Are there any templates yet?

[AlanPC]

So an old client asks me to help him out... sure, fire up Pageplus.. oh yeah, not on this PC, I've got 'Publisher'.... except 'Publisher' can't even open let alone publish any of my report templates..  

Ouch.

Sigh. Bite the bullet and work with some new template I guess... Publisher must have some nice, funky modern ones by now, right?

But I don't see any anywhere?

 

 

[wonderings]

31 minutes ago, AlanPC said:

So an old client asks me to help him out... sure, fire up Pageplus.. oh yeah, not on this PC, I've got 'Publisher'.... except 'Publisher' can't even open let alone publish any of my report templates..  

Ouch.

Sigh. Bite the bullet and work with some new template I guess... Publisher must have some nice, funky modern ones by now, right?

But I don't see any anywhere?

 

 

If you google "Affinity Publisher templates" you will find there are a wide variety of templates. Not sure what you need specifically, but generally reports and forms are easy to setup and copy a look you like from scratch

[AlanPC]

Yes... I just tried a few, got a message "Unable to open file" because apparently my AP is too old, like my Pageplus is too old, like I should just keep throwing money at, like Adobe or Microsoft?

I already have a membership thing with a site for stock photos and stuff, including templates, for Adobe. 2nd time this week I've been messing around and wasting time with Affinity. I don't want a hobby, I want a tool I can use, now, today, without paying for it again 

I'm trying to be polite here but getting fed up with this

 

[Dan C]

15 minutes ago, AlanPC said:

I just tried a few, got a message "Unable to open file" because apparently my AP is too old, like my Pageplus is too old, like I should just keep throwing money at, like Adobe or Microsoft?

All Affinity 1.x updates are offered free of charge to our users, there's no need for additional payment to use the latest version of Affinity Publisher with these files, you simply need to update the app.

You can find the latest version of Publisher (1.10.5) at the below link, downloading and installing this will update your currently installed app and should then allow these documents to be opened and edited

https://store.serif.com/update/windows/publisher/1/

[AlanPC]

So I'm a grumpy old git...  Sorry.

I tried updating, followed the standard 'About-Check for updates' thing, but there's no way to check for updates? Searching the F1 help had nothing, searching this forum had nothing. So tried going to the main site, logging in, looking at Publisher, no mention of discount or freebie, just the option to pay for it.

Doesn't help that I wasted time earlier looking for the ideal inDesign template cos I read somewhere AP can now open those files, only to find that no, it doesn't.

Nearly midnight here now, so I'll faff around tomorrow, see if I can find a suitable template. 

Thanks for your patience.

[wonderings]

2 hours ago, AlanPC said:

Yes... I just tried a few, got a message "Unable to open file" because apparently my AP is too old, like my Pageplus is too old, like I should just keep throwing money at, like Adobe or Microsoft?

I already have a membership thing with a site for stock photos and stuff, including templates, for Adobe. 2nd time this week I've been messing around and wasting time with Affinity. I don't want a hobby, I want a tool I can use, now, today, without paying for it again 

I'm trying to be polite here but getting fed up with this

 

As Dan mentioned updates are free for V1 and there is no V2 released so all you need is to get an update done. You will find people here happy to help, so deep breaths and know that you don't need to spend a penny more for the software, just get the updates figured out. If you can answer a few questions I am sure you will have help to guide you through getting the updates installed. Are you on a Mac or PC? How did you buy Affinity Publisher? Direct through the Serif Affinity website or did you purchase it through an App store on your computer (Windows store on Windows or App store on Mac)?

[AlanPC]

Already updated and able to open the couple of sample templates I managed to find, thanks.

Really the main reason I purchased the original Serif Pageplus was the "plus", ie the variety of templates available, so I could just grab a suitable template, maybe modify it a bit and just get on with work. It seems Affinity Publisher doesn't have any templates and never will have any templates, other than getting lucky to find some 3rd party ones that may, or may not, work with whatever version of AP I have installed? 

That's not really adequate for my needs, so looks like I'm forced onto Adobe, as they have loads of templates available.

I haven't really needed publisher for some time, as I'm working almost exclusively for one client for a couple of years now and they have their own graphic designer company that creates brochures etc. I just do the text and advise on what elements look good and so on, but for normal clients I need to present them with print or publish-ready finished items, such as a trifold brochure, a report or whatever. I don't see how I can use Publisher when there's literally nothing in the way of templates, other than just googling with crossed fingers? 

