Introduction to Microsoft Publisher
Class Description
This is an introduction to Microsoft Publisher, with a focus on choosing a template and modifying it to meet your needs.
Class Length
One and one‐half (1½) hours
Introduction
Microsoft Publisher is an entry‐level desktop publishing program (the big two used by professional graphic artists are
Adobe’s InDesign and Quark’s QuarkXPress) targeted towards small businesses and organizations lacking a professional
page designer. It can produce brochures, newsletters, menus, postcards, and more and prepare these documents for
self‐printing or sending to a commercial printer.
Although much of what Microsoft Publisher does can be done in Microsoft Word, it has more emphasis on page layout
and page design whereas Microsoft Word has more emphasis on text composition and proofing.
Knowledge of Microsoft Word is a great benefit to learning Microsoft Publisher.
Objectives
Learn how to create a new document from a template
Become familiar with the various ribbons
Learn how to change Color Schemes and Font Schemes
Learn how to format text
Learn how to change a picture
Learn how to use Master Pages
Learn how to create a publication from a blank page
Understand how to insert various types of objects into a publication
This manual is a handout for you to keep. Please feel free to use it
for taking notes.
1 *
,Creating Your First Publisher Document
By default, Microsoft
Publisher opens to the
New template gallery. If
you are connected to the
Internet, Microsoft
Publisher will, by default,
open to the New
template gallery with the
‘Featured’ templates dis‐
played. Unless you see
something that ‘jumps
out’ at you, it is best to
use the search function.
You can click on any of
the ‘Suggested searches’
listed beneath the search window, or type directly into the search box (just above the ‘Suggested searches’) words related to
the kind of publication you want to create. Although you can create something ‘from scratch’, a template can not only save a
great deal of time, it will usually have been designed by a professional to give a professional appearance.
Once you have begun a
search, whether by
clicking on a category or
by entering text, a ‘Home’
button will appear. Use
this to return to the New
template gallery. A list of
Categories will appear at
the far right of the win‐
dow. Categories can be
added (to narrow your
search) and removed (to
broaden your search)
with a single mouse click
(toggle on and off). They
can also be removed by
clicking on the × which appears to the right of a selected category when you hover over the category with the mouse. Search
terms can be added to or removed from the search window. Note: there are two scroll bars on the right side of the screen,
the far‐right bar scrolls the Categories, the bar to its left scrolls the Templates.
At the bottom of the search results, below the
thumbnails of Microsoft Publisher Templates, may be
‘Search results from your other Office applications’.
Don’t overlook these: there might be a better
application for what you are trying to create.
2 *
, Clicking on a large icon will open a preview with additional
information, accompanied by direction arrows on either side of
the preview. The arrows can be clicked to move through the
selections of the previous screen (which may remain partially
visible beneath the preview).
The preview window can be closed by clicking the × in the upper‐
right corner, returning you to the search results. To the right of
the template’s name is the ‘pushpin’ icon used in Windows’s
‘Jump Lists’ to ‘pin’ and ‘unpin’: a single mouse click on the icon
toggles between ‘unpinned’ (greyed‐out and aligned horizontally)
and ‘pinned’ (darkened and aligned vertically).
Once you have found a template you like, simply click on the
‘Create’ button beneath the description. In a few seconds, the template will appear on your screen.
For now, let’s return to
the New Template
Gallery (close the
preview and click on the
‘Home’ button).
Beneath the ‘Suggested
searches’ are the labels
‘Featured’ and ‘Built‐In’.
Click on the Built‐In link.
If you are not connected
to the Internet, you will
see this screen as the
starting point for
Microsoft Publisher, but
with icons for blank 8½″
× 11″ sheets in portrait
and landscape
orientations, plus one
for ‘More paper sizes’
preceding the icon for
‘Advertisements’ and
the Search window
greyed‐out.
When you click on an
icon for one of the
categories, icons,
grouped into categories
of ‘Installed Templates’,
‘More installed
templates’ (optional),
‘Blank sizes’, and
‘Manufacturers’, will
appear. The first two
groups may have sub‐
3 *
Class Description
This is an introduction to Microsoft Publisher, with a focus on choosing a template and modifying it to meet your needs.
