GreyEyes

Ah, there has been a change and it came in March 5th of this year, at the tail end of last year i was looking at the cost of releasing an app via their store they all followed the 30% fee. I believe there is a case going on against apples 30% fee... hopefully they all follow suit and reducing. They're only going to pay 5% if it's promoted via a link on the developers site if software is hosted and delivered by Microsoft if self prompted as you say, otherwise the majority that discover the software via the Microsoft store will still cost the developer 15% of each sale, it's still a hit.. i must admit not as bad as 30%. They can promote it themselves for even less than 5% if delivered via their site (which they do). Your comment about the the license key: That doesn't make sense, if you have a key purchased from serif already, you can't get the software from the M$ store unless you go through the checkout purchase process, i tried it... you'll end up purchasing a 2nd user key... why would you want to do that if you can get the software updates from serif directly? If you've bought it via the M$ store initially, hopefully they will let you reuse the key via their trial unlock edition on their site or an account via serif. There is a mac version and they've made it clear you can't reuse a windows key, you have to purchase a mac licence separately (i have both).. unless they've changed the rules since i last looked, it's non transferable, it was one of the questions asked prior.

No idea where you got that idea from, they're not giving away a free app, it's a commercial app. They do have it on the Microsoft store, all 3 apps. If you get the software via the M$ store you have to pay in order to obtain it, you can't get the software unless you click buy and complete the checkout process. If they sell from their own website they don't have to take a 30% hit like they would selling via the M$ store. This isn't taking into account payment processing fees (only a small percentage) The motive is to sell it via their own site rather than stores, thus generate more revenue, rather than less and pass the cost back to customers via non store sites by inflating the price across the board.

you do realise that these on-line stores take a 30% revenue cut of sales, Serif would have to pass that cost on to the consumer. On pricing via their site, they have it about right, let's stick with that.

Bug in: 1.7.1.404 not 1.7.0.404 - just edited it.

Affinity Designer: 1.7.1.404 (latest from website). Bug: Save still disabled after moving a vector graphic using the arrow keys. I discovered this after download 1.7.1.404 and opening up an existing graphic file, i had group of vector objects i just wanted moving by 1 up arrow key press. I highlighted a grouped set of vectors, i pressed the up arrow key to move it by 1 click, and the File->Save and save was disabled. I checked the transfer tab option by bottom right and it had moved it but document wasn't showing modified. I checked to see if this happened from a new file, i replicated it very easily: File->New : accept defaults. Drop 2 rectangles on the canvas, overlay one offset over the other, give each one a different colour and save. File->Save document and close Affinity Designer. To see the issue: Open Affinity Designer, select the recent document we've just saved and click on one of the vector rectangles, click up arrow once and look at the File->Save menu, although i'd moved one of the rectangles it doesn't enable the File->Save option.

When they come around to doing it.. do what you've done with PagePlus... add a 2nd export menu option, so it looks like this: 1. Export Print Publishing - As is really, optimal print profile settings as default for User Printing / Print Book Publishing / Printing shops. 2. Export Digital Publishing - epub3, PDF (with digital ebook profile set as default). PDF will be on both export options, by default set for their respective optimal profile (print v ebook, of course uses can tweak change as is). I won't be buying Publisher until it is released to allow me to create books that i can create then export for Print Press (printing house) and ebooks (epub3 for apple, google and amazon kindle (via converter)) and PDF digital (not high quality print press) for my website. I'm looking to create a few booklets series that i can have printed and publish via the existing etail platforms. Why isn't this pinned to the top as it's one of the most sought / expected options.

You should never had retired PagePlus if as you said is true (especially as it has epub3 support this doesn't). You share nothing with adobe but allow their file imports with best endeavours, because you want to capitalise on their users, but not your own!

Even on the amazon KDP site, they recommend importing epub via kindle create rather than PDF due to PDF issues. ebook (epub) was the first thing i looked for when i opened it, and it's also missing a startup assistant like in pageplus. The new file -> new is similar to designer, which is fine, the addition of a startup assistant / wizard would be ideal. Looking at the export option, it looks identical to designer, focused on graphical publications, made they need two export menu options like in PagePlus, one for graphical/print exports one for ebook/html - (epub, PDF (optimised for ebook), apple and kindle (or via epub3) and HTML for sites.

I'm a software developer of many years and one of my areas was transformation of data from one business format to another. It has nothing to do with code sharing, it's about logical representation. You don't share code with adobe, but you allow the import of PSD format in designer and it to your own logical structure to the best you can. It's nonsense when you say that.

Any update on this?

You are supposed to support your customers and carry them on your journey. There will be many who've invested years in producing work that they'll eventually lose when the legacy packages cease operating. It might be a business decision down to viability, yet it could cost you more in the long term, if people have to start afresh, why not go elsewhere, as they'll have lost trust in you. Why not offer an independent developer(s) the opportunity to work on a legacy conversions tool under your guidance if you are unwilling.

There are even free sites that allow you squash the size of PNG's for web better than Designer does, as i've tried the options in designer (256 colours etc) and get aliasing issues when trying to reduce file sizes, compared to using DrawPlus and free sites... they've forgotten about the web developing community that use their packages.. would be nice if they could improve or bring in the missing export options that drawplus has or even go one better with improved export.

Like they do with unsupported PSD options.. there is a PSD import.. not their own.

