Comparison - Affinity Publisher V. PagePlus

[RISC OS]

Hi, A brief background to set the context of my question. My use of Serif products goes back over very many years -  at least to WebPlus10, PagePlusX2, PhotoPlusX2 and DrawPlus Starter Edition. I regularly upgraded. Latest versions WebP X8, PhotoPX8 and PagePX9. All on Windows PC - currently Win10 Pro. So a dedicated Serif customer and fan. 

I looked at Affinity Photo when it first came out, but went no further. Today I have downloaded Affinity Publisher Beta for consideration. 

Firstly, I see that Publisher  has the same black frame/background as Photo. That is what instantly put me off Photo when it came out. I find it VERY hard on the eyes, no matter that the text is white. The grey of WebPlus, PhotoPlus and PagePlus, with black text is far, far more relaxing to view. So,  is that black customisable? If that were to be an option I'd be more inclined to consider ;purchase. I have no evidence, but I doubt if I am the only one who feels this. 

Second, it is obvious that the Affinity range will be greatly updated compared with the Plus range. However, having viewed almost all the 16 Tutorial videos on Affinity Publisher, what very forcefully struck me was that essentially it is almost identical to PagePlus. Yes of course they are going to be similar - they are for the same purpose, but the various tools, the graphic and  text frames, the page setup permutations the text wrapping around irregular objects, etc. etc. seem to me to be so similar as to dissuade me from migrating across, unless I was looking for very advanced, far more sophisticated features. My guess, (but with no proof, to be fair),  would be that the majority of users most of the time utilise a stock of tools all the time that range up to fairly clever only, dipping into the odd more advanced tool occasionally to meet a one-off need. 

So, as a very experienced user, (30 odd years using and teaching), both of computers and of Serif products, but not a high-end power user, would anyone feel that I would get full benefit from Publisher, and potentially, Photo too?

[walt.farrell]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

2 hours ago, RISC OS said:

Firstly, I see that Publisher  has the same black frame/background as Photo. That is what instantly put me off Photo when it came out. I find it VERY hard on the eyes, no matter that the text is white. The grey of WebPlus, PhotoPlus and PagePlus, with black text is far, far more relaxing to view. So,  is that black customisable? If that were to be an option I'd be more inclined to consider ;purchase. I have no evidence, but I doubt if I am the only one who feels this. 

All of the Affinity desktop applications support a Dark User Interface (UI) and a Light UI. Perhaps you'd be more comfortable with the Light one? You will find the option In the Preferences dialog, User Interface section.

[Pariah73]

The Plus range was a more mature product. If you have PagePlus, keep it. Publisher isn't quite ready for primetime. I am still using DrawPlus while i wait for features I need from Affinity. It's hard to keep reminding myself Serif has a small team doing this. I keep wanting NEW! RIGHT NOW! lol it's getting there, but slowly.

[RISC OS]

12 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums.

All of the Affinity desktop applications support a Dark User Interface (UI) and a Light UI. Perhaps you'd be more comfortable with the Light one? You will find the option In the Preferences dialog, User Interface section.

Hi Walt, thanks for that reply, much appreciated. I have now found those preferences. The light UI option is FAR better - for me anyway! It certainly makes me far more inclined to purchase. Whilst at it, I've investigated the other Workspace Modes. Here's an interesting point, (assuming that being a newbie to Affinity in general, and to Designer specifically, I'm not simply displaying my ignorance!).

The Help says as follows:

To show/hide the left or right Studio:

From: the View menu, click Show Left Studio or Show Right Studio.

Well I can't see that particular option anywhere. Here's my screenshot of the View menu. In addition to the Studio flyout menu illustrated, I have also tried the other flyout menus, 

[Alfred]

7 minutes ago, RISC OS said:

The Help says as follows:

To show/hide the left or right Studio:

From: the View menu, click Show Left Studio or Show Right Studio.

That's an error. I think the Mac version may have separate visibility controls for Left/Right Studio, but on Windows we only have 'View > Studio > Hide Studio'.

