Microsoft Publisher is a program inside Microsoft Office 2013 that was designed to help users create and publish documents that can be printed and distributed with the click of a button. Publisher allows you to produce newsletters, business cards, and other similar documents without much effort at all.

Microsoft Word 2013. Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET People who want to take Office 2013 for a spin can download a 60-day evaluation edition. The version available is the full Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013 suite, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access, Publisher, and Lync. The software contains all the features in the paid edition, so you won't miss out on anything.

You will need a Microsoft account in order to access the download page, but otherwise there are no strings attached. Here's how you can grab the free trial version. Head over to the. Click on the Get Started Now button. Log in with your Microsoft account. Fill in the online form with your name, e-mail address, and other details, if it's not already filled in.

Make sure to choose either the 64-bit or 32-bit version of Office. Click Continue.

Another online form pops up asking for more information. Again, click Continue. The next page displays the product key, which you'll want to write down or save. Choose your language and click the Download button. Office is downloaded as a 785MB file.

Either way, it’s a lot to spend on basic productivity tools, but there is some good news. If you’re not a power user and don’t need all the latest, premium features, you can save a lot of money on.

Use the free web and mobile apps Microsoft has been gradually expanding the number of apps you can use online for free, and now offers an impressive suite that can easily merge with downloaded apps, if necessary, and has plenty of functionality for the average project. It’s also really easy to sign up., pick the app that you want (scroll down for all options), and log into your Microsoft account to get started. If you don’t have a Microsoft account, signing up is easy — plus, since you need Office Online, it’s a good idea to create one anyway. This allows you to use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Calendar, and other traditional Microsoft apps. It also gives you access to more niche apps, like Sway, an interactive report/presentation app; People, an advanced, Skype-friendly contact list; and Docs.com, for uploading and sharing documents.

So, if this is all here and available for free, why does the rest of this article exist? Because while these apps are useful, they’re also limited to only work for very basic functions. They don’t offer the full features that Office 365 provides and, of course, you need an online connection to use them. It’ll work for simple tasks, like putting together a simple document — but it won’t work for more complicated ones. Get Office through your school If you are part of an education organization (student, faculty or staff), and see if you can get a version of Office 365 for free. Microsoft extends this to all students, but your school needs to be signed up first or just get very lucky. If your school isn’t part of the program, an administrator can sign you up easily.