3 page spread

[Natters]

There are times when a 3 page spread would be useful (as in I currently use on a regular basis in InDesign): book cover designs, tri-fold pamphlet design etc. Is this something that will work with the official release?

[Dave Harris]

This isn't something we plan to change. We support one- or two-page spreads directly, and beyond that you can create a spread of any size, and demark nominal pages with guides.

[iaing]

That's a big miss for me - I often design exhibition panels where I need to put maybe 7 or 8 panels side by side; I need to save the whole thing as a spread for client to visualise it, but then save pdfs as separate panels to send to print. Indesign currently copes fine with this. I realise I can use Designer for that with Artboards, but the image placement controls, Resource Manager and text controls already make Publisher a more attractive prospect for this sort of work - but not if limited to 2-page spreads.

[nakquada]

I'm with iaing on this too, i need the same functionality for large format signage.

Do you think it'll be added at any stage?

[Hangman]

I'd second (or third) this request, certainly for book covers and tri-fold leaflets etc. Currently setting up a book cover/jacket or tri-fold leaflet artwork as a single page means

a) no crop marks on the exported PDF indicating the spine width or fold marks for a tri-fold and

b) a lot of manual adjustment of the page elements should there be a need to change the spine width

Would be 'nice' to have the functionality of ID in this respect with the ability to have unlimited pages in a spread but certainly three pages for book covers with the ability to adjust the width of the centre page independently of the front and back cover to accommodate changes in spine width which then includes the addition of crop/fold marks for the spine in addition to the crop marks for the front and back covers.

I suspect this is going to be a heavily requested feature...

[coso]

InDesign used to be like that, but it introduced the function around cs4 or cs5. It looks like nothing but it's super useful, for example for book covers (to adjust the width of the spine, which changes with paper weight etc.), to make flyers with automatic fold marks etc..

So I think it's a feature you should plan to add sooner or later if you want to compete with indesign

[000]

I'd use Designer for that and put several artboards next to each other.

[Thisismandatory]

I second, third, fourth... well fifth this too. 

[Natters]

I'd agree with the need for crop marks for folding, the ability to change the spine width is essential as well as exporting the cover to one cohesive PDF for CreateSpace etc is ESSENTIAL. Dave Harris, 90% of the users will be using this for multi-page applications, and while I get what you say, I don't think that is how most designers will expect it to work. Spines are often edited on-the-fly as page numbers fluctuate.

[Hangman]

1 hour ago, Jens Krebs said:

I'd use Designer for that and put several artboards next to each other.

Jens,

As far as I can tell using 3 artboards side by side in AD results in 3 individual PDF pages when exported rather than the single page you'd need for a book jacket, unless there is a way to export all artboards as a single page which I'm not aware off.

Also, I think you have to assume that as APub gains traction that there will people using it to create publications who don't necessarily have or need to use AD. To me this is a fundamental requirment to make APub fully rounded publishing application despite the excellent integration between all the apps...

[Hangman]

Annoying voiceover but just to demonstrate how useful the feature is...

 

[DanParsons]

I agree with all the above. I think its an important feature. I must say I am a little disappointed. there are many vital features missing from this software that makes it a little out of date. Any software architects/engineers reading these forums should take note as the requests users are asking for is what will make your product competitive with Adobe.

[000]

You can create a slice that spans your three (or more) artboards in Export Persona of Designer and export as one PDF.

[Hangman]

Though I can't see any way of including the required crop marks for both the spine and covers when using a slice or including any crop marks for that matter unless I'm missing something? I still feel this needs to be incorparated directly into APub personally...

[purveyor27]

This is an absolute must-have feature.  three page spreads (and larger) are very common for me and I would absolutely need this feature in order to switch from InDesign. 
Also with the ability to adjust the page size of each page on a spread (like InDesign) and output with fold/trim bleed marks etc.  I do a lot of tri-fold brochures and wide format print (as previously mentioned) and i have to be able to set files up this way. 

[Peter Werner]

2 hours ago, Hangman said:

As far as I can tell using 3 artboards side by side in AD results in 3 individual PDF pages when exported rather than the single page you'd need for a book jacket, unless there is a way to export all artboards as a single page which I'm not aware off.

I can think of the following two workarounds:

• Create separate artboards in Designer and then place those as linked or embedded files on a single all-encompassing page (Publisher) or dartboard (Designer). That way you can export the whole thing, but you also have the ability to export every artboard as a separate PDF. The disadvantage is that you have two separate files to deal with (though you can at least open both in either application)
• Have 3 individual artboards next to each other and one overlapping artboard that encompasses the other 3.

[Helmuth Pandora]

To be able to lace multiple pages on one spread is an very important feature. Please add it very soon. As mentioned above, ist used for multi-part-panels, book covers, for tri-fold or even folders that have more the three folds.