[RISC OS]

Hi Pariah73, 

Thank you also for responding. Again, much appreciated. Your opinion is pretty much the way my thinking was  going, so helpful to  have it reinforced. 

You are implying that Serif are a company worth supporting and being patient with. I completely agree - hence why my purchasing history with them goes back very many years. You saw that I go back at least to WebPlus 10, (so before any of the X-range appeared), well my memory lets me down now, but I'm reasonably sure that I even had some of the Plus programs back to 8. I live in Grimsby now, but I  used to live in a south Nottinghamshire village only about ten miles from the Serif headquarters in Wilford. 

[RISC OS]

Hi Alfred, 

Ah-ha! Are Serif aware of this?

Is this Apple bias/Windows discrimination, maybe? Just kidding, I think Serif are excellent. 

[walt.farrell]

The Publisher Help has not yet undergone the internal review process, and the Windows version of the Help seems to have some other Mac-only descriptions, too.

For example,

However, I have not seen the one you found reported. You could do that, in the forum where I reported that other one.

By the way, @RISC OS, you posted your topic in an odd place. If it's about Publisher, it really belongs in Discussions and Suggestions for Affinity Publisher Beta on Desktop.

Or, if it's about the Affinity products in general, it belongs in Affinity on Destop Questions (Mac and Windows) or possibly Suggestions for the Affinity Suite of Products.

Posting in the right forum helps keep things organized, and (perhaps more importantly) helps ensure that the right Serif staff see the topic and can act on it

[RISC OS]

Hi walt.farrell, Thanks very much for the advice re where to post, I appreciate the guidance. I'm still finding my way around this site. Hopefully I'll improve . 

Having had a look, I cannot find where it was that you posted your comments regarding the Help errors. My search now has revealed that this is a very complex site/forum so as a newbie here I'm struggling to navigate to where i think I should be going. That's not intended to be a criticism, I'm simply saying that I'm using a road atlas to drive around in a foreign country that has an extensive road network. So, a simple step by step guide to knowing where to pass on my findings about the Help errors would be great, please.   

[walt.farrell]

5 minutes ago, RISC OS said:

Having had a look, I cannot find where it was that you posted your comments regarding the Help errors

In my post that you're responding to, I embedded a link to my Help Errors post.

The forum displays that inline. You can click on either the timestamp in the evening post's headed (e.g., the line that right now reads "17 hours ago") or you can click on the arrow icon on the upper right of that header, which is also a link.

[RISC OS]

Hi again walt.farrell, just to let you know that I have now used your embedded link to get to the correct page, and have now added my comment, so hopefully it will be a useful contribution. 

As I said previously, I'm finding that this is a very comprehensive Forum, which is of course a good thing, but in these early days of mine, I'm not finding its navigation system very intuitive. For example,  having got made use of your link as just mentioned, I then couldn't find my way back to this page. Chrome's back arrow was greyed out, (I presume that this Forum site is responsible for that? So why?), and a scan round that Help topic page didn't immediately reveal any alternative path. I managed to get back here eventually by clicking on you and finding a link that you have commented on - this one! I pride myself on being fair, so I'm going to ascribe my difficulties to the fact that I am still in unknown territory, but it did seem a somewhat clumsy way to get to where I wanted to.   

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, RISC OS said:

For example,  having got made use of your link as just mentioned, I then couldn't find my way back to this page. Chrome's back arrow was greyed out, (I presume that this Forum site is responsible for that? So why?)

When you followed the link it probably opened in a new tab in your browser, and all you needed to do to get back was close that new tab.

The forum appearance and navigation methods will change depending on the size of your device screen and browser window. On a desktop or laptop machine, with a sufficiently wide browser window, I would suggest checking the navigation controls on the top left of the forum page, specifically those available on the Forums and Activity tab:

 

 

[rfaubel]

I have been using PagPlus since I got a black hard floppy disk in the mail, I think in the 80's. I have bought all the programs including MoviePlus, Draw, Photo, etc. I love PagPlus 9. I have looked at Publisher but I am very leary about getting since I am so used to what I use. I truly can't come up with a reason(for me) to get Publisher unless I was going to constantly produce publications. I got rid Of the last DrawPlus and regret it. Need to find it again. Other than that PagePlus 9 is GOLD!!!!