Can someone tell me, what is the situation with this, cos when I tried it said wrong format:

https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-import-indesign-templates-to-affinity-publisher--cms-35007

Wait wait... that was my 1.7... let me try again...

0_o

It works....

OK then... all is forgiven     HUGZ!

 

[Alfred]

7 hours ago, AlanPC said:

Really the main reason I purchased the original Serif Pageplus was the "plus", ie the variety of templates available, so I could just grab a suitable template, maybe modify it a bit and just get on with work. It seems Affinity Publisher doesn't have any templates and never will have any templates, other than getting lucky to find some 3rd party ones that may, or may not, work with whatever version of AP I have installed?

Why not open your favourite templates in PagePlus and publish to PDF? You’ll probably have some work to do to smooth out the wrinkles when you open the resultant PDF file in Affinity Publisher, but it should give you a head start.

BTW, if you hover over the abbreviation AP you should find that (like APh) it’s identified as being short for Affinity Photo. Publisher is APu or APub.

[wonderings]

4 hours ago, AlanPC said:

Already updated and able to open the couple of sample templates I managed to find, thanks.

Really the main reason I purchased the original Serif Pageplus was the "plus", ie the variety of templates available, so I could just grab a suitable template, maybe modify it a bit and just get on with work. It seems Affinity Publisher doesn't have any templates and never will have any templates, other than getting lucky to find some 3rd party ones that may, or may not, work with whatever version of AP I have installed? 

That's not really adequate for my needs, so looks like I'm forced onto Adobe, as they have loads of templates available.

I haven't really needed publisher for some time, as I'm working almost exclusively for one client for a couple of years now and they have their own graphic designer company that creates brochures etc. I just do the text and advise on what elements look good and so on, but for normal clients I need to present them with print or publish-ready finished items, such as a trifold brochure, a report or whatever. I don't see how I can use Publisher when there's literally nothing in the way of templates, other than just googling with crossed fingers? 

Can someone tell me, what is the situation with this, cos when I tried it said wrong format:

https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-import-indesign-templates-to-affinity-publisher--cms-35007

Wait wait... that was my 1.7... let me try again...

0_o

It works....

OK then... all is forgiven     HUGZ!

 

Sounds like you want something like Canva. These apps are for people to design and layout their work. It is not made to be a template based app where you just chose the look like you like and enter your info. www.canva.com sounds like it is more up your ally. Not sure what kind of work you do, but relying on free templates that anyone can use is probably not the best way to display a company to the world. 

[AlanPC]

I'm a CRO/UX/SEO copywriter.

In short, small to medium-sized software companies pay me to help them improve their software and sell more of it. Which is probably why I have such little patience with Affinity...

Typically I need a branded design for my own services (long overdue for an update) such as proposals, invoices, various reports and action plans. For clients they typically want tri-fold brochures, white papers, brochures, price lists, style-guides and media kits. APub doesn't have ANY of that available and it's a waste of my time and my client's time for me to sit there pondering how to design a brochure. Which is exactly what Quark and Adobe have heaps of templates available.

Classic example, my current main client is going to a conference in New Orleans in September. I come up with slogans and content and general marketing ideas - I DON'T spend hours and hours designing a brochure, when a template would be fine, once adjusted to suite the company's colors, fonts and basically following the style guide I did for them 2 years ago. 

Another classic example - I downloaded a proposal template last night and saw 3 price options in the proposal - and they used a tall tower and a cable car above the prices, as the background image? I'm not a designer; I'm the guy who tells you that's a really stupid design because it makes the prices seem heavy (too low on the page) but tied in with 'too high' (cable car tower). I'd raise the packages on the page and use an image that suggests something small, like a mouse holding some cheese.

I subscribe to Envato Elements, so I always have some stock photography and graphic bits available, but their choice of Affinity Publisher templates is tiny, maybe 30 on the entire site. Knowing I can now use InDesign templates opens Affinity Publisher up into a useful tool again. Even if I do only use it 4 or 5 times a year.

Thought I still find Pageplus faster, more intuitive and thus easier to use....  

Edit: I see you mentioned free templates - I have no problem paying for templates and paid for some with Pageplus. The point is I need templates available.