 

[stmartin]

17 hours ago, iaing said:

That's a big miss for me - I often design exhibition panels where I need to put maybe 7 or 8 panels side by side; I need to save the whole thing as a spread for client to visualise it, but then save pdfs as separate panels to send to print. Indesign currently copes fine with this. I realise I can use Designer for that with Artboards, but the image placement controls, Resource Manager and text controls already make Publisher a more attractive prospect for this sort of work - but not if limited to 2-page spreads.

Exactly the same here.

[DanParsons]

14 hours ago, Peter Werner said:

I can think of the following two workarounds:

• Create separate artboards in Designer and then place those as linked or embedded files on a single all-encompassing page (Publisher) or dartboard (Designer). That way you can export the whole thing, but you also have the ability to export every artboard as a separate PDF. The disadvantage is that you have two separate files to deal with (though you can at least open both in either application)
• Have 3 individual artboards next to each other and one overlapping artboard that encompasses the other 3.

Or just keep using InDesign until the feature is added...?

[Lukas_Klenk]

Is this topic solved in the newer beta versions?

Couldn´t find a way to make an alternative layout beside the two facing pages.

As an architect it would be very usefull to layout more than two pages of a competition in one row.

So if this feature isn´t in the work now, I would also reguest it, for all architects out there.

[MEB]

Hi Lukas_Klenk,
Welcome to Affinity Forums
Currently Affinity doesn't support spreads with more than two pages nor is it planned for the first version. Please check this post (and thread) for more information.

[Reto]

On 8/30/2018 at 4:04 PM, iaing said:

That's a big miss for me - I often design exhibition panels where I need to put maybe 7 or 8 panels side by side; I need to save the whole thing as a spread for client to visualise it, but then save pdfs as separate panels to send to print. Indesign currently copes fine with this. I realise I can use Designer for that with Artboards, but the image placement controls, Resource Manager and text controls already make Publisher a more attractive prospect for this sort of work - but not if limited to 2-page spreads.

Same here! Please please please implement multiple page spreads. Otherwise it's time to say thank you to a very strong alternative to InDesign. Congratulations!

[Helmuth Pandora]

I second the request for multiple pages on one spread, please add it to affinity publisher. This feature is really missing in publisher. 

[schmidt9]

I second the request and must absolutely disagree with opinion of the affinity team.
A lot of it has been mentioned above so I try to summarize my critics.

Use Cases
-> folders: asymmetric 2-folds, 3-folds, many-folds, altar folds, step folds, …
-> large format productions: roll-ups and banners side by side with continuing background (with or w/o spacing)
-> magazines and brochures: fold outs, center folds (with and w/o need for continuos page numbering) fold out glossaries and TOCs

-> poster series: as we all work on widescreen monitors, designing posters side by side rather than one after each other gives you a better impression of the look of the series
@Affinity: sorry, your big-spread-with-many-manual-pages-with-cropmarks idea is not acceptable for professional users.

Design-Theoretical Thoughts

Quote

print is dead - long live print!

Why should you care?
You must have spent a fortune to develop Affinity Publisher. So you probably may have some believe in the future of print. But what do you expect your users are heading to? From my point, the pressure to be innovative is growing for every print designer. If we sell print projects, we have to compete with the low-cost wide-range fast-delivery advantages of digital media. With new production techniques, exclusive papers, fancy colors, spot + 4c, coatings and finishing, embossing, special foldings, cut-outs, laser-cut contours, metallic colors, hot-foiles and many other things we add something to print digital can't compete with. And one of the easiest and cheapest things from a production perspective is a irregular folding scheme of a printed product.

Technical Considerations
- Professional PDF files for print require precise PDF/X boxes for automated processing in preprint. By telling the user to create a big spread and place several pages with manual crop marks on it, this won't work. Creating the crop marks by hand and fixing PDF boxes in Acrobat or PitStop takes ages and is error-prone. We might have done this two decades before, but since PDF/X and the PSO are the industry standards we work with, this fumbling has thankfully come to an end.
- Some of us even use extra tools like PageControl to extend the functionality of InDesign’s page manager with features like vertical spreads, multiple page sizes, editable page alignments etc. This makes designing complex multi-fold flyers much easier – you consequently design across multiple, precisely positioned art boards while still having the functionality of a DTP application (baseline grid, extended typography features, automation, XML…) rather than a illustration application. Have a look here: http://www.dtptools.com/product.asp?id=pcid
- If you can't deliver highly flexible multi-page spreads, you won't make it to the top and into our toolchain.

[jrkay]

This would be extremely valuable for me as I frequently have to design a cover for my books. I can do this fairly easily in PagePlus and would hope to do it even easier in Publisher.

John