MS Publisher - 300 dpi PNG's

Barb Louck 30 Reputation points
2026-09-07T06:36:23.92+00:00

It saddens/infuriates me that MS Publisher is going away. As a graphic designer who has used the various MS Office 365 programs in both a formal office setting and as an independent contractor for many years, I specifically work with images in MS Publisher on a daily basis. Easy peasy and this is my go to program that I use for my digital art. I cannot emphasize enough how easy it is to create designs in Publisher and then have the ability to save them as 300 dpi PNG's. And note there are oodles of other file formats you can choose from as well when saving an image or text which is wonderful.

To the best of my knowledge, I am not able to do this in MS Word or MS Power Point. I have read that there are so-called solutions to this problem in these two programs that will give you this same outcome but they have not worked for me. Apparently a workaround in Word is to go to File, Options, Advanced, Image Size and Default Resolution. This is not even close to what can be achieved in Publisher with the simple option of Save As, then choose PNG, then have choices for dpi count. What a dirty shame that this gift to those of us who work with graphic art is being taken away. I have also read that you can tweak the Registry in Power Point but why go through all of that when the simple Save As feature could be made available instead?

Would it be difficult for Microsoft's IT to add this feature to one or both of these programs? Is it too expensive ... is that the real reason? I work in Word all the time as well and if this function was added, I would be able to switch over and basically do the same work that I have been doing in Publisher. I am guessing there are tons of users out there who are in the same boat as I am. By including this function to Word and/or PP, it would make it less painful losing MS Publisher which is such an intuitive and powerful program. Sadly why is it that sometimes good things are taken away - sure seems like a lack of common sense. I'm guessing it is a money thing like everything else but on behalf of others who are facing this same issue, PLEASE reconsider and add this function in one or more of your other programs! Thank you!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Publisher | For business
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Answer accepted by question author
Michelle Nguyen 1,180 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-09-07T07:20:41.8+00:00

Hi @Barb Louck

Thank you for sharing such thoughtful and detailed feedback. Your request is entirely reasonable, especially for users who rely on Publisher for graphic design and high-resolution image exports.

From a technical perspective, adding an option to export PNG files at 300 dpi in Word or PowerPoint appears feasible. PowerPoint can already save individual slides as PNG, JPEG, GIF, or SVG files. However, it currently does not provide a simple option to select the desired resolution directly in the Save As dialog.

The Default Resolution or High fidelity setting in Word and PowerPoint is not equivalent to Publisher’s export feature. It primarily controls the compression and quality of images inserted into a document or presentation. It does not allow users to export an entire design as a PNG at a selected resolution such as 300 dpi.

Microsoft has not stated that Publisher is being retired, or that this feature has not been added to other applications, because of cost. Microsoft’s official explanation is that resources are being focused on newer features and that many common Publisher scenarios are already available in Word and PowerPoint. However, these applications do not yet fully replace Publisher’s design and high-resolution image export capabilities.

A feature such as the following would make the transition significantly easier:

  1. File > Export > Change File Type
  2. Choose PNG (or another image format) under Image File Types
  3. There's a Resolution dropdown with options like "High Fidelity" or "Print (220 ppi)" Under Resolution, you will see different options > choose High Fidelity or Print (220 ppi), which is an excellent option for higher quality output

That tops out around 220 ppi, not the full range Publisher gives you, so it won't get you to a locked-in 300 dpi.

I also recommend submitting this request through the Microsoft Feedback Portal, where Microsoft product teams and engineers can review user suggestions. Feedback that receives support from other users may help demonstrate how important this feature is to the Publisher community.

Thank you again for taking the time to explain how Publisher’s retirement affects your workflow.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-07T06:36:48.3833333+00:00

    Publisher currently supports saving a page, two facing pages, or selected objects as picture files and, when the format supports it, lets the resolution be changed in the Save As dialog. For best results, the documented recommendation is High quality printing or commercial press (300 dpi). Recommended formats for best viewing and printing quality when moving content into Word are PNG, JPEG, or Enhanced Metafile.

    Word, PowerPoint, and Excel do support saving a picture or other graphic as a separate file by using Save as Picture, but the available context does not document a Publisher-style workflow in Word or PowerPoint where a page or object can be exported with a selectable 300 dpi setting in the same way Publisher does.

    For Publisher content that needs to be reused in Word, the supported approaches are:

    1. Copy and paste objects or a page into Word
      • Select the Publisher objects.
      • Right-click Copy.
      • Open the Word document.
      • Right-click Paste where needed.
    2. Save Publisher content as a picture, then insert it into Word
      • In Publisher, select the page or objects.
      • Use File > Save As for a page/two-page spread, or right-click an object and choose Save as Picture.
      • Choose PNG or JPEG.
      • If Change is available, select the resolution and use High quality printing or commercial press (300 dpi).
      • In Word, use Insert > Picture and insert the saved file.

    Important limitation: when Publisher content is inserted into Word as a picture, the publication text and objects are no longer editable as Publisher objects.

    On the product question, the documented position is that Publisher reaches end of life in October 2026. Microsoft states that many common Publisher scenarios are available in Word and PowerPoint, but the available material does not provide any statement about adding Publisher’s exact 300 dpi export workflow to Word or PowerPoint, nor any reason such as cost.

    If the goal is preserving current work with print quality before retirement, the supported path in the available material is to export needed Publisher pages or objects now as picture files using the 300 dpi option where available.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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