Design Page Layouts · Open Publisher Files · Export PDF · Save as .designcraft
A free, open-source page-layout app for Windows. Design flyers, newsletters and brochures with text frames, shapes, curves and pictures, or open and edit Microsoft Publisher (.pub) files, with no Publisher needed.
Opens Publisher files from 2002 and newer. Publisher 97, 98 and 2000 files are not supported yet.
NiftyDesign is an early, unofficial test build.
Built on DesignCraft by the ArtCraft team.
Will my file open? · Install · Bring your file · Known limitations · Report a problem
A flyer built in NiftyDesign, running on Windows.
Note
NiftyDesign is independent and unofficial. It is not supported by or affiliated with ArtCraft or Microsoft. Microsoft Publisher is a Microsoft trademark. Report problems here, never to the ArtCraft projects.
NiftyDesign is the full DesignCraft desktop app with a Publisher importer added. You can open a .pub file, edit it, save it as a .designcraft document, and export a PDF. Opening a .pub never modifies your original file on disk. NiftyDesign opens a converted copy as a new, unsaved document. That copy can look different from what Publisher shows, because some features are lost or simplified (see the table below). Always compare it with your original.
NiftyDesign now shows a notice on every converted .pub: 'This is a converted copy. It can look different from what Publisher shows; some features are lost or simplified, and not every loss gives a warning. Compare it with your original.' The import notes list stays available in the app and in the command-line report.
This is an alpha, and it is honest about that:
- It has been run by the maintainer on one Windows 11 PC. Alpha.5 was opened by hand there with a real calendar file (issue 44): the four pages, Table > Calendar > Set Year with undo and redo, and picture moving. Typing into table cells by hand and printing were not tried on that calendar. With an earlier alpha, the app launched, opened a Publisher test file, a flyer and a business card were built in it, saved, reopened after a restart, exported to PDF, and printed on one inkjet printer. Windows system fonts were found. Other PCs and printers are untested, so you may find problems we have not.
- Our real-file testing is small. We have tested with public sample files from the Apache POI project and with files we generated for testing. We do not have a collection of real people's Publisher files. That is why we are asking for yours.
- Real files often open with warnings. Of 24 real Apache test files: 9 opened with only notes about formatting settings we do not understand and skip, 10 opened with warnings, 2 were refused as Publisher 97, 98 or 2000 files, and 3 were deliberately damaged test files that were correctly rejected. The 9 are not a claim that they match Publisher; we have not compared them with Publisher. Earlier counts called these 9 'warnings'; only the labelling changed, not the importer's fidelity. A warning means something was not converted fully. No warning does not prove the copy is perfect, because not every loss produces a warning. Always check the result against your original.
We opened Apache's public Sample2.pub test file in NiftyDesign, then built a flyer and a business card, saved the document, and exported PDF. These are Windows screenshots.
 1. Sample2.pub, opened |
 2. The flyer page |
 3. The business card page |
These are results from our own checks. Only nine test files have been compared side by side with Publisher reference images.
