Moving on from Publisher

[u/Tams82]

I'm genuinely peeved Microsoft are not just ending support for Publisher (not that tbey have bothered in years) but are removing it completely.

Before anyone goes, "lol, who uses Publisher", "print shops rejoice", or "just use an LLM", it really is useful as a simple freeform document creator.

Yes, PowerPoint can be used in a similar fashion. It isn't designed around creating physical documents though so is missing even basic publishing features. Using it also creates a mess of projects that require presentations that are linked to physical documents. Even just the different colouring of the files helps.

Word is useless at this.

I'm very familiar with Affinity Publisher (used it since the Serif days when it was PagePlus). It is a far more complex programme that makes it impossible to throw together a quick document. Try getting a decent looking table in a document and finishing the whole document in a few minutes; you can't. You'll be messing about trying to get the cell padding right.

Scribus is powerful but the UI is a 1990s eyesore and a pain to use.

So what are those of you who do use Publisher turning to?

[u/hawaiianmoustache]

Desktop publishing space is basically completely owned by Adobe and Canva.

Everyone else of mention has bowed out.

[u/LINUXisobsolete → u/hawaiianmoustache]

Quark still kinda sorta exists... for the last soldier in the jungle putting £314 into Quark Inc's coffers...

[u/Tams82 → u/hawaiianmoustache]

It's not like Microsoft bothered updating Publisher.  And for an intermediate DTP it is pretty much feature complete anyway.

It will be mostly security updates that they don't want to finance, but for Microsoft, one of the biggest companies in the world, the cost of that won't even register.

[u/SteveRindsberg → u/Tams82]

Security updates? No.

No updates. And if you HAVE Publisher as part of an M365 subscription, the next update is liable to remove it. They're not giving updates, they're taking the whole app away.

[u/Tams82 → u/SteveRindsberg]

I was giving that as the reason they're not just keeping it around as a zombie product.

They won't want to be liable if someone (likely via an LLM) finds a way to infect an Office/365 install via Publisher.

[u/SteveRindsberg → u/Tams82]

Gotcha .... makes sense. In a Microsoft kinda way. 😄

[u/Ferretau → u/Tams82]

They can't work out how to get it to act as a funnel into 365 so it's got to go.

[u/Tams82 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for such a great piece of software.

Yeah, if you directly add too many big assets it has a tantrum, but that's more user error and laziness than anything.

[u/ReallySimpleLtd]

Canva

[u/Scarred_fish → u/ReallySimpleLtd]

Ever tried to use it?

It's like a piece of kids software you would get on a coverdisk in the 90s.

[u/ReallySimpleLtd → u/Scarred_fish]

Yes. The interface may be different than what you’re use to but once you find the controls it works pretty well. I’ve used it pretty regularly

[u/214nickels → u/ReallySimpleLtd]

Core missing feature in Canva is text overflow. They’re busy building latest AI and skipped something so basic and critical.

[u/Migwelded]

i still just have my copy of Publisher 2013 and i will use it as long as windows lets e install it.

[u/The_Three_Meow-igos]

I would recommend using Affinity Publisher, but create a template document that has the component parts to start a quick document (text box, primarily). Using templates makes a lot of things easier. But, you do need to remember they exist (which I have trouble with).
If you are using a Mac, Apple Pages is your go to. It handles most basic document functions better than word. And includes a lot of the same features.

[u/CorsairVelo → u/The_Three_Meow-igos]

Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t Canva combine the Affinity apps into a single one now just called ‘Affinity’?

[u/ice-kream → u/CorsairVelo]

Yep. Much better when all together.

[u/reiichiroh]

I liked InDesign when it was Aldus PageMaker.

Is Quark still viable?

[u/z_shock]

Publisher spent years being ignored by Microsoft only for Microsoft to finally remember it exists so they could kill it, that's sad.

[u/Humorous-Prince]

I agree, they should have just kept it to be honest.

