I use Publ for many things and rarely, if ever, use a template or wizard.
Too restricting! Guess I'm too much into doing my own thing. :-)
--
Donna in Idaho
Website: www.LinusIdaho.org

"Mike Hall (MS-MVP)" wrote in message
...
Ron

Wizards for labels, envelopes etc are a good thing.. if I want a calendar,
I go out and buy one.. but printed envelopes. labels etc are not available
from my local stationery store..

I do agree that earlier Publishers were a mass of wizards, and it was
difficult to 'freehand' a job.. this is why I used PagePlus up to version
6.. while wizards were available latterly, they could be turned off..
having said that, a wizard was useful for starting a document sometimes..
one could then tinker around with the results..

These days, people expect to start Publisher and find a wizard that will
instantly produce a Church social newsletter that includes details a chess
tournament against Boris Spassky to be held next Saturday.. 'easy to use'
flashes on the packaging get translated into 'requires no effort'..

Publisher will eventually be seen as the decent DTP that it truly is, but
only after the generations that remembered Pub 95/97 are long gone..

--
Mike Hall
MVP - Windows Shell/User


"drc023" wrote in message
...
You've just hit on my main hot button about Publisher. Even back in the
olden days when I was one of the MVP's (along with Mike B. and Brian K.)
I was fussing at MS over the emphasis they put on leading new users to
think the only way to create a document was to use a template or wizard -
a.k.a. Paint-by-Numbers DTP. IMNSHO, the only wizard of any value is for
making calendars and even the ones in the newer versions are inferior to
what was in Pub97.
Warning - Rant On:
Example of what is so ridiculous about some of the questions posed here -
"How can I print only one label on a sheet?" Good grief - How much
trouble is it to make a small text frame for the data and position it
where desired on an 8.5 x 11 page? Answer - None at all if you don't use
a wizard or template. Same goes for envelopes, business cards, any other
kinds of fold over cards and anything else needing to be created. Wizards
and the obsession over not having templates to do even the most
elementary of tasks is one of the main reasons Publisher suffers from an
incorrect perception of being an amateur, entry level program. If people
would take a few minutes and actually put a little effort into creating
something on their own, they would be surprised how easy it is to do.
Rant Off:
--
Ron

"JoAnn Paules [MVP]" wrote in message
.. .
That's an excellent question. If Help doesn't help, then I Google. I
post after I've expended all of the tricks up my sleeve.

Why is creating something from scratch only considered after finding out
that the available templates are seen all over the place? I am getting
ready to create a national seminar handbook. I have the handbooks for
the last six year. One of them was DEFINITELY created with Publisher.
She used the Blends theme. There are some positive features to this
handbook but the first thing I saw was the distinctive look.

For the record, I'm going to use Publisher (of course!) but I am NOT
using a template. I'm starting with blank pages. :-)

--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]



"Chuck Davis" newsgroup at anthemwebs dot com wrote in message
...
I usually try to find an answer using help. When I do, I reply: "Help
returned the following: paste here" Never a response, but you know they
got the message. Why is "help" such an ignored 4-letter word?
"JoAnn Paules [MVP]" wrote in message
...
1. With a template.
2. With a template.
3. With a template.
4. With a template and flowers.
5. With a template and a flashlight.


--

JoAnn Paules
MVP Microsoft [Publisher]