| What | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher 2002 and newer files | Opens, with warnings | Most real files open with warnings. Check against your original. |
| Publisher 97, 98, 2000 files | Not supported | Refused with a message. Re-save in Publisher 2002 or newer first. |
| Text, colours, bullets | Works | Tested on our sample files. |
| Fonts | Partly | Installed fonts are used (Arial and Times New Roman were found on the test PC). Microsoft fonts that are not installed are replaced by a similar available font, so spacing and line breaks can change. |
| Shapes, lines, fills, shadows | Partly | Common shapes, lines, fills and shadows work. Curves and polylines are editable paths and the heart draws as a heart. Other shape types can still come in as rectangles, with a warning. |
| Pictures | Mostly works | PNG, JPEG, BMP. PICT and some clip art may look wrong. |
| Tables | Partly | Cell text is drawn (checked on the eight Apache test tables and on a calendar with one table per month). Files with several tables get each table's text in its cells only when every check passes; otherwise the old behaviour is kept and a warning says why. A table frame shorter than its stored rows is made taller so the last rows are not cut off. Cell fills, borders, padding and merged-cell text are still not decoded, and row positions can differ by about 0.01 inch for a reason we have not found. Check tables against your original. |
| Calendar year (Table > Calendar > Set Year) | Works on the issue 44 calendar | Retypes headings, day numbers and week rows for any year 1900 to 2200 in one undo step. English full month names and a Sun-Sat or Mon-Sun weekday row only. See docs/calendar-year.md. |
| WordArt | Partly | Default upward arch uses editable paths fitted from measured font advances. Circle and other warps stay straight. |
| Numbered lists, custom tab stops | Not yet | Lost on import. |
Save as .designcraft and reopen |
Works | Tested after a full restart. |
| Export to PDF | Works | Tested on Windows. |
| Printing | Worked on one printer | Tested on one inkjet printer. Other printers are untested. |
Microsoft fonts may be substituted with available fonts when they are not installed. Original font names are kept, but spacing and line breaks can change.
The full list is in Known limitations.
These are screenshots of the NiftyDesign window itself, opening Publisher test files with the alpha.4 build. They are kept as they were and have not been retaken. Screenshots of the alpha.5 calendar and Set Year are in issue 44.
 A heart shape from a Publisher file (shown in the alpha.4 build) |
 A curve, now an editable path (shown in the alpha.4 build) |
 A polyline, now an editable path (shown in the alpha.4 build) |
 Arched WordArt as editable curved text (shown in the alpha.4 build) |
 A real Publisher file (Apache's public Sample2.pub test file) |
 A flyer built in NiftyDesign with text and shapes only |
The flyer is also available as a PDF, a PNG and an editable .designcraft file. The saved copy of the Sample2 file is here; the original .pub is never changed. The earlier coffee-shop flyer and business card are still in docs/demo/coffee-shop.
Done
- ✅ Opens Publisher 2002+ files as an editable copy; originals untouched
- ✅ Text, colours and bullets
- ✅ Pictures (PNG, JPEG, BMP)
- ✅ Lines, fills, shadows and common shapes
- ✅ Curves and polylines as editable paths (since alpha.4)
- ✅ The heart shape (since alpha.4)
- ✅ Upward-arch WordArt as editable curved text (since alpha.4)
- ✅ Missing fonts replaced by the closest available font (since alpha.4)
- ✅ No font pop-up window when you open a file (since alpha.4)
- ✅ Calendar-style files with one table per month open complete: cell text of multi-table files is placed in its cells, and a table frame shorter than its stored rows is made taller so the last rows are not cut off (checked on the issue 44 calendar)
- ✅ Table > Calendar > Set Year retypes headings, day numbers and week rows for any year 1900 to 2200 in one undo step (docs/calendar-year.md)
- ✅ Pictures can be selected, moved, resized and replaced (File > Place)
- ✅ Based on DesignCraft 0.18.0
- ✅ Table text
- ✅ Save as
.designcraftand reopen - ✅ Export to PDF, and printing (tested on one printer)
- ✅ Command-line folder conversion to PDF, with one report of results and things to check
Partly
- 🟡 Fonts: missing Microsoft fonts are substituted; line breaks can change
- 🟡 Tables: fills, borders, padding and merged cells are not decoded; cell text for multi-table files is placed only when every check passes, otherwise the old behaviour plus a warning
- 🟡 Set Year: English full month names and a Sun-Sat or Mon-Sun weekday row only; a calendar edited here saves as
.designcraft, not.pub - 🟡 Other shape types can still come in as rectangles, with a warning
- 🟡 WordArt: circle and other warps stay straight text
- 🟡 Real files: most open with warnings; check them against the original
Not yet
- ⬜ Saving back to
.pub - ⬜ Typing into table cells by hand and printing were not tried on the issue 44 calendar
- ⬜ Page numbers and dates
- ⬜ Numbered lists and custom tab stops
- ⬜ A signed download (Windows shows a warning for now)
- ⬜ Testing on a second Windows PC, and on more printers
Still needs research (we do not yet know how Publisher stores or does these)
- 🔬 How Publisher fits text to a frame (some headlines get cut off)
- 🔬 Table cell fills, borders, padding and the small row-position drift
- 🔬 How Publisher bends letters in circle, wave and other WordArt
- 🔬 Numbered lists and custom tab stops (we need sample files)
- 🔬 Publisher 97, 98 and 2000 files (refused today; clean-room notes exist, see the roadmap)
Real-file check (run before the table-height change and Set Year; not re-run since): of 24 real Apache test files, 9 opened with only notes about formatting settings we skip, 10 opened with warnings, 2 were refused as Publisher 97, 98 or 2000 files, and 3 were deliberately damaged test files that were correctly rejected. We have compared only nine test files with Publisher's own images, so none of this is a claim that files match Publisher. Follow along in the tracking issue.
