URGENT - Help with MS Publisher???!!!

[Jason]

Hello all,

I have always used Adobe PageMaker to do my print layouts. I know the software, I like the software, I can do what I need.

Unfortunately, I'm currently working on a project that had to be done using Microsoft Publisher (it's for the local Salvation Army, and they don't have PageMaker and can't afford it, and they're going to do the printing in-house).

It took me about twice as long as it should have, but I finally got the whole thing designed and I'm ready to go. Right now I'm trying to print off a proof of this so I can show them a finished copy, but I'm having some really bad difficulties!

The project I've designed for them is a booklet. It's a standard half-fold booklet, 28 pages (7 sheets of letter size paper).

Now, as I said, I've always used PageMaker. In PageMaker, when I go to print, I have the option of printing "Just the even pages" or "Just the odd pages" - so it's nice and easy, I print the even pages, flip them over and put them back in the printer, then print the odd pages. Fold and staple, and I'm done. No manual collating, nothing. Easy.

The problem is, Publisher isn't giving me that option! I can print page-by-page if I want, or I can print the whole thing, but there's no option to just print the odds or just print the evens.

I've tried several tries, and I simply can't get it to print right (I can't find that "magical" collate to make the right pages go onto the backs of their counterparts). I figured just reversing the order of the pages should have worked, but it didn't.

Anyone here know how to print a booklet with MS Publisher????

And can you answer it QUICKLY, since I have to get this to them at 8:30 tomorrow morning?!!!

Thanks,

Jason

[TVB]

Jason,

I'm not sitting in front of a machine with publisher but do use it so I'm going from my sometimes faulty memory.

Under file>print, you should get an option to print all even pages, and then all odd pages. Publisher also has an option in there that will give you booklet printing options. You can also manually click on each page you want and opt for print selected pages or something like that.

If no one posts a more thorough answer by the time I get home around midnght or 1230, I'll get into more details.

Betsy

[Jason]

Originally posted by TVB:
Under file>print, you should get an option to print all even pages, and then all odd pages.

This is exactly what I was looking for, and exactly where I was looking for it, but the option wasn't there

[TVB]

Hi Jason,

OK...I'm home now and think I got it for you (hoping I do anyways...most of the stuff I do are columns for trifolds)

OK...I'm assuming you did page set-up in starting out. if not, here's how:

On the File menu, click Page Setup, and then click the Layout tab.
Under Publication type, click Booklet.
Under Orientation, select the option you want.
To change the dimensions of the booklet, type a smaller width or height. Do not type a number larger than the maximum width or height.

printing:

Under file, print, features, two-sided printing, booklet. This is assuming your printer supports duplex printing.

I could have sworn that publisher had an odd even set up, but then it is an MS product.

Betsy

[TVB]

Also found this under their help files:

Set up and print a letter-sized booklet
To create a folded booklet with 8.5-by-11-inch pages. Your printer must support printing on 11-by-17-inch paper, also called tabloid paper, for the procedure to work.

Open the publication you want to print as a folded booklet.
On the File menu, click Page Setup.
Click the Layout tab.
Under Publication type, click Booklet.
Under Page size, type 8.5 in the Width box and 11 in the Height box.
Click the Printer & Paper tab.
Under Printer, select a printer that can print on 11-17 or tabloid paper.
Under Paper, select the 11-by-17- inch or tabloid paper option, and then click OK.
When you are prompted to automatically insert pages, click Yes. Publisher will insert pages so that the total number is a multiple of 4.
On the File menu, click Print.
In the Print dialog box, click Change page order, click Print as book, and then click OK.
Select any other options you want, and then click OK to print the publication.
Microsoft Publisher prints the first and last pages on one sheet of paper, the second and next-to-last on another sheet, and so on, as shown in the following picture. When you photocopy the pages back to back and then staple or bind them together, they will be in the right order.

[Andilinks]

I hope Betsy's remedy works for you Jason but this occurred to me earlier, a work-around worth trying in a last minute pinch if you are stuck.

Renumber the odd pages 1-14 and the even pages 15-28. Set the actual pagination so it doesn't print, font color white or however and then insert the correct page numbers as part of the text.

Then print pages 1-14, turn them over and print 15-28 on the back.

Andi

[Jason]

Thank you all for your help! While none of what you suggested actually worked (don't ask me why, but when I go to File -> Page Setup, I don't *have* any tabs of any type to click!), but in trying the options you suggested, Betsy, I did end up finding what I was looking for.

It's a funny thing - while my printer doesn't support automatic duplexing, there's always been this section in the printer setup menu called "Manual Duplex". I'd never used it before (never had to with PageMaker), but I thought "hmmm...." and I tried it, and it did just what I was looking for.

Thanks Betsy and Andi for your suggestions! I appreciate the help, you've saved my hide!

Jason

[TVB]

Glad to be of indirect help. Ironically, MS Word does support printing even/odd pages so it seems nonsensical to not have that option with publisher.

Betsy

Late to the party, but why not use Fine Print - you can print booklets from any program unto any printer.

[Randall]

Publisher has some blind spots, especially if you're using an older version like Pub 97. For some projects even Word is a better choice.

Here's another potential workaround for anyone stuck in a similar situation (especially if you don't have a manual duplex option in the printer driver).

Install a free PDF creation program like pdf995 or PDFCreator (my current favorite) and print the document to a PDF file. Then you can use Adobe Reader's even/odd feature for the final print out.

Randall