Publisher Alternative for Schools: Certificates, Newsletters and Old .pub Files

Now that Microsoft Publisher has retired, schools have two jobs to solve: keeping the years of certificates, newsletters and posters already saved as .pub files usable, and making new ones. Korva covers both on Windows, Mac and Linux computers, offline and without accounts. On Chromebooks, the honest answer is the free browser converter and viewer, not the desktop app.

Publisher left Microsoft 365 on October 1, 2026. For schools that’s more disruptive than it sounds, because the files live everywhere: a shared drive of award certificates, the front office’s newsletter template, a decade of event posters, a teacher’s laminated classroom labels. Microsoft suggests Word and PowerPoint for new work, but neither opens a .pub file.

Start with the files you already have

Before choosing anything, find out what’s in the archive. Search the shared drives for *.pub and note which files are still in use: this year’s certificate design, the newsletter template, the sign-in sheets.

• Open and fix the ones in use. Korva opens .pub files from Publisher 2003 and later with their layout, as an editable copy. Change the year on the certificate and export it again. Files from Publisher 2002 and earlier open with their text and pictures but a new layout.
• Turn the rest into PDFs. For an archive of past issues, PDF is the safe long-term copy. Korva’s File › Rescue .pub archive scans a whole folder for free and converts it to PDFs with Korva Pro. For a single file, the free browser converter does it without uploading anything.

Certificates for a whole class

Award certificates are the job schools ask about most. With Korva Pro’s mail merge you design one certificate, connect a class list, and get one certificate per student in a single PDF:

1. Open your old certificate .pub, or start from Korva’s built-in certificate template under File › New.
2. Put the student’s name where it belongs using a field from your list.
3. On the Mailings tab, click Select Data… and choose an Excel (.xlsx) or .csv class list.
4. Step through the records to check long names fit, then make the PDF.

The mail merge guide walks through it. Because Korva runs offline, the class list never leaves the computer, which keeps the data-protection conversation simple.

Class and school newsletters

A newsletter is the same job in a school as in a church or club. Start from last issue’s .pub, or from the free two-page newsletter template, and follow how to make a newsletter for columns, flowing stories and master pages.

Posters, signs and labels

• Posters. Korva has a Tabloid (11 × 17 in) poster template. For a bigger display, poster tiling prints one large page across several Letter or A4 sheets to tape together.
• Labels. Avery 5160, 5161 and 5163 sheets are built in for name labels and mailings. See printing Avery labels.
• Pictures for the website. File › Export › Picture saves a page as a PNG or JPEG for the school site or newsletter email. See converting .pub to JPG.

An honest note on Chromebooks

Korva is a desktop app for Windows 10+, macOS 12+ and 64-bit Linux. It doesn’t run on ChromeOS, and we don’t support it there. If your school is mostly Chromebooks:

• The free PUB to PDF converter and PUB viewer run in Chrome. They read the file inside the browser and don’t upload it.
• For editing, you’d need Korva on at least one Windows, Mac or Linux computer, such as the front office machine, or use Google Docs or Canva for new work.

What about Word, Google Docs or Canva?

They’re fine for new, simple work. Word has mail merge and label printing, Google Docs suits schools on Google Workspace, and Canva is quick for posters. None of them opens a .pub file, so they don’t solve the archive. Many schools end up using one of them for new posters and Korva for the old files and the certificates. Our comparison of Publisher alternatives goes through each.

What it costs

The free version of Korva opens and edits any .pub and exports the first complete project as often as needed, so a teacher can test the school’s real files before anyone buys. Korva Pro is $49 once per computer, with no subscription and a 14-day refund. The licence moves to a new computer when the old one is replaced. It adds every other project, batch conversion, editable .kva saves, mail merge and master pages.