simple enough for the novice user; sophisticated enough for any home office or small business.

Everything is straight forward and if you have ever used any of the Office Suite products, then this just follows the norm so you won't be spending any time reading the instructions: you can start creating as soon as you've loaded the program onto your system.

Rating:
Summary: Great Product
Review: This program is great. I write my church program on a weekly base and before I started using Microsoft Publisher I used Microsoft word. Needless to say I spent more time trying to keep everything in it's place then I did changing the material. Publisher is so easy to use and has added such a professional look to our program. It takes me less time to produce a better-looking more effective program. It's worth the investment.