Class Length
One and one‐half (1½) hours
Introduction
Microsoft Publisher is an entry‐level desktop publishing program (the big two used by professional graphic artists are
Adobe’s InDesign and Quark’s QuarkXPress) targeted towards small businesses and organizations lacking a professional
page designer. It can produce brochures, newsletters, menus, postcards, and more and prepare these documents for
self‐printing or sending to a commercial printer.
Although much of what Microsoft Publisher does can be done in Microsoft Word, it has more emphasis on page layout
and page design whereas Microsoft Word has more emphasis on text composition and proofing.
Knowledge of Microsoft Word is a great benefit to learning Microsoft Publisher.
Objectives
Learn how to create a new document from a template
Become familiar with the various ribbons
Learn how to change Color Schemes and Font Schemes
Learn how to format text
Learn how to change a picture
Learn how to use Master Pages
Learn how to create a publication from a blank page
Understand how to insert various types of objects into a publication
This manual is a handout for you to keep. Please feel free to use it
for taking notes.
1 *
,Creating Your First Publisher Document
By default, Microsoft
Publisher opens to the
New template gallery. If
you are connected to the
Internet, Microsoft
Publisher will, by default,
open to the New
template gallery with the
‘Featured’ templates dis‐
played. Unless you see
something that ‘jumps
out’ at you, it is best to
use the search function.
You can click on any of
the ‘Suggested searches’
listed beneath the search window, or type directly into the search box (just above the ‘Suggested searches’) words related to
the kind of publication you want to create. Although you can create something ‘from scratch’, a template can not only save a
great deal of time, it will usually have been designed by a professional to give a professional appearance.
Once you have begun a
search, whether by
clicking on a category or
by entering text, a ‘Home’
button will appear. Use
this to return to the New
template gallery. A list of
Categories will appear at
the far right of the win‐
dow. Categories can be
added (to narrow your
search) and removed (to
broaden your search)
with a single mouse click
(toggle on and off). They
can also be removed by
clicking on the × which appears to the right of a selected category when you hover over the category with the mouse. Search
terms can be added to or removed from the search window. Note: there are two scroll bars on the right side of the screen,
the far‐right bar scrolls the Categories, the bar to its left scrolls the Templates.
At the bottom of the search results, below the
thumbnails of Microsoft Publisher Templates, may be
‘Search results from your other Office applications’.
Don’t overlook these: there might be a better
application for what you are trying to create.
2 *
, Clicking on a large icon will open a preview with additional
information, accompanied by direction arrows on either side of
the preview. The arrows can be clicked to move through the
selections of the previous screen (which may remain partially
visible beneath the preview).
The preview window can be closed by clicking the × in the upper‐
right corner, returning you to the search results. To the right of
the template’s name is the ‘pushpin’ icon used in Windows’s
‘Jump Lists’ to ‘pin’ and ‘unpin’: a single mouse click on the icon
toggles between ‘unpinned’ (greyed‐out and aligned horizontally)
and ‘pinned’ (darkened and aligned vertically).
Once you have found a template you like, simply click on the
‘Create’ button beneath the description. In a few seconds, the template will appear on your screen.
For now, let’s return to
the New Template
Gallery (close the
preview and click on the
‘Home’ button).
Beneath the ‘Suggested
searches’ are the labels
‘Featured’ and ‘Built‐In’.
Click on the Built‐In link.
If you are not connected
to the Internet, you will
see this screen as the
starting point for
Microsoft Publisher, but
with icons for blank 8½″
× 11″ sheets in portrait
and landscape
orientations, plus one
for ‘More paper sizes’
preceding the icon for
‘Advertisements’ and
the Search window
greyed‐out.
When you click on an
icon for one of the
categories, icons,
grouped into categories
of ‘Installed Templates’,
‘More installed
templates’ (optional),
‘Blank sizes’, and
‘Manufacturers’, will
appear. The first two
groups may have sub‐
3 *
