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Learn to self-publish
Those of you in advertising and publishing will recall previous publication programs that had a traditional white box on screen called “page” with dotted boundaries in which a user could type something.
Now, you just need to open MS Publisher 2003 and you are greeted with a variety of readymade templates categorized under various print options. So, let’s take a quick look at some of this program’s features.
Create a book-fold report
Tired of run-of-the-mill report prints? Well, don’t worry, for the MS Publisher will come to your rescue. Select Blank Publications>Book Fold from the panel titled “new from a design.” Book Folds require four pages so when you make prints (two pages on each side), there are no empty pages. It will ask if you want to add three more pages (by default there’s only one page). Press Yes. Go to File>Page Setup and select Landscape in the Orientation section.
You can also specify a size in height and width if you want to create a small pocket booklet, for example. After the orientation is done, at the bottom you will see small pages numbered 1 to 4. On the left-hand side, the Task Panel gives you one-click access to formatting options.
By default, “apply a design” is selected. You can select one of the many designs available. To add text, simply go to Insert>Text Box and you are done.
Fonts and colours
Publisher provides pre-built Font Schemes like Casual, Literary, Monogram and Textbook. This makes it easy to select a matching heading and text font, boldness and size to fit according to the publication style. Another exciting feature is Colour Scheme. Regardless of the design, you may have selected, changing the colour scheme results in revamping of design elements.
Insert content text
Now you can either create a text box and start typing publication material or paste a text from a word processor. In the case of a word processor, a text box is automatically created for you.
Once the space available in the current text box is filled, MS Publisher asks you if you want to use the overflow feature. Press Yes. Next, it asks if you would like Publisher to create new text boxes if the text is overflowing. Press Yes.
Import existing documents
Go to File>Import Word Document. Select a document and watch as Publisher converts it into a booklet style, page-by-page publication. The task pane displays Word Import Options.
You can select one or two side printing, orientation, inclusion of a title page, and the number of columns you want the text to be displayed in. Check out Publication Designs in the task pane, which lets you add graphics on each page.
Create a website
Use the task pane to select New Publication>Web Sites and Email>Easy Web Site Builder. Select a template on the right. You are asked what your site goals are. Check the ones that apply and press OK.
At the top, “Business Name” appears with a mock logo — update these with real details. Similarly, fill in auto-created pages by replacing the sample text. You can change where the site navigation links are displayed using the task panel’s Navigation Bar section.
Go to File>Web Page Preview to see how your changes would look in a browser. Then, go to File>Publish to the web, select a folder and Publisher puts all your pages in that folder.
With MS Publisher, you complete tasks quickly with a thoroughly professional look, so keep exploring.
The writer’s email address is nizar.ali@gmail.com
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