Hello to all of my followers! I have been gone for a while, but I’m back and ready to get the ball rolling again. This week I am going to start a new segment called Battle of the Apps. We will compare two similar programs and see which is the better of the two. To start off we are going to comparing Microsoft Publisher ($6.99/mo plus other apps) and Adobe InDesign($20.99/mo). Two different programs with very similar features. I have used both Publisher and InDesign to do multiple different projects, and I am going to give you two similar features in both programs and two features that are different.
Similarities
- Master Page
Both InDesign and Publisher have a master page. This page is used to add different text, photos, art or anything else that needs to be on every page you create. So, if you decide that a butterfly needs to be on every page of a book that you are publishing, you would use the master page instead of manually putting a butterfly on every page.
The master page in Publisher is easy to find. Go to view and hit the master page button in the views section. The InDesign master page is quick and easy to find also. When you open your document, on the right of the screen a long gray box will be open. the top of it says properties, pages, and CC libraries. If you click on the middle tab that says pages, you will find the master page.
- Templates
Templates are preset designs that you can use save time, or if you are not sure on how to format your document. InDesign and Publisher have a plethora of templates to choose from. Restaurant menus, calendars, business cards, and flyers are a few of the many available documents you can choose from. One thing that I noticed about InDesign is that they have free and paid templates. For the most part, all of the templates on Microsoft Publisher are free.
Differences
- Master Pages A, B, C, and D
In Adobe InDesign you have the basic master page that works the same and has the same purpose as a master page in Microsoft Publisher. However, Adobe InDesign gives you the option to have multiple master pages. To my understanding, the master pages in InDesign are unlimited. You may be wondering “why would someone need multiple master pages?” Well we have to remember that InDesign can be used and is used to write textbooks, magazines, novels, and more. So, depending on your design you may need to use 2 or 200 master pages to produce a continuous layout throughout your document.
- Mailings
Microsoft Publisher will you merge addresses into your document. For example, if you needed to send out postcards to all of your customers, you can use mail merge to automatically put in an address without you manually putting them in yourself. This is a great feature that saves you a lot of time and hassle. I searched around InDesign to find the same feature or a similar feature, but I did not see one. The great thing about Publisher is that it is not hard to find since it is the fifth tab on the ribbon
Final Decision
These are two great publishing programs however, counting the price and the available features I choose Microsoft Publisher. Publisher is simple, easy to use, straight to the point, and very beginner friendly. The price is $6.99 a month plus you get five other Microsoft programs and two services included. I would recommend Publisher to anyone just getting into publishing programs, or to someone who needs to produce simple documents. Adobe InDesign is a more advanced publishing program, and I would only recommend it if you need it for a major project.
Do you think I made the right choice? Which program would you choose? Comment below I would love to hear your decisions!
As always, thank you for reading todays post! Make sure to like, comment, and share with your friends, so they can get in on the conversation.
Gelly Talks 