Microsoft Publisher Basics: Printing & Advanced

Use the File-Print option to look over your publication.  This function will let you see how the publication will look once printed and it will usually show you errors such as images that will be cut off by the margins, positioning errors, too much white space, and more.  This will save you a lot of time and effort if you just print without using this preview function as then you will have to go back and fix these kinds of errors.  It is important to note that if you are printing in color then you may need to test the color scheme that you've chosen.  Often when printing color for desktop publications the colors on the computer monitor and how it finally prints can be two very different things.  You may have to go with a more printer friendly color scheme if your printer cannot match the colors.

Once you are ready to print you may need to adjust the Settings in the Print dialog box.  The box that appears will allow the user to control the number of copies, which printer to use, which pages or all of the publication to print, and if it should collate if there are more than one copy to be printed.  If you click on the Printer Properties link under the currently selected Printer box this will open up more options such as layout, paper quality, handling, and more.  This is essentially a list of advanced printing options that you can use to control the printing of your publication.

Finally, there are the Share and Export options under the File tab that enables the publication to be sent or exported via email, attachments, selected pages, or as a PDF.

Once you understand that objects are the building blocks of Publisher you can then learn how to add other types of content to your publication besides text and picture boxes.  Using the Insert Ribbon you can see that there is an option called Object which will let the user import various objects such as Excel worksheets or PDF documents directly into Publisher.  Once the item has been imported you may need to adjust how it appears in Publisher by re-sizing or re=-positioning the new object.

There are also several options in the View Ribbon that can be useful in working on a publication.  One feature that can take some time to set up, but is essential to produce a quality document is the use of grids and rulers.  You can modify the grids and drag lines from the rulers at both sides of the workspace to create your own guides.  These can be used to line up objects precisely on different pages and to give your publication a uniform look.

Publisher can also be used to build simple web sites quickly and there are online templates available for this.  Publisher will create the links to your pages for you and adding content is the same as for other publications.  There are many limitations to this kind of web site, but it can be used to quickly create a site when needed.