All Leaders

Hi, Jodi

I want to address the fear first. Publisher will not suddenly vanish from her computer. When software goes out of support it simply means there will be no updates, including security updates(!!!), for that application ever again.

That is to say, you can make the choice to continue using it beyond the upcoming out-of-support date. But that comes with real security implications that may make such a choice not worth it in our current cybersecurity climate.

That said, if her access to Publisher comes through an Office 365 subscription, she will lose access to it come October. But if you have a stand-alone version of Publisher (e.g. Publisher 2021), the above applies.

As for replacement options:

• I'm a fan of Affinity by Serif. It is professional-grade graphic design, photo editor, and publisher and is now completely free of charge. Here's the link: https://www.affinity.studio/
• LibreOffice is a free and open source software suite that “competes” with MS Office. It includes a program called Draw that, while it is a graphic design tool, is commonly used for desktop publishing. Here’s the link: https://www.libreoffice.org/
• Scribus is another free and open source software application. In this case, it is specifically a desktop publisher. Here’s the link: https://www.scribus.net/

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✝️ Peace,
Joshua Jones
President & Tech Committee Chair, Atonement Lutheran Church and School
Glendale, AZ
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Hi, Jodi

I want to address the fear first. Publisher will not suddenly vanish from her computer. When software goes out of support it simply means there will be no updates, including security updates(!!!), for that application ever again.

That is to say, you can make the choice to continue using it beyond the upcoming out-of-support date. But that comes with real security implications that may make such a choice not worth it in our current cybersecurity climate.

That said, if her access to Publisher comes through an Office 365 subscription, she will lose access to it come October. But if you have a stand-alone version of Publisher (e.g. Publisher 2021), the above applies.

As for replacement options:

• I'm a fan of Affinity by Serif. It is professional-grade graphic design, photo editor, and publisher and is now completely free of charge. Here's the link: https://www.affinity.studio/
• LibreOffice is a free and open source software suite that "competes" with MS Office. It includes a program called Draw that, while it is a graphic design tool, is commonly used for desktop publishing. Here's the link: https://www.libreoffice.org/
• Scribus is another free and open source software application. In this case, it is specifically a desktop publisher. Here's the link: https://www.scribus.net/

------------------------------
✝️ Peace,
Joshua Jones
President & Tech Committee Chair, Atonement Lutheran Church and School
Glendale, AZ
------------------------------

Jim, 

This is extremely helpful, thank you!

I've been experimenting with Canva as a replacement for MS Publisher but I believe Affinity will be much easier! Canva has a steep learning curve IMHO and though I utilize it for some documents, I've found it to be somewhat frustrating. YouTube is full of helpful Affinity tutorials, including very basic ones for those of us who learn desktop publishing by doing and out of necessity.

Please don't pay for Canva Pro. Nonprofits (501(c)(3)) may apply for no cost Canva Pro, and the extra features are worth it. The process was relatively easy and we were approved within a few days. canva.com/canva-for-nonprofits/eligibility-guidelines/. 

Teresa

Jim, 

This is extremely helpful, thank you!

I've been experimenting with Canva as a replacement for MS Publisher but I believe Affinity will be much easier! Canva has a steep learning curve IMHO and though I utilize it for some documents, I've found it to be somewhat frustrating. YouTube is full of helpful Affinity tutorials, including very basic ones for those of us who learn desktop publishing by doing and out of necessity.

Please don't pay for Canva Pro. Nonprofits (501(c)(3)) may apply for no cost Canva Pro, and the extra features are worth it. The process was relatively easy and we were approved within a few days. canva.com/canva-for-nonprofits/eligibility-guidelines/. 

Teresa