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What format does iWork save its documents in and is it compatible outside of its own working environment? In other words is it mostly unusable with offset printers for example, like Microsoft Publisher?

The current version will save as Word, Pages '08, and you can always print to PDF.

I'm still on Pages 2 from iWorks, and it exports to PDF, Word, HTML, RTF, and plain text. (In this version, one must "export" to other formats, rather than "save as.") Maybe the newer version offers more formats.

V.2 has usually been successful at opening occasional Word attachments I get in emails. (I don't use any MS applications.)

This version is abysmally s-l-o-w on my older desktop computer (2002), but works normally on my new MacBookPro with Leopard. I have learned to like a lot about Pages & the integration with other Apple software, but it still doesn't quite come up to the old AppleWorks in features, and definitely not in speed on the older computer. (This version won't do links to external files or split pane windows, both of which AW does. Maybe these features have been added in newer versions.)

I don't use Keynote.

Rich&Barb - one other thought.
Are you referring to commercial offset printing? Seems that it would be better to do what Phyl suggests - pdf. Better yet, use InDesign page layout for final production files and/or an InDesign export to pdf, which provides much higher quality choices for commercial printing.

Pages 2 exports to pdf with the choice of "good, better, or best" image quality. But a commercial printer might work either with InDesign files (they love 'em!), and/or provide you with InDesign pdf plugins that incorporate their house specs for either offset or digital print jobs.