It sounds to me a bit like you're talking to an "old-fashioned" printing firm which uses offset litho (nothing wrong with that) but who also isn't up to speed on using camera ready copy in the digital age.

Change your printer...not yours, that is, but the firm you use. Try ringing round and saying things like "can you use camera ready digital copy" and if you all get are indeterminate noises, move on.

Some firms will know what you're talking about. Or Google "on demand printing, short run". There are places who do this online.

But if you're using Publisher, yes, you have a problem, since it's not compatible with much, and generates even more non-standard output than some others. Get a better graphics program.

It's a tricky area.

Paws