- Download the zip from the latest release (currently
v0.18.0-nifty-alpha.5). - Right-click the zip and choose Extract All.
- Open the new folder and double-click
designcraft.exe. - Windows may warn you because the alpha is not signed. Choose More info, then Run anyway. If Windows instead says "An Application Control policy has blocked this file", Smart App Control has blocked it and offers no Run anyway option. Trying again later sometimes helps. See Known limitations.
Want to verify the download? (optional)
Each release file shows a SHA-256 value on the Releases page. In PowerShell, run Get-FileHash .\NiftyDesign-...-windows-x64.zip and compare it with the .sha256 file.
Full steps: docs/TESTER-INSTALL.md. If the app misbehaves it writes a log. Attach %APPDATA%\DesignCraft\logs\designcraft.log to your report if you can.
You are among the first to run this. Whatever you find, good or bad, helps.
- Open an issue with the bug form or the "file failed to open" form.
- Tell us your NiftyDesign version, your Windows version, what you did, what happened, and the warning text if there was any.
- Issues are public. Attach a
.pubonly if everyone may see it, and never post private information. Not sure? Leave the file out and describe the problem. - Looking for files? Here is what helps most: docs/SAMPLE-REQUEST.md. Files from Publisher 2002 to 2010, and files with tables, numbered lists, WordArt or tab stops, are especially useful.
How we handle reports: docs/TRIAGE.md. Security problems: SECURITY.md.
How do I open a .pub file without Microsoft Publisher? Download NiftyDesign for Windows from the latest release, start it, choose Open and pick your .pub file. It works with files from Publisher 2002 and newer. It opens a converted copy as a new, unsaved document and never changes your original file.
Can I convert a .pub file to PDF for free? Yes. Open the file, then export PDF. Check the PDF against your original: some features, such as table fills and borders and numbered lists, are not converted yet. WordArt letter fitting remains approximate. See Known limitations.
Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Publisher? NiftyDesign is an early, unofficial alpha built to open and edit existing .pub files. It is not a full Publisher replacement. Other free tools that can import Publisher files include LibreOffice Draw and Scribus.
Does it open old Publisher 97, 98 or 2000 files? Not yet. Those files are refused with a message. Re-save them in Publisher 2002 or newer first.
Microsoft is retiring Publisher. What happens to my files? Microsoft set October 1, 2026 as the date Publisher is retired and loses support. Your .pub files stay on your computer, but the program that edits them is going away. NiftyDesign is one way to keep opening them. Keep your original files either way.
Why does Windows warn me or block it? The alpha is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen or Smart App Control may warn about it or block it the first time. The install steps explain what to do, and Known limitations says what we saw on our own test PC.
Based on DesignCraft by the ArtCraft team, licensed MIT OR Apache-2.0. The Publisher importer and NiftyDesign changes are by srt8hellcat2-ui, written clean-room (how). Thanks to everyone who shares sample files, listed with their permission.
See NOTICE, LICENSE-MIT and LICENSE-APACHE.