Few things are more likely to ruin the day for a graphics professional than to have a client say something like “we’ve created a layout in Publisher and we’d like you to…” or “I’m sending you a PowerPoint file and can you…” or “I’ve set the brochure up in Word and I want to…”
Why all the consternation and dread? Word, Publisher and PowerPoint are perfectly fine applications geared to creating files that can be output on an office inkjet/laser printer or viewed on a monitor screen. However, for graphics professionals, Word, Publisher and PowerPoint lack the sophisticated tools necessary to create documents intended to be printed by a professional printer.
In fact, many commercial print shops will not accept Word, Publisher or PowerPoint files and those that do more often than not will add a substantial surcharge to their bill to cover the cost of file conversion/re-creation.
I recently had the “pleasure” of converting/modifying a couple of Publisher files for a local commercial printer. The task required several hours of finagling and experimentation to get the files into a usable format and while I was happy to bill for those hours, I would have much preferred to have spent the time doing something a little less taxing on my sanity.
