A Review of Microsoft Publisher 97

Microsoft Publisher is a basic-level application, more meant for page layout and design (unlike Microsoft Word, which deals with text composition and proofing). Microsoft Publisher primarily focuses on the small business market, where firms do not have dedicated and technically competent design professionals to produce sales promotion materials and other client-oriented documents. Microsoft Publisher 97 is the latest innovation in this category.

Microsoft Publisher 97 is a more user-friendly and less expensive alternative to the costlier and more sophisticated versions from Adobe. Microsoft Publisher therefore has a relatively smaller share in the desktop publishing market as compared to Adobe, and Publisher is frankly not as popular among high-end desktop publishers when compared with other desktop publishing applications.

When home computers were launched into the market for the first time, software professionals envisioned a huge business potential and began to create programs that could be used at home by people who may not be technically qualified. Among the earliest versions was Print Shop, aimed at helping to create cards and flyers at home. This was followed by Word processing programs so that a home user could prepare letters and simple documents.

Computer technology developed at a rapid pace and the programs became increasingly complex and most of advanced programs could work wonders. This was the time when Microsoft Publisher 2.0 was launched in 1993 followed by Publisher 95 and later came Microsoft Publisher 97. Microsoft Publisher 97 registered a striking improvement over its predecessor versions yet its price is still affordable.

Most reviewers of Microsoft Publisher 97 believe, and rightly so, that this DTP tool is designed for beginners and other less technically qualified users of desktop publishing tasks.

The product has four different segments and the first part is more in the nature of a preamble. It initiates newcomers to the field of desktop publishing and educates them about design basics and the role of designs in desktop publishing. The second segment demonstrates how to create, manage, and save the format and the frames and how to add text and graphics. It also provides users with guidance on proofing and printing of documents.

The third or penultimate section is lot more elaborate and teaches the user to draw graphics, add tables, use WordArt, and work with sound and video files. I also offers tips on designing web pages and creating backgrounds. To more ardent users, it also teaches how to use advanced text-formatting techniques such as word wrap, line breaks, lists, paragraph making, and character spacing. The fourth and final segment contains case studies on creating a newsletter, a postcard, and mail-merged labels.

Using Publisher 97 is very simple and deliberately designed to help beginners and home computer users wishing to learn desktop publishing. It has a Task Wizard to perform the majority of the design functions. As soon as the program is initiated, this menu comes up to guide the user from beginning to end. There are a host of features like clip gallery, mail merge, font preview menu, and Word story editor.