 

[Alfred]

19 minutes ago, rfaubel said:

I have been using PagPlus since I got a black hard floppy disk in the mail, I think in the 80's. I have bought all the programs including MoviePlus, Draw, Photo, etc. I love PagPlus 9. I have looked at Publisher but I am very leary about getting since I am so used to what I use. I truly can't come up with a reason(for me) to get Publisher unless I was going to constantly produce publications. I got rid Of the last DrawPlus and regret it. Need to find it again. Other than that PagePlus 9 is GOLD!!!!

As I mentioned in my reply to your post in the ‘Introduce Yourself’ thread, CommunityPlus is the place to discuss Serif’s legacy software.

By the way, PagePlus isn’t quite as old as you suggest. The first version was released in the early 1990s.

[rfaubel]

You're right when I think back. It probably was the 90's but I still can see that black diskette. I got my first computer late 80's and it was only 250 mgs! I would like to obtain the last DrawPlus

[Jenna Appleseed]

On 9/2/2021 at 8:52 PM, rfaubel said:

You're right when I think back. It probably was the 90's but I still can see that black diskette. I got my first computer late 80's and it was only 250 mgs! I would like to obtain the last DrawPlus

If you have a licence key you can get DrawPlus X8 here
https://www.serif.com/en-gb/legacy/downloads/

More information from the separate (non Affinity) Serif forums for discussing Drawplus/PagePlus and other legacy Serif software
https://community.serif.com/tutorials/details/112738/redownloading-purchased-legacy-software

[Catshill]

DrawPlus 8 is/was a terrific vector designer and I occasionally use it for its auto trace tool. I was saddened that Affinity Designer did not support direct import of DrawPlus files. 

[rfaubel]

Thank you for helping me obtain DrawPlus8. I just installed it but noticed that all the fonts I have in Page Plus are not in Draw Plus. How do I import my fonts into Draw Plus?

[Alfred]

1 hour ago, rfaubel said:

Thank you for helping me obtain DrawPlus8. I just installed it but noticed that all the fonts I have in Page Plus are not in Draw Plus. How do I import my fonts into Draw Plus?

You refer to “all the fonts” but I presume you mean that not all the fonts are there, rather than that all the fonts are missing! Which particular ones were you looking for? Both PagePlus and DrawPlus should be able to access any fonts that you have correctly installed in Windows.

[rfaubel]

I closed it out and opened it again and they were all there. Strange not the first time

 

[Gefrin]

I am in charge of an education media department and we have used Serif products for years. We are completely knocked out by Affinity Photo (The BEST photo editing software ever) and Designer but for publishing we are hanging on to Page Plus 9X even though we have Publisher V2. PP9X is just so quick and easy to use. All of those lovely setups ready to use, c-fold, z-fold, booklet presets and especially the PP9X way of creating Avery labels (just concentrate on designing one and the software populates the label sheet on print) make life so easy. Call us unprofessional and tell us we should be creating these from scratch but why reinvent the wheel!  We did have our fingers crossed for V2 but it still isn't PP9X.

[Komatös]

Hi @Gefrin

With Publisher in combination with the Designer persona Avery (-Zweckform) labels are quickly created.

From Avery-Zweckform you can get the template files as MS Office .doc file. These must then be converted to PDF because Publisher can only read the newer .docx format.
Now you open the PDF file with Publisher and have the basic framework. In Publisher switch to the Designer Persona and design the first label. Make it a symbol. Now provide all label positions with a copy of the symbol by dragging the symbol from the Symbol Panel to the next label.

Changes made to one label will be applied to all other labels.

Avery-Zweckform E-BPW-37-RND.aftemplate