Issue 63355

Summary:	MS Publisher-style desktop publishing
Product:	Impress	Reporter:	saphil <saphil>
Component:	open-import	Assignee:	requirements <requirements>
Status:	CLOSED DUPLICATE	QA Contact:	issues@graphics <issues>
Severity:	Trivial
Priority:	P3	CC:	issues, lars_o_hansen
Version:	OOo 2.0	Keywords:	oooqa
Target Milestone:	---
Hardware:	All
OS:	All
Issue Type:	ENHANCEMENT	Latest Confirmation in:	---
Developer Difficulty:	---

Description saphil 2006-03-19 04:21:48 UTC

A Desktop Publishing tool to compete with MS Publisher.
This really doesn't exist yet.  My company has all of its marketing stuff done
in MS Publisher, and we may not be the only co that does this..  Nothing here at
OO.Org seems to accept our .pub files, and as I am charged with the interesting
task of migrating our network to Linux, I have to find a way to map all our
current apps to Linux apps.  
Publisher is simple and template-driven (from the end-user's POV).  It might be
a basic use for Impress, and the big deal is a conversion script from .pub so
the existing files can be used in Impress.  The converter script could work both
ways, but from my desk, the important thing is being able to import.  Once the
file is in Impress or DeskPub (if it is impossible to put the thing into impress
for some reason) then it can stay in that format.  We will not go back to
Publisher after we are an all-linux shop.  
I guess what I am offering here is that I am volunteering to start this project.
Seems to me the needs are:
1) publisher to OpenOffice conversion script
2) templates for various things from biz cards to 11/17 newsletters

Most all the other publisher features already exist in OOffice

I do not know where to put this issue, and need advice on that as well.

Comment 1 lars 2006-03-19 10:17:46 UTC

I don't know where this type of issue belongs exactly either, but you can ask on 
the dev@openoffice.org mailing list
(http://www.openoffice.org/mail_list.html#general) for redirection.

Comment 2 wolframgarten 2006-03-20 07:42:28 UTC

Reassigned.

Comment 3 aaronforjesus 2006-03-21 20:44:40 UTC

Draw would problably be a better tool to map MS Publisher files to. However, to 
correctly map the text boxes that use text linking, Issue 33501 would have to 
be added. It would also require the ability to print multiple pages on one 
sheet of paper, for labels, etc. Some pages would need to be printed rotated, 
which is needed for those publisher files that are created as greeting cards, 
where some of the pages are rotated and all pages are printed out of order. 
This would take a lot of work in the printing area.

Comment 4 saphil 2006-03-21 21:56:01 UTC

33501 does seem like a required addition.  
The rotate to print and multiple copy printing commands could be saved with the
template so each use of the template included that automatically.  MSPub often
loses that information, causing a bad print (pre-perforated card stock is not
forgiving of misplaced copy) but it can be adjusted in the printing specs.  

If this were added to Draw, would the scheduling and such be more straightforward? 

I really like the distortions available in Draw..  That would be far more fun
than just placing graphics and text pub-style

Comment 5 aziem 2006-11-02 05:27:10 UTC

*** Issue 63354 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***

Comment 6 aziem 2006-11-02 05:33:39 UTC

Duplicate to issue 29232.

*** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of 29232 ***

Comment 7 aziem 2006-11-02 05:34:56 UTC

close