I use LibreOffice 25.8.1.1 on a MacBook Tahoe 26.0.1. Since MS Publisher is no more and I have hundreds of docs in Publisher format, am looking to convert (other than to .pdf) to another program. I love LibreOffice but do not know how to use tri-fold template, linking page to page as in Publisher (an over-flowing cup and click on next box)–I found a template but it did not print or auto link the columns when I copied and pasted text. Do I need to use text boxes as in Publisher, etc. Is there a step-by-step tutorial for very basic people on how to use the tri-fold template, linking the columns, etc.? Any help would be appreciated.
Simply open a Publisher file with LibreOffice. It will open with the Draw component. Writer does not handle that file format, nor does MS Word.
It is possible to link Frames, see Inserting, Editing and Linking Frames but you can only link empty frames which could be a problem but manageable in a single sheet trifold document
TrifoldDocumentLinked Frames.odt (44.2 KB)
Earnest Al: Thank you and I did see that which is what I was referring to but, perhaps because I’m still a novice, it was not easy to understand and I was looking for simple step-by-step directions to do just that. I still have not figured out how to use a “frame” as opposed to a “text box,” and saw no icon to insert a frame?
A Text Box is a simple graphical shape intended for spot decoration.
A Frame is a kind of subdocument where all the formatting features are available, allowing for very sophisticated insertions.
Use the menu Insert > Frame > Frame interactively (or Frame if you are using Frame styles).
If you are using the Tabbed interface then the top leftmost icon with tooltip Menubar will toggle visibility of the menu.
Publisher is page-oriented while Writer is flow-oriented (pages don’t matter, they are allocated on demand to host text).
Use a desktop publishing program (DTP) like FOSS Scribus or commercial Quark XPress.
Thank you, I’m looking at Scribus - just really don’t want to learn a new program 
but guess I will be.
Could see what the command line option convert-to produces to go from ms publisher to lo draw.
Some links that might be helpful:
- libreofficehelp - draw-basics
- libreoffice online help is good
- Also good are the libreoffice manuals
PS: My original post was under the wrong thread. Not sure of the protocol, but I deleteed and posted after clicking Suggest a solution.
Thanks for your help-- I love LibreOffice and wish they had a “Publisher”-like component which would work the same as the others (ribbon, etc.). Anyway, the biggest issue it appears with using LO for publishing is the lack of text-flow management. I do appreciate all who sent info, though, and am checking out what each suggested.
I’d say the biggest issue is the lack of color-management and so also no direct output to pdf-X (my reason to use scribus for our print-advertising).
.
There is text-flow management. But the approach of Word/Writer is completely different than the way DTP is using.
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