The Publisher User Interface – Instructions

The Publisher User Interface: Video Lesson

          This video lesson, titled “Publisher for Microsoft 365 Tutorial: About the Publisher Environment,” shows you the names of the different objects in the Publisher user interface and what they do. This video is from our complete Publisher tutorial, titled Mastering Publisher Made Easy™.

Overview of the Tools in Publisher:

            The picture below is of the Publisher user interface after opening a new, blank publication. A publication is the file type created in Publisher. Within a publication you create and modify text and graphic objects on the pages in the publication. When you close a publication, Publisher then prompts you to save unsaved changes in any open publications before closing.

            In this lesson, you will examine the elements of the Publisher user interface. New users should first familiarize themselves with the tools and elements in the Publisher user interface before creating a publication.

            When you initially start Publisher, a listing of available publication templates appears in a startup screen. For now, select the standard ‘Blank 8.5 x 11”’ choice from the listing so you can inspect the Publisher user interface.

            After creating a publication, the main workspace of the Publisher user interface appears. This is where you spend the majority of your time designing publications. The Publisher environment consists of the Title Bar, which also contains the Quick Access toolbar, the Ribbon, the Page Navigation Pane, the Publication Page area, and the Status Bar, which also contains the Page Layout View buttons and the Zoom Slider.

            Let start with a “top-down” look at the elements of the Publisher environment. At the top of the screen is the Title Bar. The left end of the Title Bar shows the name of the current publication. This title appears to the right of the Quick Access toolbar, by default. You can add buttons to this toolbar for commands you use frequently and wish to always have available. Several important buttons appear here by default. These include the “Save,” “Undo,” “Redo,” and “Customize Quick Access Toolbar” buttons. You can also remove buttons you add to this toolbar.

A picture of the major objects and tools within the Publisher user interface.

            Below the Title Bar is the Ribbon. The Ribbon contains all the tabs, button groups, and commands in the program. Clicking the “File” tab in the Ribbon accesses the backstage view of your Publisher file. The backstage view shows common file management commands, like creating, saving, sharing, and printing publications. To exit the backstage view, click the “Back” arrow in its upper-left corner to return to the main publication view.

            The current publication appears below the Ribbon in the Publication Page area. This is where you create the content for the publication’s pages. Most design work in Publisher occurs in this area. Scroll bars appear at the right and bottom sides of the current publication page. The vertical scroll bar lets you scroll the currently selected page up and down. The horizontal scroll bar lets you scroll the currently selected page left and right. If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can use it to move up and down the page, like using the vertical scroll bar.

            To the left of the current publication page is the Page Navigation pane. As you add pages to a publication, a numbered thumbnail icon of each page appears here. You can scroll through the listing of pages and then click one to select it. The selected page then appears in the publication page area for editing.

            The Status Bar is the long bar below the Publication Page area. It shows various types of publication information at its left end. At its right end is the Zoom slider and the Page Layout View buttons. You can change the magnification of your publication using the “Zoom” slider. To the left of the Zoom slider are the “Page Layout View” buttons that let you switch between a single-page and two-page publication view.