Desktop Publishing Software
Inkscape
Inkspace is the open-source vector graphics editor and design tool that helps you in object manipulation, object creation, object filling, object rendering and supports operating system like Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign is the industry-leading page layout, and design software that helps you to preflight, create and publish documents and offers everything you need to make posters, digital magazines, books, interactive PDFs, eBooks and more.
Crello
Crello is an online graphic design tool that helps you to create stickers, photos, backgrounds, images, cover photos and more for social media, and other web-based projects.
Microsoft Publisher
Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing software from Microsoft that emphasize on page layout design and offers professional looking image editing, photo printing, online picture publisher, cloud sharing and other related features.
Scribus
Scribus is a page layout and open source desktop publishing software that offers spot colors, CMYK colors, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation program for Linux, Solaris, Mac OS X, Haiku, Windows and other operating systems.
QuarkXPress
QuarkXPress is the leading page layout & graphic design software that is used by millions of professionals around the world who value performance and quality in their printing and digital projects.
Affinity Designer
Affinity Designer is the smoothest, fastest and the most specific graphic design software whose tool, feature, and panel have been developed with the needs of imaginative experts at its core.
PrintMaster
Create projects for event celebrations, social media accounts, business and personal documents, advertising, stationery, and more with Printmaster- the ultimate design toolkit with simple drag and drop features and easy-to-use design capabilities.
Leanpub
Leanpub is an online platform designed specifically to help the authors in publishing their content where people can buy it.
Adobe FrameMaker
Adobe FrameMaker is a software offered by the tech giant Adobe that allows the users to work on extensive and detailed documents that is not possible with standard document processors.
Atavist
Atavist is an interactive online platform that allows users to create content with a touch of fun.
Publitas
Publitas creates digital publications to boost consumer footfall and client engagement for businesses.
Oxygen XML Editor
Oxygen XML Editor is a complete solution that helps you to edit XML documents.
Oracle BI Publisher
Oracle BI Publisher is a document publishing platform that handles all operations from extracting data to publishing them across various platforms.
FlowPaper
FlowPaper is a content publishing platform that converts brochures into interactive pages.
Swift Publisher
Swift Publisher is a desktop publishing and page layout application that provides all you need for creating professional-looking and impressive documents such as brochures, flyers, catalogs, booklets, magazines, calendars, newsletters, posters, cards, menus, Twitter & Facebook covers and many more.
Hallmark Card Studio
Hallmark Card Studio helps you to quickly create one-of-a-kind cards where you can add personal photos, clipart images, and sentiments of your choice.
PageSuite
PageSuite is a platform that offers digital publishing solutions that provide strategic ideas for future publishers.
PUB HTML
PUB HTML5 is an all-in-one online publishing solution for all developers, companies, small firms, non-profit agencies, and even individuals.
ArcGIS Publisher
ArcGIS publisher is an extension to ArcGIS pro and ArcMap which simplifies sharing and transmission of maps and data.
Xara Page & Layout Designer
Do you want to grow your business? If so, download Xara Page & Layout Designer - perfect desktop publishing software for creating business cards, letterheads, flyers, posters, company logos and much more, for free to design advertising material quickly and easily.
Yumpu.com
Yumpu is a desktop authoring and publishing company that helps in posting digital magazines and gaining more audiences from all around the world, ultimately increasing your brand value.
What is desktop publishing software?
Desktop publishing software is a tool that helps in designing visual communications. A few decades ago, these software packages catered only to the print media. Flyers, magazines, books, posters, brochures, business cards, invitations cards, etc. were created using them. However, in this digital world, with the popularity of websites, ebooks, slideshows, etc., the scope of these packages is now beyond the printing platform. So, from web publishing to presentation apps, designers work in multiple digital graphics fields under the broad gamut of desktop publishing.
The need and affordability of desktop publishing
Just about any office job may require a basic level of desktop publishing skills. Whether you are an office manager, restaurant manager, teacher, or real estate agent, it is always a bonus point to be familiar with desktop publish software packages. That can be the Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Cloud, and other similar applications. Students can boost their resume and give it a pleasing and professional appearance by designing one themselves without having to spend money on professional resume makers. It can also become an addition in your skillset and give you an edge over other candidates. The wide-spread availability of these software solutions has, on the other hand, made desktop publishing more affordable. Individuals can launch their own ebooks or magazines all by themselves without needing to hire an agency.
An assortment of features form desktop publishing software
Basic desktop publishing software features include tools that can let you configure the layout and design of your pages and deal with standard graphics and type customizations. Master pages help to give a structure to the entire document so that you wouldn’t need to repeat the same edits throughout. Preflighting is a feature by which you can see if your design is compliant with the standards of the printing industry. Some packages offer intensive design and editing options such as text on curves, applying drop shadows, etc. You can add indexes, footnotes, and endnotes in your design, add cross-references or a table of contents when dealing with longer documents. Some also allow you to combine data from multiple external sources, and create tables and equations with the data. Most desktop publishing software would allow formats for offline printing and electronic media such as PDF and XML.
Meeting the publisher’s need with multiple software packages
Different desktop publishing programs have different sets of features, as mentioned earlier. The kind of software you use would depend on what types of publications you are working with at that point. There are newsletters, magazines, small booklets, flyers, etc. that fall into the category of general publications and graphics. Packages from software such as InDesign and PageMaker can be particularly helpful here, apart from QuarkXPress. For long documents that usually have multiple chapters such as books, ebooks, manuals, or academic publications, you can work with Adobe Indesign, Corel Ventura, QuarkXPress, etc. And other scientific and data-intensive publications are there that require tabular materials for which you can use Adobe Framework or Corel Ventura. Publications can even fall into more than one category simultaneously. So, you may need to shift between one tool to another to get the final desired output.