The only thing you need to have is an average computer; patience and passion for learning new things. Now that you've read all about the DTP software features, importance, and advantages, it's time we talk a bit more about the top desktop publishing software. I am hoping that my descriptions will allow you to make the best possible choice for your needs. Want to read more about one software in particular?
Invented by the pioneers themselves, Adobe, InDesign is the industry-leading layout and page design software , for both printed and digital media. Make no mistake, it's not first on the list because I personally use it, it's the first one we should talk about because it is the most powerful tool on the market.
Packed with a lot of features and unparalleled functionality, Adobe InDesign is available for both Windows and Mac, has more than 20 years of existence, and millions of users around the globe. Of course InDesign has all the above-mentioned desktop publishing software features, but what makes it stand out are the practical tools and features that are impossible to find in any other DTP software.
Once you learn how to use InDesign, going back to working with Word, will seem like a punishment! InDesign plays a key-role for professionals and it is an inseparable part of their everyday life. On the other side, if you are just a beginner, reading these 20 most common InDesign mistakes might be just what you need. On top of all the features that InDesign has, there are other advantages connected to having a huge independent community behind a software, such as:. InDesign is the tool I would strongly suggest you to go with, but there are other alternatives you might want to consider.
Adobe InDesign, with its helpful tools and features, is the industry-leading software on the market. Chances are that every single marketing department, or graphic department, or even client, will require you to have knowledge of InDesign.
This means that by learning how to use this tool you can open yourself to a lot of opportunities, such as versatile projects or job positions. However, if you prefer to use a different tool for your projects, read on, I've described four more alternatives. Even though my tool of choice would definitely be InDesign, I cheer for each and all of them. More options and healthy competition are good things, they pushed the market forward, inspire innovation, and in the long run, lead towards better and cheaper tools.
It can be bought individually or as part of Microsoft Office Package. Watch this informative Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Publisher but also read all of the following paragraphs to find out important information on it.
These are the crucial ones that will make the most difference when choosing the best desktop publishing software to use :. On top of all these weaknesses, I must also mention that Microsoft Publisher is in this weird "grey" area in the publishing industry. A lot of its tools are matched by Word's features, so most people choose Word over Publisher for basic publishing tasks.
At the same time, though it has a lot of other helpful tools, they are still not enough to make it a software used by professionals. Ultimately, this InDesign alternative is a small-scale desktop publishing software that is suitable for very small companies for the administrative personnel or personal purposes in-home creative projects.
My second InDesign alternative is this open-source and free desktop publishing software called Scribus. With this software, you will be able to create layouts for manuals, reports, newsletters, magazines, leaflets, PDFs, and other digital and printed publications. Most people that use Scribus prefer it because it's free, but the way that I see it, using it comes with a "price". Here are the most important setbacks:.
Besides these three key-points, I must also mention that in the design and publishing industry, it is not really about doing something, but rather how you do it.
InDesign is all about that. InDesign and Scribus and all of the other desktop publishing software I've mentioned have the same purpose - the creation of publishing materials , therefore, it's no wonder that they all have similar features and tools. These are what make InDesign very intuitive and allow you to save time , be more efficient , and have a more fluent workflow. Something I would say is key for every profession.
I would suggest Scribus for non-professional creative minds who want to deal with minor desktop publishing tasks and are on a budget. Back in , Quark Inc. This desktop publishing software allows you to create brochures and flyers, newsletters, annual reports, and other printed and digital publishing materials.
It also let's you create some responsive HTML5 web pages such as banner ads, landing pages, and more. Now, after decades Quark's team is back, with a software upgrade that shook the creative world - in a positive way. This is great news for the industry because currently the entire competition, as I mentioned, lags behind Adobe InDesign. An interesting fact would be that back in the early 90s QuarkXPress was the leader in the publishing industry. Then in '99 InDesign arrived and changed the game.
Boring tasks were sped up and automated, so as to allow creative minds to do just that - create. At the same time, if nothing disturbs you from the creative process e. Instead of hoping that the results of your hard work will be published as you envisioned, it is wiser to take responsibility into your own hands. That means that the vividness and brightness of your layout will be preserved. In addition, with the ability to tune the bleeds, the quantity and quality of objects present on the file before and after publishing will coincide.
Below is a list and description of the most basic and essential features that any desktop publishing software should have. Some of them may prove more crucial than others depending on the type of print project you are working with.
Though these features are important, the list surely does not end here. The ability to create a variety of projects defines the flexibility of a desktop publishing application. The key to delivering this is by supporting an abundance of paper layouts and the ability to create custom page layouts without too many restrictions. Such tools include but are not limited to rulers, adjustable and automatic guides, multiple editing layers, object snapping, and object grouping. The guides and snapping options offer a point of reference when placing images and text in the document.
Multiple editing layers keep the workspace more or less uncluttered which helps to prevent selecting and moving the unintended object.
Object grouping helps in a similar way by making sure that multiple objects remain positioned proportionate to one another. This option creates a type of template that can be applied to every page of a document.
Desktop publishing software should offer a wide range of text editing tools extending beyond standard operations on text. Linked text boxes are an absolute must in desktop publishing. Such text boxes allow text to flow freely within a network of text boxes.
This makes editing text content much easier since the text boxes automatically adjust the contained text. Adjusting the text properties of headers and other portions of text can be quite tedious. Applications with style sheets make that process much quicker. One can think of style sheets as customizable text templates that can be applied to any portion of text by selecting it and choosing the corresponding style sheet.
The ability to edit images is also an absolute must for desktop publishing software. Moreover, Quark also supports eBooks, webpages and mobile apps creation. Nowadays the program is one of the best and most popular alternatives to InDesign.
A large amount of features Quark offers is not even comparable to InDesign with the former winning over. This layout and prepress program helps produce dynamic final output using an impressive toolset. The program has gained plenty of useful features over the years. It is focused on small business professionals where firms do not have dedicated designers for creating marketing materials. Nowadays, it allows creating professional-looking publications with the use of photos and text blocks.
The program is highly capable and provides a rich selection of already existing templates and typography tools while users can choose to start with a blank sheet. It is considered one of the most common DTP systems used by both beginners and professionals. Microsoft Publisher usually goes as a part of Microsoft Office packages.
The latest versions adopted a more touch-friendly UI. Eventually, its interface would be familiar to anyone who has used other Office apps. Recently released Lucidpress is an online DTP program that provides simple in use and affordable solution for creating ads and publishing content. Its fully functional and intuitive interface allows developing professional-quality graphics effects, managing various formats, text styles, images, etc.
With a drag-and-drop menu mechanism and password-protected content, Lucidpress is a worthful alternative to Microsoft Publisher. The program helps create multimedia files useful in business and educational environments. Famous for its open-source freeware nature, Scribus is a powerful multi-platform desktop publishing and page layout solution.
Developed back in , it was initially based on Qt library. The interface might seem fairly dated, bare-bone looking and even a little clunky.
Yet initial doubts fade away rapidly as Scribus has a reliable and workable functionality. Actually, it mimics the InDesign layout offering up all the essential features.
Scribus appears suitable for producing commercial-level publications, from brochures to business cards. However, proficient users might lack some of the more advanced functions as the application is not as polished and high-powered as other top-tier programs.
Scribus aim is to make desktop publishing accessible for everyone without limiting professional functions for printing.
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