Same with Designer and Photo, can't import prior DrawPlus or PhotoPlus saved files... with DrawPlus, i exported to PDF and spent ages sorting the artefacts issues out... counter protective.

Don't hold your breath.. there are still things missing in Designer that DrawPlus has, one especially, although i love working with Designer.. PNG export.. i have to export to PNG in Designer and then open them up in DrawPlus X8 so i can use the extra PNG export options (compression optons and super sample) not available in Designer.. just so i can reduce the file sizes without loss of quality for web.

I'm with you on this. I've been using Designer and love it.. i had a lot of expectation for Publisher... flyer creation, etc i can do in Designer.. Publisher just looks like a port of design with some features removed and document (pages/master pages added).. from New doc, just looks like designer.. even down to export option... what is the point? I'm wanting to work on some small ebook publications for my site to be published via kindle/google play and itunes, their native formats would have been ideal (epub). Looks like i'm sticking with PagePlus X9, although X9 looks like a packages built of years of grafting, it still offers more than what this offers publishers.

What i can never understand is why companies do this, don't offer import from prior product format. They've spent all those years building a customer base and then abandon them, then expecting them to be loyal, they lose customers... people then look elsewhere.

I wasn't expecting to see designer with master pages.. no ebook export... a lot of self publishers out there could benefit from what page plus offered with this modern approach... just looks like a graphics package. I can design my flyers, etc in Designer, so i don't need this product unless it allows a full blown publication. PDF export gets slammed for ebooks, better to have the epub export format. They shouldn't have retired PagePlus if they're not going build on that with a fresh modern approach.

Was thinking the same... Just comparing some of the features in PagePlus9 and noticed epub(3) export was missing. also looking at kindle KDP, they recommend due to artefacts sometimes in PDF's imported, they recommend using epub import files in kindle create if the publishing tool exports to epub, word also another option. need ebook: google (play)/Apple (itunes)/amazon (kindle) supportable export formats.. even Word. A lot of self publishers will be expecting good ebook support formats, not just PDF. it just looks like designer without the page document options... was expecting it to be different for publications. One big thing that is missing is the Publication Types: small, medium, etc . a lot clearer in PagePlus.... just need to add a new publication setup wizard for these features.

They've released it, but 1.6.1.x isn't informing you of the update. Yet if you go to the link it would take you to, it's showing release 1.6.2: https://affinity.store/en-gb/update/windows/designer/1/

I played around and figured a way to do it without external dependencies, it's not perfect, but it works. We know a 960 grid is 960px wide (don't confuse this with the width of our workspace, as monitors vary in resolution width), we'll stick with 960px centred. If we want a 12 column grid, 960px divided by 12 = 80px, thus each column occupies: 10px (white space) + 60px (coloured column) + 10px (white space). The way to implement this is Create a new web document in Affinity Designer, doesn't matter on width, as monitor width vary, as we're only interested in 960gs centered. Select 1280 x 800 resolution for this example, select pixels as units (for now), click ok. We need to open the Grid and Axis Manager. From the menu Select: View -> Grid and Axis Manager. With the Grid and Axis Manager open. Ensure show grid check box is checked (enabled) Uncheck Use Automatic Grid Click Advanced Button to expand available Axis options. Uncheck Uniform (make sure it's not selected). On the first Axis: Select spacing 60px (column width) Set gutter to 20px. We know each column has 10px either side, 20px between adjacent columns. I select divisions to 15, creating a 15 x 4px grid within each column (column being 60px wide). On the Second Axis: Select spacing 60px (same as first) Divisions same as first access to 15 (or change to visible desired horizontal partitioning) and Gutter to 0 (this will now leave columns)... ensure ZERO!! Finally to create the 960px 12 column workspace. As our current document has 14 columns displayed on our 1280px wide document. Using the Guides manager (select: View -> Guides Manager) Add 2 Vertical guides at 150px and 1110px. You will have something that resembles a centred 12 column 960 grid system within the 2 guides set. You can play around with snapping and constraints to enhance it further. Also to finish off nicely, as the columns start from the left you've got 20px of white space on the final right column. Just reduce the document by 20px or set/select 1260px width, instead of 1280px. It would be nice if they added a grid offset starting point for x and y (and by gutter or space) and number of times it's repeated for x and y, also each axis (column) has a spacing colour option, to allow us to create a highlighted column background colour. That way, we'd be able to create a proper 960 grid, or any type of dynamic grid, limited to the number of columns we want and centred (offset) and coloured correctly.

DrawPlus 8 has more variable PNG export options than AD1.5 (see screenshot of DP8) You only get PNG-8 and PNG-24, no 32bit? I've used 32bit over 24bit on a few occasions. No option to alter the compression? 0 to 9? i used it a lot to compact the PNG. Super sample also came in handy at times, i can't find this option? Any chance you can bring the feature rich export options to AD?

For Affinity Designer: When creating a button for a screen, you add a rectangle and then add a text label, say in capitals, like: CANCEL When you come to centre the text within the rectangle (button) using the vertical alignment tool, it doesn't centre virtually correctly, as it's factoring the font height including below the font baseline, so manual adjustment is required. If you are not using lowercase lettering and only capitals, then ideally it should centre virtually align based on the actual visible height of font, not the defined font height including below the fonts baseline, especially if you are using capitals and not lowercase lettering like: g, j, p, q & y