2020-12-21 15:24:40 • Filed to: Indesign Features • Proven solutions

1. Affinity Publisher Index
2. Affinity Publisher Indd Export
3. Affinity Publisher Indesign Compatibility
4. Affinity Publisher Indesign Templates

InDesign has been on the market for quite some time now. There are many InDesign alternative programs that can be used to perform the same level of work, and the outcome is generally the same. There are many free InDesign alternative tools that are being used by designers, but you need to research which ones will work the best for your needs. In this article, we’ve outline the most popular InDesign alternatives, comparing pros, cons, price and operating system.

Affinity Publisher Index

Top 8 InDesign Alternative for Windows

Affinity Publisher. This is a new graphics editor that was developed by Serif and has gained popularity in recent years. Pros: The interface of the program is stable. Photography Proposal Affinity Publisher Template. This Affinity Publisher template is ideal for.

1. PDFelement

PDFelement is without a doubt one of the best and the most advanced alternatives to InDesign that you can find. It is a one-stop PDF solution to solve all your PDF needs. This simple program can perform the same level of functionality as InDesign.

Pros:

• The advanced editing features makes for a smooth and simple PDF editing experience.
• Rotate, move, and resize graphical elements in your PDF file.
• Approve and sign PDF documents digitally.
• The built in OCR can be used to transform scanned PDFs into editable text.
• Secure PDFs with password protection and redactions.
• The program is available for Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android.
• The interface is interactive and easy to use.

System Support:

• Windows
• Mac
• iOS
• Android

2. Microsoft Office Publisher

This is another alternative to InDesign. The interface is very simple and allows users to publish their work directly to other websites.

Pros:

• The program is easy to use for those used to using word processors.
• The design process is streamlined with built-in-tools.

Cons:

• The trial version is free, but you need to pay for the full version.
• The program freezes for no reason and slows the system down.

System Support:

• Windows

3. QuarkXPress

This is a proprietary software that was launched in 1987. It is used for complex layouts in WYSIWYG. The interface is interactive and allows the users to design elements effortlessly.

Pros:

• The program designs layouts using simple processes.
• It is quick, easy to use, and includes many tutorials online.

Cons:

• The Quark interactive designer is slow.

System Support:

• Windows
• Mac

4. Serif Pageplus

Also known as Pageplus this InDesign alternative is used to publish interactive elements with a single click.

Pros:

• The price is low.
• The program is fast.

Cons:

• The program is only available for Windows.
• The stable release is yet to be launched.

System Support:

• Windows

5. Affinity Publisher

This is a new graphics editor that was developed by Serif and has gained popularity in recent years.

Pros:

• The interface of the program is stable and interactive.
• It is simple to use.

Cons:

• The program is highly unstable when it comes to large projects.
• The beta has been released which means there are many bugs.

System Support:

• Windows
• Mac
• iOS

6. Spring Publisher

This easy to use desktop publishing app is regarded highly by professionals due to its creative design and interactive nature.

Pros:

• The program is reliable.
• The price is low.

Cons:

Affinity Publisher Indd Export

• The program can be slow.
• It is not for professional use on a large scale.

System Support:

• Windows

InDesign Open Source Alternative

7. Scribus

This open source InDesign alternative is very popular and is used all over the world. It is highly interactive and allows users to publish their designs online easily.

Pros:

• The program is open source with unlimited support.
• It comes with an HLC color atlas.
• It is interactive.
• It has many tutorials.

Cons:

• It is not as interactive as many paid programs.
• The stable release contains bugs.
• This InDesign alternative has limited support.
• It is not as fast as paid programs.

System Support:

• Windows
• Mac
• Linux

8. PDFrizator

This program is mainly used for PDF editing but is also a full-fledged desktop publishing app that allows users to work with design and graphics. It also supports MP3 format.

Pros:

• It supports a high number of image formats.
• It is very easy to use.

Cons:

• The program is not for personal use.

System Support:

• Windows

Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!

Free Download or Buy PDFelement right now!

Buy PDFelement right now!

Buy PDFelement right now!

Affinity Publisher is a desktop publishing application developed by Serif for macOS and Microsoft Windows, with an iPadOS version planned for release in 2020. It is a part of the Affinity product line along with Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer.

Overview[edit]

Affinity Publisher serves as a successor to Serif's own PagePlus software, which the company discontinued in August 2017 in order to focus on the Affinity product range.^[2] It has been described as an alternative to Adobe InDesign,^[3][4][5] due to its primary focus on desktop publishing workflows for both printed and online media, including common features from this industry, such as master pages, OpenType support, linked text frames, and end-to-end support for the CMYK color model.^[6]

Affinity Publisher includes StudioLink technology,^[7] developed by Serif, which allows owners of Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo to use the vector and raster graphic editing functionality of those applications for editing content directly within Publisher^[3][8] (in addition to its own, smaller set of native vector and raster editing features).^[6]

File format support[edit]

File formats supported by Affinity Publisher (in addition to the Affinity suite's native file format) include Adobe InDesign Markup Language (IDML),^[9]Adobe Photoshop PSD, Adobe Illustrator AI, PDF, JPG, TIFF, PNG, and EPS,^[10] with export functionality for the PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, PDF/X-4 standards of the PDF/X file format.^[11]

