Microsoft have recently announced that Microsoft Publisher will reach the end of its life on October 13, 2026, and will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 or supported after that date.
I have used Publisher on and off for many years. I started with desktop publishing using PessWorks on my Amstrad computer in the late 1980s. I soon graduated to a PC and started using Page Plus from Serif. That continued until Microsoft Publisher started to become better know in the late 1990s.
I edited – and designed – the IATEFL ESP SIG Newsletter/Journal for several year using MS Publisher and Page Plus, but I soon moved on to InDesign, which I used for several years, as it is what the IATEFL office and the printers required.. Issue 55 was the last issue that I produced. After I stopped being involved with the ESP SIG publication, I did not renew my InDesign licence and went back to Page Plus and Publisher. meanwhile Serif was replacing Page Plus as Affinity Publisher It wasn’t very good in the early days, especially the way it dealt with tables, so I mainly made used of MS Publisher. However, as Publisher will be retired soon, I am developing my ability with Affinity Publisher again.
Main Screen
Affinity Publisher is similar to other desktop publishing applications. When you start Affinity Publisher, the main window appears as shown below. The studio panels, the toolbar, the context toolbar, and the tools are as shown.
Studio panels
Most of Affinity’s features can be accessed from the panels that appear on the left and right sides of the screen.
Toolbar
The Toolbar provides quick access to several commonly-used features.
Context toolbar
Below the main toolbar is a second toolbar named the Context Toolbar, commonly
referred to as the Context Bar.
Tools
The Tools panel is different from the panels shown in the Left and Right Studios because it is shown on its own outside of the studios panels.
Create Document
Create a New Document: File ⇒ New ⇒ make choices for page size, margins, layout ⇒ Create- To Create Text: Frame Text tool ⇒ Draw a text box ⇒ Type the text or import a Word document (File ⇒ Place).
- To Change Font: In Text box, Ctrl A to select all text or click and drag ⇒ change font, colour, justify etc from Contextual Toolbar
- Can also use Artistic Text Tool – For headers etc.
- To Add Pages: Window Menu ⇒ Check Pages (Page Panel Opens) ⇒ Click on “+” (Add Pages)
- Insert Images: Place Tool (or File⇒ Place), ⇒ Choose Image ⇒ Draw box to place picture.
- To wrap text around image: choose “Show Text Wrapping Settings” on Toolbar.
- Layers: Layer Menu ⇒ Add Layer
Examples
 IATEFL ESP SIG Journal Issue 52, Front Cover |
 IATEFL ESP SIG Journal Issue 52, Page 1 |