This is a page for all Microsoft Publisher users who wish to have a go at designing.


Keyboard Shortcuts
Page layout programs like Publisher are 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
Microsoft Publisher defaults to RGB. It is easy to convert everything to a CMYK color space or to start a new document using the CMYK color space.
Use the following menu options: Tools/Commercial Printing Tools/ Color Printing and select Process colors (CMYK). Please note that all images incorporated into a layout need to be linked and not embedded in order to maintain the CMYK color space within the image. Using the following menu options does this:

Tools/Commercial Printing Tools/Graphics Manager and highlight the embedded image. Click Link and click Browse to locate the original file and link to it.

You will then need to send both the images and the layout file to us for printing.



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.