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67 of 68 found the following review helpful:
 Great Value! A publishing solution for Volunteers, Non-Pofits and Small BusinessSep 05, 2006
By T. Pevner
Publisher Pro 2.0 is a great product and a good follow-on to the first version. Not only can you easily produce small publications (I create 16 page "tabloid sized" newsletters, with tons of photos) and export them as pdf files, but you can now open and edit pdf files, a feature I haven't seen in any affordable publisher. Its interpretation is precise, though when it meets a change in formatting (such as a single word in bold type within a paragraph), it interprets that as the end of a text block and starts a new section. I only use that feature when I want to fill out forms I've received from others or add a little text or images to them. I wouldn't try to heavily edit a large file. Pdf creation now includes form fields, which allows for more interactive features such as radial and other buttons and fill-out-able forms in addition to the standard pdf bookmarks, index and table of content which link to content within the pdf, hyperlinks to external sites, and more.
As in the previous version, it still has lots of pre-made templates, but the blank templates are still the best. I love being able to make a tri-fold brochure and actually selecting each page I want to work on separately: the right panel, left panel back panel and interior spread. The program then prints it in the correct sequence on the page. And in each of the 24 categories (including Banners, business forms, greeting cards, webpages...) there are many blank styles from which to chose.
As a volunteer newsletter editor (with no formal training in design and only some spare time), I find myself in the position of producing newsletters, flyers, tri-fold brochures and ad books not only for the large regional and local group of one organization, but also for my friends' school groups and churches and the local library. I often have to send the files to professional printers who require high-quality pdf files. It's a little more complex than either it's predecessor (Pub. pro version 1) or the older version of MS Publisher I had used before (a program I was happy with, but it had no pdf support), but most questions are easily resolved by refering to the in-program help files. On the other hand, it's a more powerful program with color separation, palette (incliding Pantone) support, transparencies and effects - features you'd expect in higher end programs. It also has a more flexible studio bar with tear off tabs for line style, formatting, colors, object styles, etc.., that you can view, hide or drag to arrange.
Included with the program is the free Publisher Pro Photo Editor, which allows you to draw and paint using layers and transparencies, and then export your pictures in a variety of formats (including some transparent versions), such as jpg, png, gif, etc. It doesn't have a lot of filters and fancy stuff, but it's a good little program for simple photo editing or creating a small graphic.
But most important, the telephone customer support was good. When I first got the program, I had difficulty opening some, but not all, of my older Publisher Pro files - the program crashed! I called customer support after a few days trying to figure out myself what the difference in the files was. I was told it had to do with the Nova clip art in the files and to remove the images and the file would work. Luckily, I had the previous version installed on another machine. I noticed in the Tools: Resource Manager that those clipart files were "linked," so selected "unlink" (which embeds the image) and then the files opened fine. (The Resource Manager is a nice feature that shows you what images and fonts are in your document, what their size and status are, and allows you to jump right to them). Nova Developement is currently working on a fix for the problem.
Pros: great price (especially if you have a rebate), good customer support, some high-end features, free photo editor and the ability to export to pdf.
Cons: a little harder to learn (reading the tutorials helps!), legacy files crash unless the clipart is embedded.
Overall: If you want a more powerful publishing program that produces quality pdf files, but is still within your budget, this is the one!
p.s. If you do get this program, you should check out the entertaining place-holder text, with it's odd pop-culture references that form random stories. More interesting than Lorem ipsum.
17 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Incredible! Very Very Good and Very Very cheap for what it doesNov 02, 2007
By Thomas Magnus Dahl
I have worked with InDesign and many other layout programs and this is by far the easiest to use without sacrificing any features.
This is not a photo editor but a program to layout brochures, posters, labels, letter heads and so on. The more you use it the more you realize that this program has real depth. There is a photo editor built into it, but I prefer to use my old standby solutions.
I have used for making about 40 graphic products so far from 18 foot banners with full graphics to 8 page brochures. Exporting files for professional printing is really easy. I am spending many thousands on printing costs while using such a low cost program to create the graphics. A real Adobe killer this one. Amazing.
The templates and included graphics are also very nice for inspiration and customization. This is a very underestimated product.
For really serious professionals graphics teams there are limitations, but anyone who works alone and needs ease of use for glorious results this is the one.
Go for it! You will not regret it.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Heavy on Features but Requires a lot of LearningJan 01, 2008
By Emily D. Agunod
I received Publisher Pro 2.0 as a gift and it's great but there is a lot to be learned. Luckily, it comes with a manual (which I consider a rarity these days) and the program itself as tutorials in the Help section. Some things I can do intuitively if I'm working on a ready-made template but I still have to learn to create original documents. I find Microsoft Publisher easier to learn by just winging it but it doesn't have all the features Publisher Pro has like creating PDF files and turning ordinary documents into web pages. It's a plus that it comes with a photo editor software although the photo editor does not save pictures in a .jpg format. It has interesting features like changing the color of any image and has some filters. I probably will stick with my Arcsoft Photo Studio or Microsoft Picture Manager. Overall, it's exceptional and easier to use for people who have had previous experience in desktop publishing.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Great for Book Cover PrepDec 03, 2007
By Dr. Prentice Kinser III
"Author of LIMITLESS LIVING, A Guide to..."
I used PUBLISHER PRO 2.0 by Art Explosion to create the cover for my recently published book. After a brief learning curve, I found it easy to use (quite a change from other more expensive publisher programs I have tried). For me, any art design work in publisher software takes time and lots of trial and error to finally get it right. This program makes that process as painless as possible.
If you wish to see the result of my cover design go to LIMITLESS LIVING.... I think that cover speaks better than I can about the excellence of this product. (You will need to use the "Search Inside" to see the back cover.)
I have since used PUBLISHER PRO to create promotional flyers, business cards, other promotional material for my book, and some material for the Episcopal churches where I serve as Rector.
I highly recommend this product!
The Rev. Dr. Prentice Kinser III, Author of: LIMITLESS LIVING, A Guide to Unconventional Spiritual Exploration and Growth
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Astounding features in this program!Aug 29, 2007
By Jack Zavada
"published author & web site owner"
For many years, I used Adobe Pagemaker to lay out a national newsletter and advertising fliers. It costs several times what Publisher Pro 2.0 does, and this software is every bit as powerful as Pagemaker.
You can do the basics, or even 4-color work with color separations with this program. There's a strong photo editor included too. I haven't tried it yet, but one feature lets you convert your Publisher Pro 2.0 document into a pdf. No separate converter software needed.
My only complaint is that in the clip art photo gallery, there are very few photos of people. No doubt those kinds of photos are more expensive (model fees, etc.), but I'd like to see more people shots in future versions.
I'm very impressed with this program and believe it will meet all of my desktop publishing needs. You definitely get a lot for your money with Publisher Pro 2.0.
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