Microsoft Publisher Tips and Articles
From PrintingForLess subsidiary CreativePro.com
Commercial Printing with Microsoft Publisher
Yes, it's possible to produce press-ready files from Microsoft Publisher. We'll help you sidestep the snags.
Microsoft Publisher Tips
This is a page for all Microsoft Publisher users. The tips here include submissions from users like you, as well as observations from our pre-press and design staff. Refer often to these tips to help you get a clean, flawless piece.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Page layout programs like Publisher are,
to a large degree, about formatting text into a legible and inviting configuration.
And page layout pros save a lot of time by using keyboard shortcuts for
their most often used actions. To that end, here are some keyboard shortcuts
for some often used text formatting options:
Ctrl+B for bold text
Ctrl+U for underline
Ctrl+I for italic
Ctrl+= for superscript
Ctrl+Shift+= for subscript
Ctrl+Shift+K for small caps
Ctrl+Spacebar removes all style formats
from the highlighted text
Ctrl+Shift+f accesses the font menu,
arrow keys select, and enter changes the selected text to that font
Ctrl+Shift+P accesses the font size menu,
arrow keys select size, and enter enables the change
Ctrl+Shift+> increases the font size
by a half point
Ctrl+Shift+< decreases the font size
by a half point
Work in theCMYK Color Space, rather than RGB
Please visit our RGB - CMYK Information page for a full explanation.
Page Sizes
You can start a new document or change a current document to any page size you like.
Simply go to File/Page Setup and under the option 'Choose a Publication Layout' select
Special Size. Under the option "Choose a Publication Size' select Custom. You may then
enter in the physical dimensions of your printed piece making sure the orientation is correct.
Once complete, click 'OK' and you may begin your design.
The Nudge Option
For a high degree of control over the
positioning of objects on the page use the nudge option. Just select the
object you need to move and use Alt+Arrowkey (up, down, right, left) and
your object will move one pixel for each keystroke. Use Arrange-->Nudge
to change the increment of movement.
Absolute Positioning
Even better, go to Format-->Size And Position
and use numerical values to position and size objects. This is the absolute
best way to make sure things will look right when you are going to press
with a design. Trying to position objects by eye on your monitor can be
deceiving because of the relatively large size of the pixels it uses to
display objects. Do the math and use this method when you want your design
elements to be positioned exactly.
Grouping Elements
After you have a section of your layout
positioned very precisely it might be a good idea to select all the items
(hold down the shift key and click on each one) and then group them together
using Arrange-->Group Objects or (Ctrl+Shift+G). This will lock them together
in their relative positions. This is especially useful if you will need
to duplicate this configuration somewhere else in your layout; copy and
paste the group to another page and you will have perfect consistency throughout
your layout.
Automatic Wrapping
You don't have to press Enter (return)
at the end of each line, just at the end of a paragraph. Simply type away
and let Publisher wrap the text automatically. This may save you lots of
time, especially if you decide to change your type size later--you won't
have to go back and take out all those extra Enter commands. If you need
to make a line end shorter than a full line, use Shift-Enter, called a
soft return.
One Space, or Two?
Instead of putting two spaces after each
sentence, just put one. This is a standard in the industry.
Putting Things in the Background
Publisher uses foreground and background
layers. Your work will go on the foreground by default unless you
set it to be in the background. You might want to use images or text in
the background. Here's how to do it: choose View-->Go To Background. This will take you to the background of the
publication.
Remember to Print a Hard Copy
It's very easy to miss mistakes in your
document when you're looking at it only on the screen. Print it out and
look at it . Check for spelling errors, spacing problems, inconsistencies,
and design problems. If your project is going to be folded then fold the printout
you made to see if the elements on the page are positioned right on the panels and to see if there are any problems with folding it the way you had envisioned.
Spacing and Alignment
Check the alignment of frames, text,
pictures and captions. It should be consistent throughout your publication.
Also check spacing between headings, paragraphs, and pictures. The spacing
should be consistent throughout your publication.
Spelling and Punctuation
Don't forget to check your spelling, punctuation
and grammar. Run the spell checker; select Tools-->Spelling-->Check Spelling. Another good one is to check the accuracy of hyphenation: select Tools-->Language-->Hyphenation. It's a good idea to have someone
else look at it too. They may see something you've been looking at and
missing.
Not Sure We Can Print From Your File?
If you are not sure that your file will work, you can send it to us and we will examine it to see if there are any major flaws that would prevent us from printing your job.
Go here to upload your file.
Prepping 4 Print: Four up-front success factors for dealing with printers 250kb PDF
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