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Desktop publishing software

Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application from Microsoft, differing from Microsoft Word in that the emphasis is placed on page layout and graphic design rather than text composition and proofreading. In October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life.[5]

Overview

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Publisher is included in higher-end editions of Microsoft Office, reflecting Microsoft's emphasis on the application as an easy-to-use and less expensive alternative to the "heavyweights" with a focus on the small-business market, where firms do not have dedicated design professionals available to make marketing materials and other documents.[6][7] However, it has a relatively small share of the desktop publishing market, which is dominated by Adobe InDesign and formerly by QuarkXPress.[6]

While most Microsoft Office apps adopted ribbons for their user interface starting with Microsoft Office 2007, Publisher retained its toolbars and did not adopt ribbons until Microsoft Office 2010.[8]

On February 15, 2024, Microsoft announced that Publisher will reach its end of life on October 13, 2026.[9][10] After this date, Publisher will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 plans, and existing on-premises installations will no longer be supported. This date will mark the end of Publisher as a standalone Microsoft program since its initial release in 1991.

Compatibility

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LibreOffice has supported Publisher's proprietary file format (.pub) since February 2013.[11] Corel Draw X4 features read-only support.

Publisher supports numerous other file formats, including the Enhanced Metafile (EMF) format, which is supported on Windows platforms. The Microsoft Publisher trial version can be used to view .pub files beyond the trial period.[12][13]

Adobe PageMaker also saved files with a .pub extension, but the two file formats were unrelated and incompatible.

Release history

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Name Version number Release date[14] Editions of Microsoft Office included in Microsoft Publisher 1.0 Late 1991 (approx.) — Microsoft Publisher 2.0 Jul 12, 1993 — Publisher for Windows 95 (beginning to transition to 32-bit) 3.0 Aug 24, 1995 — Microsoft Publisher 97 4.0 Oct 21, 1996 Small Business Edition Microsoft Publisher 98 (first fully 32-bit) 5.0 Mar 23, 1998 Small Business Edition 2.0 Microsoft Publisher 2000 6.0 Jun 7, 1999 Small Business Edition, Professional, Premium, Developer Microsoft Publisher 2002 10.0[a] May 31, 2001 Professional OEM, Professional Special Edition Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 11.0 Oct 21, 2003 Small Business, Professional, Professional Plus, Enterprise Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 12.0 Jan 30, 2007 Small Business, Professional, Ultimate, Professional Plus, Enterprise Microsoft Publisher 2010 14.0[b] Jun 15, 2010 Standard, Professional, Professional Plus Microsoft Publisher 2013 15.0 Jan 29, 2013 Professional, Professional Plus, Standard (volume licensing), all Office 365 / Microsoft 365 Apps editions Microsoft Publisher 2016 16.0 Sep 22, 2015 Microsoft Publisher 2019 Sep 24, 2018 Microsoft Publisher 2021 October 5, 2021 Microsoft 365 Apps for business and Business Standard editions[16]

See also

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• Ventura Publisher, the first popular desktop publishing package for IBM PC compatible computers
• Timeworks Publisher (a major competitor in the marketplace in the early 1990s)

References

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