When I first started using Publisher a few weeks ago I didn't have a clue what I was doing. With a little research, and a lot of practice I have the beginning of my next company news letter.
Monday, August 16, 2010
My Newsletter
Here is what I've accomplished so far on my newsletter. The stories that are written haven't been edited yet, but most of the stories aren't written at all. The main focus for this project is to come up with a layout for the newsletter. My company newsletter won't be sent out until mid September, but here is what I have so far.
When I first started using Publisher a few weeks ago I didn't have a clue what I was doing. With a little research, and a lot of practice I have the beginning of my next company news letter.
When I first started using Publisher a few weeks ago I didn't have a clue what I was doing. With a little research, and a lot of practice I have the beginning of my next company news letter.
Practice Practice Practice
It is easy to learn the basics, but when it comes to setting up your own newsletter I have found that the best option is to give yourself plenty of time.
You can learn to play notes, but it takes practice to master an instrument. You can learn steps, but without practice you can't be a great dancer. Like most anything we learn, we need to practice.
The best advice I can offer is not something I've learned researcher the software. It is something I've learned on my own as I went through the process of starting my newsletter. You need time to just just sit with the program. You need to play around with all the options and tools. You need time to make mistakes and learn how to fix them.
I mentioned once before Publisher is similar to other Microsoft products especially Word. Inserting pictures and wrapping text around the images is one way they are very similar. Give yourself time to experiment with these options.
Give yourself enough time you will be able to create a great newsletter!
You can learn to play notes, but it takes practice to master an instrument. You can learn steps, but without practice you can't be a great dancer. Like most anything we learn, we need to practice.
The best advice I can offer is not something I've learned researcher the software. It is something I've learned on my own as I went through the process of starting my newsletter. You need time to just just sit with the program. You need to play around with all the options and tools. You need time to make mistakes and learn how to fix them.
I mentioned once before Publisher is similar to other Microsoft products especially Word. Inserting pictures and wrapping text around the images is one way they are very similar. Give yourself time to experiment with these options.
Give yourself enough time you will be able to create a great newsletter!
How Many Pages??
A newsletter can be as short as a one page letter that is sent out weekly or monthly. It can also be an eight or ten page letter (or even longer) that is sent out quarterly or yearly. Depending on your preference you can add as many pages as you'd like.
Here's how:
On the left side of the screen there is a "page navigation" section. You can use this section to go back and forth amongst pages as you work. You can also use this section to add (or delete) pages. Right click the page where you'd like to add pages.
A box will come up that gives you the option to add two more side by side pages.
You can also add a single page. Again right click the page in the Page Navigation section where you want to add 1 page. Instead of clicking OK like you did to add two pages, select MORE
A new box will appear. Where it says Number of New Pages type the number "1" in the box. Select "after right page" then select "Insert new page"
Here's how:
On the left side of the screen there is a "page navigation" section. You can use this section to go back and forth amongst pages as you work. You can also use this section to add (or delete) pages. Right click the page where you'd like to add pages.
A box will come up that gives you the option to add two more side by side pages.
You can also add a single page. Again right click the page in the Page Navigation section where you want to add 1 page. Instead of clicking OK like you did to add two pages, select MORE
A new box will appear. Where it says Number of New Pages type the number "1" in the box. Select "after right page" then select "Insert new page"
Adding a single page option, I think is a good option for a back page.
Selecting a Newsletter
OK! We went over how to make a border, which is an important element for almost any type of project. But, my main focus for right now is how to make a newsletter.
Of course you don't have to use these templates, but as a beginner I find the templates help to make the whole designing process very easy.
Let's go over how we start a new project and then choose the number of pages we want our newsletter to be.
First, in Publisher select NEW. Then select Newsletter
Next you will want to select a template.
Of course you don't have to use these templates, but as a beginner I find the templates help to make the whole designing process very easy.
