Microsoft Publisher

Publisher is included in higher-end editions of Microsoft Office, reflecting Microsoft's emphasis on the application as an easy-to-use and less expensive alternative to the "heavyweights" with a focus on the small-business market, where firms do not have dedicated design professionals available to make marketing materials and other documents.{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/review/software_and_services/microsoft/office_publisher_07/221175?pf=1 |title=Office Publisher 07 |magazine=PC World Australia|publisher=IDG |access-date=2012-02-13 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728230637/http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/review/software_and_services/microsoft/office_publisher_07/221175?pf=1 |archive-date=2012-07-28 }}. However, it has a relatively small share of the desktop publishing market, which is dominated by Adobe InDesign and formerly by QuarkXPress.{{cite web|url=http://webserver.computoredge.com/editorial/2530/coverprint.htm |title=Desktop Publishing Software 2007 Style |publisher=Computor edge |date=2007-07-27 |access-date=2012-02-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902044812/http://webserver.computoredge.com/editorial/2530/coverprint.htm |archive-date=2011-09-02 }}

While most Microsoft Office apps adopted ribbons for their user interface starting with Microsoft Office 2007, Publisher retained its toolbars and did not adopt ribbons until Microsoft Office 2010.{{cite web |url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee523661%28v=office.14%29.aspx |title=User interface differences in Office 2010 vs earlier versions |publisher=Microsoft |work=TechNet |access-date=April 22, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412134507/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee523661(v=office.14).aspx |archive-date=April 12, 2016 }}

On February 15, 2024, Microsoft announced that Publisher will be discontinued on October 13, 2026.{{Cite web |last=GitHub-Name |title=Publisher LTSC 2021 - Microsoft Lifecycle |url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/publisher-ltsc-2021 |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=learn.microsoft.com |language=en-us}}{{cite web |url=https://admin.microsoft.com/AdminPortal/home?ref=MessageCenter/:/messages/MC716267 |url-access=registration |date=2024-02-15 |title=Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 |accessdate=2024-02-15 |website=Message center - Microsoft admin center}} {{Cite web |url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/microsoft-publisher-will-no-longer-be-supported-after-october-2026-ee6302a2-4bc7-4841-babf-8e9be3acbfd7 |title=Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 |website=Microsoft Support |accessdate=2024-11-06}} After this date, Publisher will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 plans, and existing on-premises installations will no longer be supported. This date will mark the end of Publisher as a standalone Microsoft program since its initial release in 1991.

Several applications can import Publisher's proprietary file format (.pub) for editing with some success, including Collabora Online,{{cite web|website=

Collabora Office|url=https://www.collaboraoffice.com/collabora-office-6-0/|title=

Collabora Office 6.0|date=June 13, 2018 |access-date=2024-04-03}} LibreOffice,{{cite web |url=https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/4.0 |title=LibreOffice 4.0: Release Notes – the Document Foundation Wiki |access-date=2017-04-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518033343/https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/4.0 |archive-date=2017-05-18 }} and Scribus.{{cite web | url=https://librearts.org/2013/04/scribus-gets-basic-support-for-microsoft-publisher-documents/ | title=Scribus gets basic support for Microsoft Publisher documents | publisher=Libre Arts | date=16 Apr 2013 | accessdate=3 April 2024 | author=Prokoudine Alexandre}} Another option is to save the document as a separate EPS file for each individual page in the publication, and to then open the EPS files in the aforementioned applications or other applications.{{cite web|website=LifeWire|url=https://www.lifewire.com/open-pub-files-without-microsoft-publisher-1074669#:~:text=Save%20the%20Publisher%20Document%20as%20an%20EPS%20File&text=To%20create%20an%20EPS%20file,time%2C%20select%20Print%20to%20file.|title=Opening PUB Files Without Microsoft Publisher|access-date=2024-04-02}}

Publisher supports some other file formats, including Microsoft's Enhanced Metafile (EMF) format, which is supported on Windows platforms. The Microsoft Publisher trial version can be used to view .pub files beyond the trial period.{{cite web | url=http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/HA102339061033.aspx | title=Where is the Publisher viewer? | publisher=Microsoft | access-date=November 7, 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100316160043/http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher/HA102339061033.aspx | archive-date=March 16, 2010 }}{{cite web | url=https://support.office.com/en-us/article/where-is-the-publisher-viewer-a5a05230-654f-420e-8aa3-3b50f645c359 | title=Where is the Publisher viewer? | publisher=Microsoft | access-date=March 9, 2020 }}

Adobe PageMaker also saved files with a .pub extension, but the two file formats were unrelated and incompatible.

• Comparison of desktop publishing software
• List of desktop publishing software

{{reflist|2}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/microsoft_office_publisher/ Microsoft Publisher blog] (last updated December 2009) on MSDN Blogs

{{Desktop publishing software}}

{{Microsoft Office}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Desktop publishing software

Publisher

Category:Products introduced in 1991