Perhaps one (of many) reasons that some people sneer at the suggestion that Microsoft Word and other word processers can be used for doing desktop publishing is that so many Word users never venture beyond the default or basic options of the software. For example, line spacing (aka leading). Double-spacing is fine for term papers and manuscripts, but for newsletters, brochures, and business cards you'll get a much better product if you fine-tune that line spacing. Here's how:
TypeTalk: Change Line Spacing in Word. You have to search for it, but there is a place that lets you go beyond single and double spacing. (from CreativePro.com)
More on line spacing and related issues:
I agree absolutely that Word deserves more respect than it gets. I am an amateur who produces two newsletters. I’m not able to pay for pro software and then pay for a course to learn how to use it. But I had Word Professional on our computer already, and a husband who could teach me enough to get started.
Since then I’ve gotten very proficient at using the options available in it, including the Format Paragraph mentioned in the above article. Did you know that you can even kern with Format Font?
One of the very first articles I wrote for this site back in 1997 was about how word processing software was becoming more and more powerful and in many ways closing the gap between it and more traditional page layout programs. But a lot of users never fully explore all that it can do. There’s a lot of overlap although I still prefer a page layout program for newsletters and such myself, I’m also all for using what you have on hand when you have to — I used some pretty cheap and limited software way back when but I pushed it to its limits. The trick is learning what your software can do and using it to its full potential.