Publisher training (canada)

[technical writer in Toronto]

Is there any such thing as Puclisher certification? I am a techncial writer
and looking for basic graphics or publishing course.certification. I don't
check gorups, so if anyone has info in the next couple of days, could you
email me at (e-mail address removed)

 

[Ed Bennett]

technical writer in Toronto <technical writer in
(e-mail address removed)> was very recently heard to utter:

Is there any such thing as Puclisher certification?

Yes, but it's very basic. Use Google to search for Microsoft Publisher
courseware.

I am a techncial
writer and looking for basic graphics or publishing
course.certification.

So you want someone else to do your job for you?

I don't check gorups, so if anyone has info in
the next couple of days, could you email me at (e-mail address removed)

Ah, you see we don't send email, so if you want answers in the next couple
of days then I suggest checking the group.

You're a technical writer. You're being paid to create these materials, I
suspect? And yet you expect us to do all your digging around to find you
information, when we're here on a volunteer basis providing free support.
And then you have the nerve to request that we send you the stuff via email
so you don't have to bother yourself checking the newsgroup for replies.

That must be where I'm going wrong.

 

[Mary Sauer]

How will you ever know? This gorup (sic) is keeping its secrets.

 

[technical writer in Toronto]

Sorry if i was offensive .. i was simply seeking guidance/help, and did not
realize that i had an option to receive notification of replies in my thread.
I belong to a number of online groups that post hundreds of messages a day,
without indicating threads or replies, and was worried that i might miss a
response.
Hence my email request. I certainly did not intend to waste valuable
volunteer time.

I have been searching for applicable course for a couple of days, and am at
a loss. II've tried such things as the Microsoft site and every college in my
area. I am not looking for someone else to do my work for me.

My job entails writing things such as responses to network RFPs and solution
briefs. I get paid for my writing ability, however, since my company does not
employ anyone in graphic design, i have wasted many hours trying to find
graphics for my documentation (other than diagrams i create in visio) and in
attempting to improve the appearance of my documentation through better
header/footer/sidebar and logo designs. I used Publisher to format my last
brief and thought that perhaps there might be a certification or specific
courses that i might take to improve my publishing skills.

Apparently *i* went wrong in making a request for advice from the experts
and i apologise again for offending you.

 

[technical writer in Toronto]

and here i was thinking i was asking a public forum for help <slaps forhead>

 

[Ed Bennett]

technical writer in Toronto

I have been searching for applicable course for a couple of days, and
am at a loss. II've tried such things as the Microsoft site and every
college in my area. I am not looking for someone else to do my work
for me.

http://www.cctglobal.com/download_outlines/course_outlines_publisher.html is
the first link returned by my Google search for
"microsoft publisher" ecdl
Did you find that among your searches? Is that the sort of thing you're
after? If not, could you elaborate on what exactly you're looking for?

Apparently *i* went wrong in making a request for advice from the
experts and i apologise again for offending you.

That's quite alright. The way you phrase your posting is key to the way you
come across. We get all sorts in these groups, including people who need
quick fixes to make it look to their bosses as if they know how to do their
jobs.

 

[Mike Koewler]

A basic question - why care about certification? I have been publishing
a weekly newspaper for nearly nine years and I'm not certified. But I've
received material from ad agencies that is anything but
professional-level work.

The best way to learn publisher (or any other program) is to use it,
especially if your work is going to published in-house and not taken to
a professional printer. Take a look at the wizards - if you find
something that looks close to what you want (even if it is just a part
of the wizard), copy/paste it to your page. Look in magazines,
newspapers, trade journals and recreate their works, substituting your
own information. Take a look at a manual, whether it is for Pub or some
other program. See how styles and layouts look.

The help files will tell you how to use the various features and tools
in Pub but I don't know of any books that can turn you into a great
designer, especially just be reading them.

HTH,

Mike

 

[technical writer in Toronto]

Thank you for the advice. I do agreee that the best way to learn any
softtware is to use it ... and i taught software courses for many years. I've
been using publisher since i was in my pre-teens and making banners on dot
matrix printers (well, maybe that was the print shop, but you get the idea)
The reason i asked about certification is that my employeer will pay for me
to take courses, but leans towards ones that have some sort of certification.
ALternatively, perhaps theres an advanced book i can buy.

Substituting and copy/pasting formats and non registered graphics is what
led my boss to tell me to take a course to begin with ... the things you
paste usually need to be adjusted for size etc., as as a result, never seem
to have the professioanl clarity we want. I considered software such as
Corel designer or Adobe Illustrator to improve my work, but i never WILL be a
great designer, as i really have NO visual artistic ability. I was hoping to
learn about more advanced features that i might not be aware of in Publisher
that would improve my presentation of documentation. (for example, i've never
used layering properly, although i learned a lot attempting to use it to
create a sidebar for every page on my last project)

 

[Mary Sauer]

I was rude, I apologize...
Publisher does have the ability to turn graphics into great looking publications. I
use Corel; Publisher will accept the images without degradation (vectors). You need
to look at the work of Gordon Macintosh to see what can be done using Publisher's
drawing tools.
http://msauer.mvps.org/gordon_macintosh.htm
I've written an article about using the drawing tools as well
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA011196801033.aspx

 

[technical writer in Toronto]

I think i joined on the wrong note ... no apology necessary. And *i* do
apologise for the typos - i have a horrible tendency to reply on autocorrect
and spell check.

Thanks for the links ... i am going to read through them immediately, and
actually just put a request to purchase some adobe and corel software that i
can use along with Publisher. I am not satisfied with my dependance on Word
alone for documentation, and i'm afraid my ability to create fantastic
greeting cards in Publisher won't be enough to improve my presentations

 

[Mike Koewler]

You might also want to look at Serif software (www.serif.com). They
offer old software for free but most of it (PP SE, PhotoPlus, DrawPlus)
is advanced enough to do what you wish.

Mike

 

[DavidF]

Brian, David and other MVPs have put together a lot of great information
here:
http://www.publishermvps.com

DavidF

"technical writer in Toronto"