Objects to "No Print"

[Ray C 17]

I don't see how to create a feature (object/layer) that is visible, but won't print.

[smadell 543]

Thumbs up for this suggestion.

[stmartin 21]

Great idea.

Could be placed in an "Inspector" or "Appearance" panel, together with "overprint" and such.

[Ray C 17]

I see now that unchecking visibility in the Layers panel accomplishes the no-print.

Reading the Help helps.

[smadell 543]

Yes, unchecking visibility in the Layers panel keeps a layer from printing. But it also cannot be seen. The request is to keep an item visible on screen, but suppress printing of that item.

[Alfred 5,466]

Back in the day, Serif’s vector drawing and page layout software had separate ‘Visible’ and ‘Printable’ settings, but several years ago they opted to go down the ‘if you can see it, it will print’ route, and they seem to have decided to continue with that approach. I personally think there’s something to be said for being able to specify that some layers should be visible at design time yet not included in the output, but I don’t hold out much hope for Serif choosing to revert to their old ways.

[Ray C 17]

Let me speak about "back in the day"... This can be traced back decades in the desktop publishing realm.

The desktop publishing app may perhaps present the vastest array of uses, and users, of any other software; and so , should offer the most versatility.
I mostly use my desktop publisher for printing labels and envelopes or composing downloadable pdfs for a website I run for a local club.
I may never use some of the more sophisticated features aimed at the professional, but appreciate the ease of use and availability of many features.
I am accustomed to creating orientation and other printing guides while figuring out how to create and print an envelope size my printer doesn't have built into it's driver.

The question is; should the user find a way to work around the software, or should the software work for the user?
The no-print is really helpful.

[if.rivic 2]

I also like to use the no-print setting for dielines and other guides when working on packaging etc. 
Please add that among other already suggested settings into an "Appearance" panel, as this is going to impact the ability to make print ready files greatly.

[Aammppaa 806]

If would be useful to have a no print option for layers, which should also prevent export. 

Many applications from using any object as a construction guide, to keeping notes about irritating clients. 

[billcooke 1]

The absence of the no print layer option as in Page Plus stops me working the way I want to so I cannot switch to the new program. The more legacy projects I create, the less likely I am ever to switch.

[AnaliseThis 5]

Just being able to write Odd and Even in large letters on a non-printable layer can assist booklet production, no end.

It was a God send in PagePlus and I think the omission of this facility in Publisher is a huge failing on the designers part.  Please add a non-printable layers option to the next Publisher update.

[Przemysław 77]

+ 1 for marking layers as non-printable.
I use it all the time at work, i.e. to mark print-finishing features when sending files to printers (perforations, punch cuts etc.)

[fde101 1,201]

I would also like to see visibility split between display and print, so that things can be seen in Publisher but not printed, as well as the opposite: things that will print but not be seen in Publisher.

Obviously, the preview mode in Publisher should switch to showing what will print rather than what is normally "visible"...

[thomaso 852]

19 minutes ago, fde101 said:

the preview mode in Publisher should switch to showing what will print rather than what is normally "visible"...

... and it should hide, optionally or not,  the transparency grid which only can get activated via the checkbox hidden in "Document Setup..." > "Colour" > "Transparent background".

[Lieven 5]

+1 for an option "non-printable" layers...

[big smile 50]

+1 for "non-printable" layers...

[Etheiy 1]

 Another +1 for this feature. 

 In my architectural presentations/portfolios I tend(ed) to use a no-print layer with notes for what I needed to talk about on that 'slide' on it, or notes about possible rearrangements of images if I was printing to then cut+mount. This way near deadlines, if I'd been up for three days running on caffeine and anxiety, there was no chance I'd print out my notes to self. I always have a 'no-print' layer or two in my CAD files too, which I use for construction geometry and notes and reference drawings - that way I can see them and snap to them but they won't print even if I forget to turn them off...  I didn't realise this wasn't, well, a standard layout feature until just now - I'm putting together a presentation on my first project for my MArch! I've only used InDesign (in terms of dedicated print layout software) prior to using Affinity Publisher, though. 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Etheiy

[JLX 4]

Another +1 from me.

Came here looking help on where to activate this in Designer only to discover this thread.

Having reference objects/layers visible but not printable/exportable is extremely useful and something I rely on in other programs.

Hope we get this feature soon.

 

[kentuckyfriedmeerkat 1]

A +1 from me as well. This feature would be incredibly useful. Cheers

[beanyyz 1]

+ 1 for marking layers as non-printable.

 

We still want this feature! 

Thank you.

[garrettm30 597]

Whenever they get to the "global layer" concept, I would hope that it would come with the ability to exclude layers from printing.

For what it is worth, the export persona in Designer does allow the possibility to allow layers to be excluded from export, which seems to me a similar concept, so perhaps the idea of what this thread is proposing is not so foreign to Serif's way of thinking.

[AnaliseThis 5]

On 6/8/2020 at 11:52 PM, garrettm30 said:

For what it is worth, the export persona in Designer does allow the possibility to allow layers to be excluded from export, which seems to me a similar concept, so perhaps the idea of what this thread is proposing is not so foreign to Serif's way of thinking.

This was Serif's way of thinking in the days of PagePlus. PagePlus, the forerunner to Publisher had layers you could write on, draw on do anything on and turn the printing of these layers, OFF.  So you could use them as guides for allsorts of things.  I used to set up master pages with left and right written on them in a very pale grey so when using single page documents to create a booklet or something, I would know which master went where and the layer with the writing on it was set NOT to print.  The rest of the master page was printable.

This should be brought back and made available in Publisher in a future update.

[christophvarga 0]

On 6/6/2020 at 10:55 PM, beanyyz said:

+ 1 for marking layers as non-printable.

 

We still want this feature! 

Thank you.

👍

[OpalGraf 1]

+1

[Jowday 920]

Indeed +1