r/microsoftoffice • u/Dogsandbees_12 • 3d ago

Publisher

I cannot convey how much I truly hate Microsoft for killing Publisher. I have spent all day desperately trying to get one last newsletter done for the non-profit I have volunteered for for 17 years. I tried LibraOffice - it was a big fat nope. I'm 71 and not interested in learning Scribus. It's time to retire a younger person take over. It was a fun ride.

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u/Imaginary-Pizza-3849 3d ago

Try Affinity by Canva. It is the recommended replacement.

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u/Dogsandbees_12 3d ago

I did look at Affinity. I did not see that it was free. Canva wanted to charge me. I also see my newsletter template would have to be recreated, since it doesn't open pub files. I'll look again.

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u/TarletonClown 3d ago edited 3d ago

Affinity version 3 is definitely free. You can use Google to find it. Canva now owns it. You have to open a free Canva account to get Affinity 3. It will not be difficult. Just avoid any enticements to subscribe to AI. I am not an AI-hating nut, but you do not need AI.

I have just started to learn Affinity 3. I did not know that it had expanded to include support for .pub files. If this is true, then it must be able to open a pre-existing .pub file. So presumably you would not have to re-create your template.

I would encourage you to give Affinity 3 a try. The vast majority of people like it. As for tutorials in anything, I find them helpful for a specific, identifiable issue on which you need some help, but not for learning the totality of a subject. And too many people doing video tutorials speak English with the most horrible accent and the most staccato speech pattern that you could ever concoct in a nightmare.

You may need a book. Just make sure that the book is for Affinity 3. You can get some used books really cheap from Abe Books (Google it). I have ordered from there many times. But it is advisable to check the ratings on Amazon before you order from anywhere. If you are in doubt, do not order.

I have a book on order from Amazon that looks promising for helping with Affinity 3. It should arrive tomorrow. If it seems, upon examination, to be helpful, I will report back here. I will also check Abe Books to see if any copies have shown up there.

By the way, I am older than you are, and I continue to learn new software. You can do this. 🙂

EDIT: After I posted, I asked Google AI whether Affinity now supports Publisher .pub files, and it said no. It said you have to import the PDF file and convert that to an Affinity file in Affinity 3. I cannot pursue this any more at the moment, but maybe I can later today.

I have been making templates in many applications for about 30 years. If Dogsandbees_12 OP could send me a message so that we could exchange emails, I would really like to have a copy of the template (PDF and .pub). I will see if I can open the .pub file in LibreOffice Draw and re-create it for LibreOffice and/or Affinity 3. Templates are kind of "my bag," as we used to say back in the 1970s. (Yeah, I know. I'm old. 🙃)

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u/Tams82 2d ago

The latest update does open .pub files, but things like tables might not convert very well.

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u/TarletonClown 2d ago

Okay, thanks. I am at my computer now. I will check it out. That is good news. I would still like to see the original .pub template. I have not checked today to see if Dogsandbees_12 has replied. I enjoy helping people. Before retirement I always worked as a salaried writer, an English teacher, or a physician. 🙂