Introduction to Microsoft Publisher 2010

About This Course

In this course, you'll learn to use Microsoft Publisher 2010 to create impressive publications. It's perfect for beginners who want to learn how to produce professional-quality newsletters, fliers, letterheads, and brochures.

You'll start by learning how to navigate the Publisher workspace using the ribbon, and how to access both local and online Publisher templates. Next, you'll find out how to create and manage text, pictures, graphics, and other elements, such as tables and shapes, and see how you can use these different components to create a variety of documents.

As the course progresses, you'll learn about different kinds of publications Publisher can help you produce. You'll see how to create documents from scratch, but you'll also learn how to modify existing templates so you can create customized documents more easily. Finally, you'll learn all about printing your publications and how to share Publisher documents electronically.

Once you learn how to manage Publisher tools and features and how to design effective publications, you'll be able to create anything you might need. Introduction to Publisher 2010 is a course that will help you do just that!

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Curt Simmons.

Curt Simmons is a teacher and freelance writer. Curt holds a master's degree in Education and numerous technical industry certifications, and he is the author of more than 50 books on a wide variety of topics including computer training, test preparation, and public speaking. He has written custom courseware for a number of major U.S. companies as well as iPhone applications.

Syllabus

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Welcome to Publisher 2010! In the first lesson of our class, we'll go over some basic Publisher concepts, including accessing the program and customizing some of Publisher's powerful features. Then we'll talk about how you can access and use Publisher's extensive online Help system. This is a handy tool for a beginner to know as you set off on your journey!

Friday - Lesson 02

Today, we'll get started with some of Publisher's basics. We'll explore some more of the concepts that you need to know before delving into a large project, including how to open, save, and close a file. Then we'll take a look at the various elements of the main Publisher workspace, including ribbon options and additional menus.

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Are you ready to have some fun? In this lesson, you'll see how to add and edit text, both directly in the program and by importing it from other documents. Then, you'll learn how to format text (including selecting the font, size, and color) and how to change paragraph alignment and line spacing. We'll also discuss how to set off special text by adding borders and fills to the text frame.

Friday - Lesson 04

In today's lesson, you'll learn how to punch up the creativity in your projects by adding graphics. Well go over how to create and format drawing objects, as well as how to insert clip art and import picture files. Once you have the basics down, we'll dive into recoloring, resizing, cropping, rotating, and flipping graphics, tweaking them for just the right impact.

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

It's time for you to discover how to create and work with tables in Publisher. You'll also learn how to apply and customize table borders; add shading, colors, and patterns; and merge and split cells.

Friday - Lesson 06

Today, we'll begin our two-lesson series on how to create an impressive professional newsletter in Publisher. We'll begin by going over some basic planning issues (the crucial first steps!), and then we'll continue with some layout tips. By the end of this lesson, you'll select or create a color scheme, develop a masthead, flow text onto a page, and then continue that text onto another page.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

You've done a lot with your newsletter already! Now, you'll wrap things up by learning how to use the Design Gallery to create a professional sidebar, format a drop cap, create a footer on the background, insert a picture, and group objects. When you finish, you'll have a snazzy newsletter to show for all your hard work.

Friday - Lesson 08

Today, we'll explore some common publications often used in business. You'll learn how to effectively design and create fliers, advertisements, and business cards. We'll also discuss local and online printing options for these publications.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

In this lesson, we'll explore some common Publisher templates that are often used at home: greeting card, postcards, letterhead, and certificates. Using available Publisher templates, you'll learn how to create pubs for personal use that will get the reaction you're looking for from friends and family!

Friday - Lesson 10

Publisher makes it easier (and cheaper!) than ever before for anyone to design professional-looking brochures in—literally—a matter of hours. In this lesson, you'll learn how to create a good brochure: from planning the content, to designing the cover, logo, and graphics, to placing and arranging your text.

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Today, you'll look at the basic process for preparing your publication for a commercial printer. We'll talk about the different printing processes and when to choose each type. We'll also discuss how easy and automatic Publisher makes transferring your publication's files to a format your commercial printer can use. You'll know exactly what you'll need to do to get the results you want.

Friday - Lesson 12

Publisher offers several ways for you to create consistent and professional publications for your organization. In our last lesson together, you'll learn how to create and use Custom Templates. We'll also discuss how to access the latest templates the Publisher user community has contributed.

Requirements

Microsoft Windows Vista, XP or 7, Microsoft Publisher 2010. (Please be sure to install this software on your computer before the course begins.) Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). This course is not suitable for Macintosh users. Artistic ability is not required, just a desire to be creative.