PagePlus X3 Publisher Professional (PC)

Ok, I have to admit it - I'm totally converted to Serif software when I hadn't even heard of them 6 months ago. I've used Microsoft Publisher for years and years, but after using both WebPlus and DrawPlus from Serif I thought I'd give their DTP product a go. THis is more powerful, has loads more features, is far easier to use AND is a lot less money than Microsoft.

I've just made a flyer for an upcoming event. The thing that surprises me most is the drawing and graphics tools which are in here - I didn't need to use DrawPlus, I just did it straight in PagePlus. Apart from saving a load of time, the cool thing is that if you need to adjust a graphic as you're laying it out on the page you can do all the adjustments in place, without having to keep tweaking it in another program, importing it in, realising it's still not quite right, editing it again in your drawing program, etc. etc.

If you're looking for a DTP program they don't come any better than this, no matter how much money you spend.

Best Buy rated by Computer Shopper, Serif's PagePlus X3 is a real bargain for those with desk top publishing needs. It's better than Microsoft Publisher and far cheaper than Adobe's Indesign and Quark Express, so it's an ideal buy for home users or small business's on a budget. It's suitable for publishing things like flyers, handouts, brochures and society magazines, either as printed documents, websites or emails, and it can produce quite professional results. It's got 2,500 templates and design elements to get you started on your task, and the software is very user friendly. There's also a lot of powerful features and even Word 2007 support. It can save its DTP files in EPS vector standard, Microsoft's modern HD bitmap format, Serif's own new SMF metafile format and to PDF/X-1a format. In addition it offers things like 'autofit' scaling, good bitmap control and a powerful set of drawing tools.

New to PagePlus X3 are realistic glass & metal effects, text/object refections, HD and EPS graphic support, and a 'cutout studio' [for cutting out objects to use from photos]. There's now an integrated 'logo studio' for designing professional looking logos, and photo edge cropping tools for trimming, feathering and blending photos into backgrounds. Plus the interface, layout, text and table editors have been updated and there's a manual duplex wizard to aid you through double sided printing on a standard 'one side' colour printer. You can also now import, edit, and export PDF files for 'reliable commercial output and near-universal sharing compatibility'. Naturally there's all the old PagePlus power tools as well to get you from a template or pdf, through the design, effects & editing studio and off to the the printer or the web.

PC system Requirements for PagePlus X3 are a minimal Pentium PC with DVD/CD drive and mouse, Windows 2000, XP or Vista, 256MB RAM (Vista 512MB), 410 MB free hard disk space (1.22GB with Resource DVD installed), and a 800x600 SVGA display resolution display. This assumes you are a rather patient sort, as a fast multi-core PC with 4Gb RAM and a DirectX 9 3D Accelerated graphics card would speed things up rather. You would also benefit from a colour printer, fast internet access, a TWAIN-compatible scanner and/or a digital camera and a Wacom A5 Bamboo stylus input pad [to supplement the mouse for precision drawing/editing].

Serif rarely sell via stores, and rely on word of mouth and cheap upgrade offers to get new users. The fact they have reached version thirteen in PagePlus shows they must certainly be doing a lot right. I always used Serif software at home until I got free licences of Adobe Creative Suite CS3 and MS Office Pro from work (which would cost me a few grand to buy myself). Also have a look at the great Serif sister packages of DrawPlus [Vector drawing], MoviePlus [Video editing] and in particular PhotoPlus [Photoediting] - although this DTP PagePlus X3 is probably the jewel in their crown. Check them all out at serif.com - there's often on-line offers and Serif's upgrade prices get very cheap as the latest version nears the end of its life [dropping to under £15]. Once you register your Serif software, and you can't actually avoid this or the software won't run, expect a yearly phone-call and emails from Serif (UK) offering the cheap upgrade, and a deal on other Serif Software.

So highly recommended for those on a very tight budget - once you get past the shallow learning curve the software isn't bad at all, and is a steal when occasionally offered for under £40. PagePlus may not be as well known as Indesign and QuarkXpress, but it's ease of use actually puts them to shame, and at a fraction of their price. I have Adobe InDesign CS3 via work, and believe me it's obtuse help makes Serif PagePlus X3 seem like a breath of fresh air.

Finally, a publisher package with all the things you actually need! This software takes what you normally get from something like Microsoft's Publisher, and gives you so much more power. Unlike MS Publisher, and Adobe InDesign. This product provides you with Important and Export of PDFs, web publishing, pdf form processing, integrated image fixing and adjustments, and much more. In particular, the Image Cutout Studio is far extends the rather limited equivalents. A fantastic piece of technology, the key tool for anyone who wants to produce high-quality publications.