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ART5
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1993-10-27
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Microsoft Publisher 2.0
for Windows
by Tony Curro
I have been using MS Publisher 1.0 for almost a year. It is the
easiest program of its ilk that I have used. True, high-end desktop
publishing programs may have more capabilities. They also have a
higher price tag. The key word there is "high-end." Microsoft has
released version 2.0 of Publisher. MS Publisher is a low-end DTP
program. However, low-end only means a reasonable price, it does not
mean the product cannot compete with its high-end counterparts. In
many cases it is BETTER than the others.
The latest release of Publisher requires about 13 MB for a full
installation. They are coming out with a CD-ROM version shortly.
Microsoft has a feature called "Wizard," that it has used in several
programs. Wizard, as the name implies, seems to create a document or
other form as if by magic. PageWizard helps you get started quickly.
After answering several questions about how you want your work to
look, PageWizard creates it. The finished product is formatted, and
waiting for you to add or import your text. The same features apply
to Logo Creator Plus and the other parts of Publisher.
Once you create your document, you are ready to add text. You can
either type it in, or import it from almost any major word processor
or a straight ASCII text file.
The first thing I enjoyed about Publisher is its ease of use.
Anyone, even a novice, can create a newsletter, flyer, etc., within
minutes of installing Publisher. The second feature is the extensive
on-line help. Another highlight is use of "Cue Cards." Cue Cards, I
believe, first appeared in MS Access. Cards are a step-by-step
process that explains how to proceed for each step of the document.
You can turn Cue Cards off, and then, when needed, activate them
from the Help Menu.
The first time you do a procedure, MS Publisher 2.0 pops up a window
that tells you about the procedure, and offers you the opportunity
to see a Quick-Demo of it. With all this help it would be virtually
impossible not to be able to create a perfect document.
Select from any of 35 professionally designed templates, or start
from scratch. Templates include: Avery labels, Award, Business Card,
Newsletter, Cookbook, Catalog, and many others.
From PageWizard you can select from: banner, business card and paper
(matched set), calendar, envelope, flyer, greeting card, newsletter,
seven business forms, and many more. Again, you can always start
from scratch.
MS Publisher 2.0 also includes a "Special Paper" option. This is
paper that can be ordered from Paper Direct, and includes: Paper
Frame, Letterhead, Brochure, and Design Paper. You can order paper,
and even a disk with ALL Paper Direct templates for use with various
programs directly from Paper Direct.
Toolbar buttons have been simplified in version 2.0. They give you
quick access to many of Publishers powerful features. From the
toolbar you can create frames for text, word art, picture, and more.
Using drag-and-drop text movement and autofill make filling in a
table a breeze. Or, you can import tables from other applications,
including spreadsheets.
MS Publisher 2.0 comes with over 125 Clip Art images. You can also
import your own favorite graphic from any popular format. A new
feature of Publisher 2.0 is Clip Art Gallery. This gives you
thumbnails of your images. It will catalog all the included images,
but also allow you to import any of your graphics, and creates
thumbnails for all of them.
You can view two facing pages on screen at one time. And, using the
Special Paper mentioned above, you actually see the paper on screen,
and how the formatting looks.
I was recently informed that MS has also released a Special
Occasions Design Pack. This is chock full of graphics for all
holidays, and the ability to create Mother's Day, Father's Day and
many other cards. This is a separate disk-based package, with a SRP
of $49.95. MS has also released MS Publisher 2.0 on CD-ROM. The
CD-ROM package includes the Design Pack. Please see my "Christmas
Shopping List" in this issue for information.
By now you can tell I am pleased with Microsoft Publisher. For the
money I think it is the best program in its class. Its ease of use,
and almost nonexistent learning curve, makes it ideal for the novice
or anyone who wants to get started quickly, but don't have much time
learning how to use a program. This product will definitely be on my
Christmas shopping list, as it will be receive the "CTM Editor's
Award of Excellence."
Product Information
Microsoft Publisher 2.0
for Windows
Disk version
SRP -- $139 (until 9/30/93)
-- $199 (after 9/30/93)
CD-ROM version
includes Special Ocassion Design Pack
SRP -- $139 (until 12/31/93)
Microsoft Corporation
1 Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399
206-882-8080
206-93MSFAX (FAX)