The iPadOS editions of Affinity Photo and Designer also include support for Affinity Publisher files.^[10]

Development[edit]

The first promotional video for Affinity Publisher was shown by Serif in December 2017, demonstrating features such as the drag & drop functionality, and text flow between frames.^[12][13] A free public beta of the software was made available for both macOS and Windows on August 30, 2018.^[14][15]

The first full version of Publisher (using the 1.7 version number, to align with other Affinity products) was first released on June 19, 2019,^[16] in conjunction with Serif's 2019 'Affinity Live' event,^[17] during which the company also announced the StudioLink integration features for the first time.^[18] Publisher was made available for purchase directly from Serif's website and also available from the Mac App Store and Microsoft Store.

Publisher was updated to version 1.8 in February 2020, introducing support for importing Adobe InDesign's IDML file format.^[9]

Serif have stated that an iPadOS version of the software is planned for release in 2020.^[16][18]

Reception[edit]

Affinity Publisher received generally favorable reviews following its initial release in 2019, with the application's range of features, its StudioLink integration with Affinity Designer/Photo, and non-subscription pricing model commonly cited as positive areas.^[19][20][21] Limitations noted by reviewers of the initial release included its lack of support for InDesign's document (INDD) & markup (IDML) files^[19][20] (although Serif added IDML support in February 2020^[9]),^[22] for footnotes & endnotes,^[23] and for GREP-based and nested styles.^[23]

Many reviews drew comparisons between Publisher and InDesign,^[19][23][22] often noting that Publisher's first release did not have all of the features required to serve as a full replacement;^[19][22] however, CreativePro also acknowledged it as having additional tools that are not present in InDesign or other desktop publishing applications.^[23]

In December 2019, Apple named Publisher the “Mac App of the Year”.^[24]

References[edit]

1. ^'Affinity Publisher for Windows - 1.9.0'. Affinity Forum. Retrieved 2021-02-04.
2. ^Eccles, Simon (2019-09-17). 'Star product: Serif Affinity Publisher'. PrintWeek. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
3. ^ ^abPruitt, Ant (2019-06-24). 'Affinity Publisher creates competition for Adobe's InDesign'. TechRepublic. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
4. ^Antunes, Jose (2018-08-31). 'Affinity Publisher: an affordable alternative to Adobe InDesign'. ProVideo Coalition. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
5. ^Sartain, JD (2019-08-27). 'Alternatives for Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop and more'. PC World. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
6. ^ ^abEndicott, Sean (2019-06-19). 'Affinity Publisher is now available from Serif'. Windows Central. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
7. ^Banks, Adam (2019-09-01). 'Affinity Publisher: Layout for Less'. MacLife. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
8. ^'Serif launches Affinity Publisher with new StudioLink technology'. MacDailyNews. 2019-06-19. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
9. ^ ^abcBenjamin, Jeff (2020-02-26). 'Affinity Photo, Publisher, and Designer updated to version 1.8'. 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2020-03-07.
10. ^ ^abLee, Giacomo (2019-06-19). 'Serif just launched its InDesign killer Affinity Publisher'. Digital Arts. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
11. ^Becker, Leo (2019-06-20). 'DTP: Affinity Publisher tritt gegen Adobe InDesign an'. Heise.de. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
12. ^Benjamin, Jeff (2017-12-14). 'Affinity Publisher for Mac teased on video ahead of 2018 beta release'. 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
13. ^Antunes, Jose (2017-12-18). 'Affinity Publisher: a sneak peek at Serif's DTP by Jose Antunes'. ProVideo Coalition. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
14. ^Benjamin, Jeff (2018-08-30). 'Affinity Publisher free public beta goes live for Mac users'. 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
15. ^Lee, Giacomo (2018-08-30). 'Affinity Publisher: a free beta of the new InDesign rival is now available'. Digital Arts. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
16. ^ ^abGallagher, William (2019-06-19). 'Mac page design app Affinity Publisher comes out of beta'. AppleInsider. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
17. ^'Affinity Live Event Scheduled for June 19'. Mac Sources. 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
18. ^ ^abHamilton, Ruth (2019-06-19). 'Affinity Publisher launches, and reveals a ridiculously cool new feature'. Creative Bloq. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
19. ^ ^abcdParis, Steve (2019-07-16). 'Affinity Publisher DTP software review'. TechRadar. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
20. ^ ^abEndicott, Sean (2019-06-28). 'Affinity Publisher is professional-grade but doesn't require a subscription'. Windows Central. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
21. ^Evenden, Ian (2019-10-01). 'Work With Images in Affinity Publisher'. Maximum PC. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
22. ^ ^abcJefferis, David (2019-06-25). 'Affinity Publisher review: can it replace InDesign?'. The Big Tech Question. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
23. ^ ^abcdCaplin, Steve (2019-07-02). 'Review: Affinity Publisher'. CreativePro. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
24. ^'Apple celebrates the best apps and games of 2019'. Apple.com. 2019-12-02. Retrieved 2020-02-03.

Affinity Publisher Indesign Compatibility

External links[edit]

Affinity Publisher Indesign Templates