Not everyone who wants to publish a newsletter has access to professional page layout software. However, one of these affordable (or free) software packages designed specifically for casual use can handle the job. These programs are in addition to professional desktop publishing software programs such as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress, which are also quite capable of producing newsletters, although they come with a much higher learning curve and price tag. These programs are for Maccomputers.
Apple Pages
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What We Like
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If you have a Mac, you probably already have Pages, which combines word processing and page layout in one program using different templates and windows depending on the type of document. Pages ships on all new Macs, and is also available for free for Apple mobile devices such as the iPad. One advantage of Pages is that it can store documents on the cloud where family members or co-workers can collaborate on the newsletter.
Pages come with a template section of attractive and professional newsletter templates, and you can download additional templates online.
BeLight Software: Swift PublisherWhat We Like
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Swift Publisher is an attractively priced software package for the Mac. It is specifically for designing newsletters, brochures, flyers and the like. This software package has high-end features, but it is easy for beginners to use.
Swift Publisher ships with more than 300 customizable templates, many of which are for newsletters. If you prefer to lay out your own newsletter design, Swift Publisher has guides for columns and includes linked text box capability so your text flows from one page to another.
If you don't plan to print your newsletter yourself or if you are emailing it, you can export it in one of several formats: PDF, PNG, TIFF, JPEG, and EPS.
ScribusWhat We Like
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This professional-quality desktop publishing software defies the old saying that 'you get what you pay for' because it's feature-rich and free. It does just about everything that the much more expensive pro tools do, including serving as high-quality newsletter design software. It is a good choice if you need professional printing, but it doesn't have all the fun extras like graphics, fonts, and tons of templates.
Broderbund: The Print ShopWhat We Like
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The Print Shop for Mac by Broderbund makes simple newsletter design a breeze. It integrates with your Mac apps such as Photos, Contacts, and Calendar. This software ships with an astounding 4,000 templates, many of them newsletters. Modify the templates for your own use or build your newsletter from scratch.
The large clip art library and royalty-free image collection give you plenty of graphic assistance in jazzing up your newsletter. With The Print Shop for Mac, you can drag and drop photos and text. The dynamic headline feature turns plain type into eye-catching graphics standouts.
This a good all-around creative printing program that is available as a download or as a DVD. Mac system requirement: OS X 10.7 through 10.10.
iStudio PublisherWhat We Like
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iStudio Publisher prides itself on being easy to learn and use and offers a series of instructional videos and a rapid start guide for new users. This sleek software package offers sophisticated features for professional newsletter design.
The software has a shape library, snap grid, rulers, inspectors and toolkit, like high-end published software.
iStudio Publisher comes with several newsletter templates, although you can design your own from scratch. The software is attractively priced and the company offers a 30-day free trial for curious designers. If you work in education or are a student, you receive a 40 percent discount,
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As one of the world's most popular layout and design programs, Microsoft Publisher turns laypeople into amateur graphic designers. Included with the Microsoft Office expanded package, Publisher is an affordable alternative to the expensive programs that professional designers use. There's just one problem – Publisher only works on PCs. If you've recently converted to a Mac, you may feel a bit lost, but don't worry; equivalent programs are available, and some of them are free.
Apple Solution
One of the advantages of owning an Apple computer is you can use Apple software that seamlessly integrates with the Mac operating system. Visit the Mac App Store and click on the 'Productivity' category to learn about and purchase Pages, a program that many would point to as the most obvious equivalent to Publisher. With layout and design features that meet most design tasks, Pages often comes pre-installed on new macs for free. If you didn't get it for free, it is affordable. It's part of a software suite called iWork, so also take a look at its teammates Keynote and Numbers as well. All three programs can export documents in PDF, DOC and XLS formats.
Microsoft Solution
Perhaps one reason why Microsoft hasn't made a Mac version of Publisher is because it makes a Mac version of Microsoft Word that can do almost as much. Comb through a few tech blogs and forums and you'll see that people lamenting the need for Mac Publisher are usually nudged toward Microsoft Word. It's true that Word does a lot for its Mac users: With drawing tools, text effects and specialty printing settings as well as templates, you can produce fliers, brochures, banners and newsletters that look sharp. Because you might wind up buying Microsoft Office for Mac anyway for other tasks, Word is a cost-effective solution to your publishing needs.
Free Applications
Even more cost effective than Pages or Word is Apache Open Office. It's free because open source programmers produce it – just download it from Apache and install it on your hard drive. Like Microsoft Office, Open Office is a suite of programs. One member, Draw, is considered a Publisher substitute. The interface is similar and some of the menus are in the same place as Publisher's. All Open Office programs save files in their own format, but you can use the 'Save As' command to convert them to DOC, PDF and many other file formats. With Draw, you can do everything you could do in Publisher; in fact, some users prefer to show support for the open source community by using it.
Draw isn't the only free application out there: Scribus, another open source product, has plenty of fans. If your needs are simple, try Bean. It's a lightweight program, but it has all the tools you need for a flier or small newsletter.
Premium Applications
If cost isn't a big concern – maybe you're buying for your workplace – try one of the industry standards if your technical skills can meet the challenge. Adobe InDesign is the workhorse for designers around the globe. Capable of producing anything from a business card to a multisection newspaper to a 10,000-page novel, InDesign offers many complex text and layout features and tools not part of Publisher. By subscribing to Adobe's Creative Cloud, you can use it and all Adobe programs for a reasonable monthly fee. Another big player in the publishing world is QuarkXPress. With a more utilitarian interface than InDesign, Quark is perhaps easier to learn. It is expensive for business licenses, but a copy for educational or nonprofit purposes costs just a few hundred dollars.
Resources (6)About the Author
Amy Stanbrough is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. Her work has appeared in 'Bust,' 'Woman's World,' 'Southern Exposure' and many other publications. Stanbrough holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from George Mason University.
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Stanbrough, Amy. 'What Is the Mac Equivalent to Microsoft Publisher?' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/mac-equivalent-microsoft-publisher-68720.html. 09 April 2019.
Stanbrough, Amy. (2019, April 09). What Is the Mac Equivalent to Microsoft Publisher? Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/mac-equivalent-microsoft-publisher-68720.html
Stanbrough, Amy. 'What Is the Mac Equivalent to Microsoft Publisher?' last modified April 09, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/mac-equivalent-microsoft-publisher-68720.html
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