![]() Lacking in DTP skills? Marq is just the thing for people who want an InDesign alternative that's a lot easier to use than InDesign itself, and a great way to pick up the basics of desktop publishing before graduation to a more fully-featured package. There’s a free trial, so you can give it a go before you buy. When it comes to actual layout you get some sophisticated features such as double-page spreads, unlimited layers, master pages, customisable grids, rich-text tools and printing to RGB or CMYK, and when you're done you can export to PNG, TIFF, JPEG, EPS and PDF.įor $19.99 you wouldn't expect it to be as good as InDesign, and frankly it's not, but Swift Publisher a decent budget option if you only need to make rather specific layout designs and would prefer to use templates to get things done quickly. Not only does Swift Publisher have a huge number of templates, you also get access to a collection of 2D and 3D heading presets, plus 2,000 free clipart images and 100 image masks. Swift Publisher really does have a lot going for it. This is a budget DTP app that has a major selling point: its selection of over 500 templates for all manner of projects, including bi-fold and tri-fold brochures, catalogues, business cards, social media, disc labels and covers, address labels and more. If you're not keen on spending much on an InDesign alternative, Swift Publisher is worth a look at least if you're on a Mac. Scribus is available for Mac, Windows and Linux. While Scribus isn’t likely to become as powerful or feature-rich as InDesign, it's a great alternative if you’re working in indie publishing or on a personal side project and prefer to use a free DTP package. However, Scribus actually can open idml files in its development fork, the 1.5.x version. On the face of it, it seems you can’t open files from InDesign. You should be able to get up and running quickly thanks to its helpful forums and documentation, and the software even comes with a free selection of templates for things like business cards, brochures and newsletters. There are also some surprising extras like vector drawing tools, emulation of colour blindness and the rendering of markup languages like LaTeX or Lilypond. ![]() ![]() With a dedicated and enthusiastic developer community behind it, it's stable to use and regularly updated, with all the DTP features you'd hope for including support for OpenType, CMYK colours, spot colours, ICC colour management and versatile PDF creation. First launched back in 2001 (when it would have been a QuarkXPress alternative), Scribus provides an InDesign-like interface and a lot more features than you'd expect from a free package. That really makes this an InDesign alternative for those who have a personal preference for the software or need to use it in a specific job.Ĭan’t import files from InDesign or QuarkXPressįinding a good free open-source InDesign alternative isn't easy, but there is one in the form of Scribus. It's not as expensive as it used to be, but still costs more than the options higher up on our list. The pricing caters to the corporate market, with a perpetual licence plus the the first year of the annual maintenance plan coming in at £587.16 (inc VAT). The main reason QuarkXPress is not higher on this list is the cost. It offers impressive functionality for both print and digital design, and, it can import InDesign files. New features include visual palettes for your fonts and picture linking. ![]() It can be used to create everything from posters and flyers to brochures, catalogues, and magazines, as well as ebooks and web and mobile apps. QuarkXPress remains a very powerful and well-featured DTP package that definitely gives InDesign a run for its money.Īvailable for PC or Mac, the software is updated on an annual basis, usually around late spring/early summer. QuarkXPress dates back to 1987, and while InDesign stolen its thunder, the application is still available and it remains a very good InDesign alternative. Back in the days before InDesign was even a thing, QuarkXPress was the only serious desktop publishing package in the game in the 1990s and into the early years of this century it could be found in every design studio and publishing house. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |