Ability to import .pub

[RichiePhoto]

Microsoft is getting rid of their Publisher software in the Office Suite in 2026. Are there any plans for Affinity to make .pub files compatible with the Affinity Publisher files?

[PaulEC]

It's highly unlikely that Serif will make it possible to import .pub files into Affinity Publisher. The best bet is to either save the .pub files as PDF from MS Publisher (if you can) or to use an online converter.

[Bound by Beans]

In theory, that sounds like a target audience that could be worth attracting for Serif. MS Publisher managed to reach 30 years old. On the other hand, it sounds depressing if that segment is no longer profitable, so few, if any, in the market are trying to fill the gap. Or maybe that’s exactly what Canva is doing now.

[fde101]

Scribus can evidently import .pub files; not sure how well as I've never tried it (with no particular reason to as I don't really have any .pub files sitting around).

[Bound by Beans]

35 minutes ago, fde101 said:

Scribus can evidently import .pub files; not sure how well as I've never tried it (with no particular reason to as I don't really have any .pub files sitting around).

Scribus is one of the many underutilized and slow open-source projects, but they’ve made a great leap forward in the user interface with the 1.7.0 test version. I’ve always wished the project had more momentum, even though I haven’t used it. And yes, it can import MS Publisher files, among other things.

[Petar Petrenko]

14 hours ago, Bound by Beans said:

And yes, it can import MS Publisher files, among other things.

Wow, what a big list of import options. I think they missed Ventura, but anyway, it would be nice to have them in our Publisher.

[Alfred]

2 minutes ago, Petar Petrenko said:

I think they missed Ventura

Being able to import from Ventura would be ace, especially if you’re a pet detective!

[Petar Petrenko]

3 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Being able to import from Ventura would be ace, especially if you’re a pet detective!

I think some Affinity users were also Ventura users and IMO would be willing to give Affinity their Ventura file for analysis.

[Bound by Beans]

Alfred, for God's sake 😄

Peter, I don’t think Serif, Canva, or many others would throw money and time at Ventura or any other import. If anything were ever to happen, it would probably be that a program like Scribus could import and export to IDML or something equally awful but usable.

Ventura doesn’t seem to be on their or anyone else's list, apparently: but PagePlus is still ongoing (No that project is dead):

https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/File_formats_that_should_be_supported_by_Scribus_(wish_list)

Edited March 10 by Bound by Beans
Errors

[MikeW]

11 hours ago, Petar Petrenko said:

I think some Affinity users were also Ventura users and IMO would be willing to give Affinity their Ventura file for analysis.

I'm one such person...

I get a few Ventura jobs a year that I convert to newer applications. The graphics are often a bigger issue. Text is relatively easy, as long as one exports out as VP tagged text and converts it to QXP tagged text (I use a text editor with JS to do it). Many people who used Ventura also used CorelDraw for graphic elements. Which is one reason why I also keep CD installed and those files need converted (often pdf suffices). The .psd files are easy enough, but I also keep a perpetual copy of Photoshop installed.