Carl Eppsteen asked:


Microsoft Publisher was originally only a consumer desktop publishing application in 1995. In its 1998 upgrade some more commercial features were introduced. By the time Publisher 2000 came out, the printing features for commercial use were greatly enhanced for small businesses. Microsoft Publisher has since then changed focus from personal use to small business use. It is currently being offered as both an individual program and as part of a bundle with other Microsoft software. Although some similar Microsoft programs are available on Macintosh, Microsoft Publisher is still a Windows exclusive.

Microsoft Publisher is superior to many other consumer creative printing programs. For Windows users, Microsoft Office Publisher offers professional features at affordable prices. The Microsoft Office Publisher upgrade is in competition with Adobe PageMaker for the small business market.

Microsoft Office Publisher, which was introduced in 2003 as part of the Microsoft Office Suite, is mainly used by small businesses. It can still be used for personal publishing use though, and even offers greeting cards and stationary templates. In its earliest incarnation, Microsoft Publisher was used for personal publishing after all, and even with its current enhanced features, it can still be used for personal publishing as well as small business publishing.
Many non-designers find Microsoft Publisher 98 and up easier to use than many other publishing programs. The color, font, and templates interface provided from Microsoft Publisher is easy to figure out when designing a web page. The Microsoft Publisher designer options help ensure a professional appearance for web projects.

Whether you wish to publish a web page for personal use, freelance use, or for business reasons, Microsoft Office Publisher is a great choice. It is an excellent alternative to Adobe Page Maker and there are many freelance publishers and small business publishers who prefer Microsoft Office Publisher to any other program(s).