Colin I do any and every type of work with Publisher 2003 and Serif PagePlus 9.0
Both programs together are still only around 25% of the biggies and I do everything from junk flyers to business card and complex layout work to 300 pages books that are professionally published.
Publisher and PagePlus both have their weaknesses and strengths, but between the two programs will allow you do anything and everything you will ever need. Both programs have PDF capability, both programs handle CMYK if you need to send work for offset printing.
Serif as Microsoft here have newsgroups and forums to give you any assistance you may need with their product.
Serif also have web forums here:
http://www.serif.com/forum/default.asp
The other advantage of these two programs, as that they are the majority of the formats that clients are likely to bring work into your business other than PDF or MS Word.
If you need any further information, don't hesitate to e-mail me at:
abcdaus at the hotmail company
--
If you will be accepting files from others to print, then you will need to
acquaint yourself with the applications your customers use. This will likely
run the gamut from old copies of Word to Quark, mostly Windows versions.
If you plan to keep everything internal, then you get to choose.
For complete flexibility, I'd recommend Corel Draw. Not the best choice for
heavy text oriented documents, nevertheless it can do the job. If you buy
the Suite, you'll also get Photopaint which is the only serious competitor
to Photoshop plus enough fonts to keep you busy and an excellent font
manager. Next thing to buy would be either MSPublisher or PageMaker to
handle text heavy jobs that can be troublesome in Draw.
Regardless of the applications, you will need to learn what you are doing.
Relying on prepackaged templates and not learning to handle font management,
printing terminology and technology, and how the software really works is
going to trip you up big time.
--
Mac Townsend,
Adcom Graphics, Fairfield, California:
Electronic Prepress & Large Format Imaging
www.adcomgraphics.com
Mike Koewler - 10 Oct 2003 23:41 GMT
Mac,
Though not well known, Serif offers an entire suite of products that
include a heavy duty DTP program, a photo editing program that is
top-notch and a drawing program. The entire cost, without even trying to
negotiate a lower price is $202. That's less than half and it also
includes fonts, some wizards, etc.
Mike
> If you will be accepting files from others to print, then you will need to
> acquaint yourself with the applications your customers use. This will likely
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> Electronic Prepress & Large Format Imaging
> www.adcomgraphics.com
mact - 11 Oct 2003 19:16 GMT
Mike,
I am well aware of Serif Page Plus; i think i even have a v5 stuck away
somewhere. You and I have even had discussions about it. Nice program.
In my 14 years of doing output, though, I have never had a customer who used
it or ever heard of it.
--
Mac Townsend,
Adcom Graphics, Fairfield, California:
Electronic Prepress & Large Format Imaging
www.adcomgraphics.com
Mike Koewler - 12 Oct 2003 22:10 GMT
Mac,
Alas, I've only been accepting files half as long as you, but except for
employees who did some ads for me, I haven't received a file either!
Serif really needs to figure out a way to promote the product more.
Mike
> Mike,
>
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> Electronic Prepress & Large Format Imaging
> www.adcomgraphics.com
???MS?Publisher??? - 12 Oct 2003 00:51 GMT
The new and current version 9 is great - awesome actually.
It is very easy to see why it does not get more acceptance.
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mact - 13 Oct 2003 20:42 GMT
<<The new and current version 9 is great - awesome actually.
It is very easy to see why it does not get more acceptance.>>
It is?
--
Mac Townsend,
Adcom Graphics, Fairfield, California:
Electronic Prepress & Large Format Imaging
www.adcomgraphics.com
???MS?Publisher??? - 14 Oct 2003 08:09 GMT
Oh yes, sure is - real simple.
--
>-----Original Message-----
>WE have recently set up a copy center but do not have a
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>.
>Buy anything but microsoft products! they are as the name
suggests, micro and soft! go with Adobe or quark!
Budget Print Center - 12 Nov 2003 18:46 GMT
Are you Going to print directly to your copiers?
Are you going to be accepting walk-in files from your customers?
if so then microsoft office suites w/publisher may be the only way to go. if
not...

Signature
"Display tolerance & kindness to those with less
knowledge than you because there is ALWAYS
someone with more"
>
> >-----Original Message-----
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> >Buy anything but microsoft products! they are as the name
> suggests, micro and soft! go with Adobe or quark!