How to make a Border in Publisher
One of the great things about sending out a company newsletter, mailings, flyers, or posters is the ability to consistently use the same colors and patterns to make your brand more recognizable to the public.
One way to do this is by using borders. With publisher you can create borders and adjust the color scheme. Getting your message out there while branding your business has never been easier.
I used a blank document in publisher to create a "How To" Flyer to explain how to create a border.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Using the Internet
The Internet is a crazy thing! You can find just about anything on the world wide web. Let the Internet be your tool to learning. There are a lot of great places to ask questions and get answers as we are learning publisher.
A simple google search of any particular Publisher question you may have can lead you to hundreds of results. ehow.com typically seems to come up high the the search results. Here is a page from ehow explaining how you can use Publisher Help to answer your questions. And this is a step by step guide to working with objects such as text boxes.
Believe it or not, another great resources on the Internet is YouTube. There are countless tutorial videos on the website to help people learn how to do anything and everything. This is a great example of how to get started creating a newsletter using Publisher. Check it out
A simple google search of any particular Publisher question you may have can lead you to hundreds of results. ehow.com typically seems to come up high the the search results. Here is a page from ehow explaining how you can use Publisher Help to answer your questions. And this is a step by step guide to working with objects such as text boxes.
Believe it or not, another great resources on the Internet is YouTube. There are countless tutorial videos on the website to help people learn how to do anything and everything. This is a great example of how to get started creating a newsletter using Publisher. Check it out
Don't forget; anyone could post anything on the Internet! Be careful of the advice you take!!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
You're not alone
Microsoft just released Office 2010. That last version was released in 2007, so there are a lot of people transitioning from the older version to the new. This is great news for the novice beginner because Microsoft's website currently has pages dedicated to showing off how to use the new product.
It's new to everyone, so it's good to know we aren't alone out there!
This page will give you a list of new features in Publisher Just click on any of the topics for a more in depth look.
As a beginner I am finding the Basic Tasks in Publisher 2010 link to be extremely helpful. When you click on this option it will bring you to page with other links explaining what I think are some of the most important steps to knowing how to use Publisher. The links on this page will cover everything from opening an new document, using templates), and saving your work. If you are familiar with other Microsoft software, especially Word, you will realize that these features are very similar. Pay close attention to Insert a text box and Insert and crop images. These are step my step instructions to doing both. Text boxes are going to play an important part in keeping your project looking clean. Using images that are well sized to fit your work will help make your project look professional.
It's new to everyone, so it's good to know we aren't alone out there!
This page will give you a list of new features in Publisher Just click on any of the topics for a more in depth look.
As a beginner I am finding the Basic Tasks in Publisher 2010 link to be extremely helpful. When you click on this option it will bring you to page with other links explaining what I think are some of the most important steps to knowing how to use Publisher. The links on this page will cover everything from opening an new document, using templates), and saving your work. If you are familiar with other Microsoft software, especially Word, you will realize that these features are very similar. Pay close attention to Insert a text box and Insert and crop images. These are step my step instructions to doing both. Text boxes are going to play an important part in keeping your project looking clean. Using images that are well sized to fit your work will help make your project look professional.
Download Publisher
I just started a new job, and have to learn Microsoft Publisher to design our newsletter. My first reaction was "Oh great! I'm awful with design programs!" But from what I hear Publisher is very basic and easy to use.
Let's learn together!
My computer at work has Microsoft Office with Publisher; on my home computer I have a less entailed version of Office that does not include Publisher. Since I want to play around with it in my free time get a better understanding of how the program works I downloaded a free trial. The trial is available on Microsoft's website.
Now we're ready to start learning!
Let's learn together!
My computer at work has Microsoft Office with Publisher; on my home computer I have a less entailed version of Office that does not include Publisher. Since I want to play around with it in my free time get a better understanding of how the program works I downloaded a free trial. The trial is available on Microsoft's website.
Now we're ready to start learning!
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