REDMOND, Wash., May 31, 2001 — Microsoft Corp. Today announced the availability of Microsoft® Publisher 2002, the seventh and latest edition of the company’s award-winning business desktop publishing program. Publisher is designed for users who are serious about creating their own sales and marketing materials without the hassle or expense of learning to use a design application developed for professional designers. Melody Gardot Live From Soho here. Microsoft Publisher offers flexible page layout tools and high-quality printing options as well as an intuitive interface, integration with other Microsoft Office applications, and a customizable collection of professional design sets and templates designed to meet the needs of the business user.

In the product’s 10-year history, Publisher 2002 has helped millions of users work faster and smarter. This new version features the new cleaner, more refined user interface of Microsoft Office XP as well as an expanded collection of design templates, improved commercial printing options, and enhanced Web and e-mail publishing options.

“From its inception, Publisher has been designed to enable users without design experience to produce professional-looking publications quickly and easily,” said Kathleen Hebert, vice president of the bCentral Small-Business Division at Microsoft. “Publisher 2002 builds on that goal by offering users more sophisticated ways to create a unique and professional image. Through integration with the Microsoft bCentral™ small-business service, users can now take advantage of additional online marketing tools and services to further promote their image via the Web. By bringing the capability to design and produce a slick business identity in-house, Publisher 2002 levels the playing field for smaller organizations that must compete against bigger companies with bigger budgets.” The new version of Publisher also includes user-requested productivity features available in previous versions of Microsoft Office, such as customizable toolbars, Print Preview, headers and footers, and OfficeArt. Publisher 2002 further simplifies common productivity and design tasks by integrating features, including shared Task Pane features such as the Office Clipboard, Search, Clip Art, and Styles and Formatting found in the new Office XP, which is being released to the public today in New York.