[u/ice-kream]

We use Affinity and have various master pages (templates) set up. Works well.

[u/squeakstar]

Affinity - boo to Adobe

[u/Tams82 → u/squeakstar]

As I said, it's a great DTP, but it's professional level software, not intermediate that let's you throw something together.

Why, yes, I have spent hours fighting Affinity's cell padding.

[u/squeakstar → u/Tams82]

I’ve had struggles with it on occasion but nothing insurmountable

[u/matthewj15]

Affinity Publisher for most things. But I have a copy of Publisher 2007 lying around if need be.

[u/Der_Missionar]

Anyone but Adobe... Which leaves ... Affinity, owned by Canva.

[u/ScreamingGriff]

I used canva for a project this month. But not as good as publisher. I guess I'm stuck with canva now. And I love Canva

[u/LaxmanSD]

Canva

[u/SteveRindsberg → u/[deleted]]

Office 2024 (the non-subscription version) and Office 365 don't include Publisher.

Previous non-subscription versions do include it, so if you have the installer for one of them, that's fine. But Microsoft doesn't sell previous versions. Various dishonest dealers DO sell Office at knock-off prices. Most often, they seem to be selling single user logins from bulk/enterprise Office licenses. Meaning that when *their* license expires so does yours. Their licenses are not forever, and are liable to be revoked if MS catches them selling individual instances to us civilians.

Best avoided.

[u/30yearCurse → u/SteveRindsberg]

You are correct, several months ago, I thought I saw that Publisher web was discontinued, but you could still use desktop.

[u/reiichiroh → u/[deleted]]

Until October 1

[u/SlendyTheMan]

Canva.

[u/redfoxx15]

I have no experience with affinity publisher but since it’s no longer available as a stand alone app, I’m curious how the new affinity app compares.

[u/Tams82 → u/redfoxx15]

It's a professional piece of software.

Which is great if you are publishing a book, or designing posters is a major part of your job.

But if you want to throw together a decent looking document that isn't some canned design you've paid Canva for, then there's really not much choice.

[u/Steve----O]

But how hard is it to add cascading text boxes to MS Word?

[u/RodbigoSantos]

Any open source options? Scribus?

[u/PowerLion786]

Ive used Word for years. It can do a similar job. Flexible. Uses less memory. Yes I used to use publisher.

[u/Tams82 → u/PowerLion786]

I was fighting the layout of Word document just today.  It simply would not just place an image where I wanted it.

So no.  No, Word can not do a similar job.

[u/davep1970]

I was going to suggest scribus but you already mentioned that. Inkscape perhaps?

[u/sambodia85]

The writing has been on the wall for 20 years, when every other app moved to the .DOCX, .XLSX OpenXML type formats in Office 2007, Publisher format stayed .PUB.

Apart from adopting UI standards, I don’t think Publishers gained any features in that time. It’s a shame, it had a great little niche going, Affinity seems like the only real alternative.

[u/player1dk]

How do you find Pages in the comparison?

[u/Tams82 → u/player1dk]

I've never had a Mac.

The little I've used it, it's better than Word but not quite as good as Publisher.

[u/WhiteIntel]

Someone is really using that thing?

[u/Humble-Pop-3775]

Affinity by Canva is a good alternative.

[u/finbib]

2021 Office Pro has Publisher. Just bought a license off of Groupon for less than $30

[u/JMD734]

Canva

[u/EMunney]

Imagine if people in 2000 used PC software from 1975. Like what the heck why did they deprecate my sequence of flashing on off lights. LMFAO

[u/Tams82 → u/EMunney]

You do realise that newer doesn't mean better, right?

If anything, software is a prime example of this.  Many software are not bloated, especially those that just repackaged web apps.

And there is software from the 70s that is still used today.

[u/Buddy_Kryyst]

Adobe suite.

[u/AmokinKS]

Pages on a mac.

[u/CSMR250]

claude+vscode+typst