Ms Publisher Directions

IT 3210: Teachers and Technology
IT 7360: Technology for Educators
Software Help Sheet

Unit 3: Sharing Thoughts and Ideas
Basic Graphics with
Microsoft Publisher

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To begin:

Launch Microsoft Publisher
When the "Wizard" or Template window appears, click on the tab at the top of the window that says Blank Page.
Click on the Full-Page option and click Okay.

If you would like to change to a landscape (horizontal) page:

From the menu bar, go to File, and then to Page Setup.
In the lower left corner of the window, you may select page orientation. Make your selection and click on Okay.

Drawing Objects:

Use the drawing tools at the right of your screen to draw shapes.

To draw a true circle or square:

Select the appropriate tool from the tool palette.
Before holding down the left mouse-key to draw, hold down the Shift key. Then draw the desired object. Holding down the shift key will constrain the proportions of the object you are drawing.

To select an object for formatting:

With the right mouse button, click on the object to select it.
To de-select an object, click elsewhere within the window. Clicking on another object will de-select the first object and select the second.
To select more than one object at a time, or multiple select, click on the first object, hold down the shift key, and click on the second object. Holding down the shift key will allow you to select as many objects as you want. Just be careful not to accidentally de-select an object you wish to modify by clicking on it again.
If you accidentally click on an object you do not wish to include in a multiple select, simply click on it again while you hold down the shift key --- it works like a toggle switch.

To fill an object you have drawn with a color:

First make sure the object is selected (does it have "handles"?).
Next, click on the bucket icon at the upper right of the screen. (Remember, if you are not certain which icon to press, holding your cursor on the icon for a second will cause the icon title to appear on your screen.)
Select a color from the colors displayed, or select More Colors or Patterns and Shading. You may also select Clear for a see-through object.

To change the border on an object you have drawn,

With the object selected, click on the border icon at the upper right of the screen.
Select a line weight, or select More for additional line weight and color options.

To add a shadow to an object you've drawn:

With the object selected, click on the Shadow icon at the upper right of your screen.

To Resize an object:

Select the object.
Position your cursor over the lower right handle. The cursor will change to a resize cursor.
Hold down the left mouse button and drag the corner of the object to the desired size and shape.

To Resize an object and maintain/constrain its proportions (not stretching or squishing it):

Select the object.
Position your cursor over the lower right handle. The cursor will change to a resize cursor.
Holding down the shift key, hold down the right mouse button and drag the corner of the object to the desired size and shape.

To Move an object:

Select the object.
Position the cursor over the object outline. The cursor will change to a four-way arrow and a moving truck.
Without moving the cursor, hold down the right mouse key and drag the object to where you want to place it. Release the mouse key.
Note: if you accidentally resize the object instead of moving it, before trying to manually correct your error, form the menu bar, select Edit, Undo Resize. The keystroke command for this is command-Z (It is a good idea to memorize this keystroke command -- with graphics, you will find you need to use it a lot!)

To add a Text Object or Text Box:

Select the text tool ("A" tool) from the tool palette.
With the cursor, hold down the left mouse button and drag diagonally to define the parameters of the text object.
Before typing, select your text font, size, alignment, and format from the tool bars at the top of the screen.
Remember, a text object will act like any other object and can be resized, grouped, layered, etc.

To edit text in a text object:

Select the text by position the cursor just before or after the text you wish to edit. Pressing the right mouse button will turn the cursor to an I-beam. Holding down the right mouse button, drag across the text you wish to select (it will appear in relief on a black background to show the text is selected.
Edit the text.
De-select the text.
Tip: To select a single word, position the cursor over the middle of the word and double-click.

To Group objects:

Select the object you wish to group using the multiple select technique given earlier in this handout.
When two independent objects are selected, an open puzzle icon (actually, the group button) will appear to the lower right of the objects selected.
To group the selected objects, with the left mouse button, click on the puzzle pieces (the group icon).
To un-group objects, click on the linked puzzle icon (un-group button) at the lower right of the grouped objects.
Note: grouping can be done in several successive steps, adding an independent object to grouped objects, etc.

Adjust the Order of objects:

If you find that one object is behind another object, and you want to adjust this (bring an object to the front, back, etc.:

Select the object you wish to adjust.
From the menu bar, select Arrange, then the order change you wish to make (e.g., Send to Back).
Note: MS Publisher will not allow you to hide text behind another object unless you completely cover the text object behind another object. If any of the text object is left exposed, the text will re-align itself to appear in any portion of the text object that remains exposed.

To Rotate an Object:

Select the object you wish to rotate (this works with text objects also).
From the tool bar at the top, center of the screen, click on the rotate tool. (The curved arrow around a dot).
A window will appear with rotation selections.
Clicking on the clockwise or counter-clockwise buttons will rotate the object in that direction at 5-degree increments.
Smaller increments of rotation can be selected by typing in an angle of rotation or adjusting the degree of rotation by single degree increments by clicking on the up-down arrows directly to the right of the angle field.

To Flip an object horizontally or vertically or to rotate 90 degrees:

Select the object.
Click on the desired rotate/flip icon at the upper right of the screen (triangle icons).

To Free Rotate an object:

Select the object.
Position the cursor over the lower right handle of the object.
Hold down the Alt key and the cursor will change to a rotate cursor.
Hold down the left mouse key and drag the object to rotate it to the desired free angle.

To add Clip Art:

From the menu bar, select Insert, then, Clip Art.
Select (click on it) a clip art image from the library.
Click on Insert or press the enter key.
Move and resize the clip art as needed.

To add a Scanned Image from a floppy disk:

From the menu bar, select Insert, then, Picture File.
Direct the selection to the A: drive.
Select the file you wish to insert.
Click on Insert or hit the enter key.
Move and/or resize the image as needed.

To use the Page Wizard to create a document:

From the menu bar, select File, then Open New Document.
When the "Wizard" or Template window appears, click on the tab at the top of the window that says Page Wizard.
Select the template that best matches your needs.
Follow the directions on the screen as presented.
When you have completed the wizard, you may need to further customize your publication. Use the directions given previously in the handout to edit text and graphics.
Remember to save your work often.