Create a Custom Page Background in Publisher – Instructions

Create a Custom Page Background in Publisher: Video Lesson

          This video lesson, titled “Publisher for Microsoft 365 Tutorial: How to Customize Page Backgrounds in Publisher,” shows how to create a custom page background in Publisher. This video is from our complete Publisher tutorial, titled Mastering Publisher Made Easy™.

Overview of How to Customize Page Backgrounds in Microsoft Publisher:

How to Apply or Remove a Preset Page Background in Publisher

            Microsoft Publisher lets you customize page backgrounds using the fill effect formatting you can also apply to shapes and pictures. To apply a preset page background in Publisher, click the “Page Design” tab in the Ribbon and then click the “Background” button in the “Page Background” button group. Then select any choice in the drop-down menu that appears to apply it to the currently selected page background. To remove a page background in Publisher, select the “No Background” choice from this drop-down menu.

How to Apply a Custom Page Background in Publisher

            Alternatively, to create a custom page background in Publisher, select the “More Backgrounds…” command from the drop-down menu to display the “Fill” category within the “Format Background” task pane.

A picture of a user selecting a “Solid fill” page background color using the “Fill” category in the “Format Background” task pane in Publisher, which you use to create a custom page background in Publisher.

How to Apply a Solid Color Page Background in Publisher

            To apply a solid color as the page background in Publisher, then select the “Solid fill” option button. Then use the “Color” drop-down that appears to select the background color. Optionally, to set the level of color transparency to apply, use the “Transparency” slider.

            To select a custom color if the desired color doesn’t appear in the “Color” button’s drop-down palette of color choices, select either the “More Colors…” command to open the “Colors” dialog box or select the “Tints…” command to open the “Tints” dialog box. If you open the “Colors” dialog box, then select the custom color using the tabs within in the “Colors” dialog box and click the “OK” button to apply it. If you open the “Tints” dialog box, then select a color and tint and click the “OK” button to apply it.

How to Apply a Gradient Page Background in Publisher

            Alternatively, to apply a gradient page background in Publisher, click the “Gradient fill” option button in the “Format Background” task pane. Then choose a preset gradient to apply or customize from the “Preset gradients” drop-down.

How to Customize a Selected Gradient

            To customize the selected preset gradient, first use the “Type” drop-down to select the type of gradient to use: “Linear,” which changes colors from one side to another across a straight line or “Path,” which applies a square gradient that expands from the center of the page to its edges. If you select “Linear,” select the specific variation to use from the “Direction” drop-down. To change the angle at which the gradient changes colors, type the desired angle (in degrees) into the “Angle” spinner box.

            To set the number and appearance of changing points in the gradient’s color scheme, make your choices in the “Gradient stops” section. At its most basic level, a gradient must have at least two gradient stops. For example, if a gradient changed from black to white in a linear fashion, it would have at least two gradient stops. You can have more, if desired.

            Click to select the gradient stop whose properties you wish to set in the “Gradient stops” section. To change its position within the gradient, click and drag the gradient stop or enter its position as a percentage into the “Position” spinner box. To set the gradient color at the selected gradient stop, select a choice from the “Color” drop-down. To set the transparency level of the color, use the “Transparency” slider.

            To add more gradient stops, click into the gradient bar at the spot at which to add the new gradient stop. Alternatively, click the “Add gradient stop” button to the right of the gradient bar. To delete a gradient stop, select the gradient stop to delete and then click the “Remove gradient stop” button to the right of the gradient bar.

How to Apply a Picture or Texture Page Background in Publisher

            Alternatively, to apply a texture or picture as the page background in Publisher, select the “Picture or texture fill” option button in the “Fill” category at the top of the “Format Background” task pane. Textures are just preset images included in Publisher. To apply a preset texture in Publisher as a page background, select a choice from the “Texture” drop-down.

            Alternatively, to apply a picture as the page background in Publisher, click the “Insert…” button under the “Picture source” option to open the “Insert Pictures” dialog box. Then click the type of picture to insert from the choices in the “Insert Pictures” dialog box, make a picture selection in the window that opens, and click the “Insert” button to select the picture. Alternatively, to paste the copied contents of your clipboard into the page background in Publisher, first copy an image to use and then click the “Clipboard” button under the “Picture source” option.

How to Set the Background Picture’s Display Properties

            To set the picture or texture display properties for the page background in Publisher, change the settings that then appear in the “Format Background” task pane. To change the transparency of the picture, use the “Transparency” slider.

            To tile, or repeat, the page background picture in Publisher, check the “Tile picture as texture” check box. Then set the “Offset X” and “Offset Y” options to set the amount of horizontal and vertical offset to apply to the tiled background image. Then use the “Scale X” and “Scale Y” spinners to set the percentage of the picture to show in each tile in the tiled background. To set the alignment of the background picture in the page, select a choice from the “Alignment” drop-down. To select the type of reflection to apply to the tiled pictures in the page background, select a choice from the “Mirror type” drop-down.

            Alternatively, to show only a single picture as the page background in Publisher, deselect the “Tile picture as texture” checkbox. Publisher instead shows offset options for the picture within the page background instead of the tiling settings. Then use the “Offset left”, “Offset right”, “Offset top”, and “Offset bottom” spinners to input the percentage by which to offset the picture from the selected side of the page.

How to Apply a Pattern Page Background in Publisher

            Alternatively, to apply a pattern fill as the page background in Publisher, select the “Pattern fill” option at the top of the “Fill” options section in the “Format Background” task pane. Then scroll downward and use the “Foreground color” and “Background color” drop-downs to select the desired foreground and background colors to apply. Then select the pattern to apply from the “Pattern” list above the color drop-downs.

The Final Step to Apply a Custom Page Background in Publisher

            To apply the custom page background in Publisher after selecting its settings, click the “OK” button at the bottom of the “Format Background” task pane.