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InDesign CS6 alternatives
- Thread starter blinkie
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Have you tried Quark Xpress? We used it at the publishing house I used to work at, many years ago, and it was the industry standard for a long time. Then InDesign came out and we all migrated to that and went crazy for drop shadows.
It’s still around and actively developed, and because Adobe came along and stole 90% of Quark’s market, it’s way cheaper than it used to be when it was the top dog. Also, you can actually own it rather than rent it.
It’s still around and actively developed, and because Adobe came along and stole 90% of Quark’s market, it’s way cheaper than it used to be when it was the top dog. Also, you can actually own it rather than rent it.
Take a look at Affinity Designer. It now imports .idml files along with PDF's so you can edit your InDesign files. There will be a learning curve since it does things a little differently than InDesign but it's on its way to becoming pretty powerful. I'm still using the CC subscription with all my freelance so I haven't used Designer on any big projects but it seems to be a decent alternative.
Try out Affinity Publisher. It is their version of InDesign, and the latest update will now import IDML files which should make the transition from Indesign a little easier. If I weren’t so embedded in Adobe, I would be all in on the Affinity Suite.
+1 for Affinity apps. I own two of them and love them.
Short time Quark user, long time InDesign user ... never used Affinity once, but I second that as an alternative. Not that Quark isn't good, just that the price is a bit steep compared to Affinity.
I'm not too sure about it's ability to handle large layouts with lots of pages (I used to be in newspaper layout, so think tabloid with 40+ pages and hundreds of assets) or if you also work with something like InCopy or need Distiller features ....
But you can't beat the price, and from what I see it's got about 70% of the InDesign chops.
I'm not too sure about it's ability to handle large layouts with lots of pages (I used to be in newspaper layout, so think tabloid with 40+ pages and hundreds of assets) or if you also work with something like InCopy or need Distiller features ....
But you can't beat the price, and from what I see it's got about 70% of the InDesign chops.
Thanks everyone. The Affinity Publisher looks like a great fit. I don't do any large projects just some small books from time to time.
Hope you enjoy it! @MacAffinity is a member of MR and tips us off to discounts from time-to-time too.
I have never used it myself, but from what I've heard Scribus is a pretty powerful and most of all free alternative: https://www.scribus.net
Wow, this really takes me back. I learned layout and design on Quark but moved on to InDesign back in the early 2000s with everyone else in the industry. I really do wonder if it's any good now.
I hear good things about the Affinity apps, but haven't dipped my toe in.
I've used it. It works. It's not especially stable. Kinda wonky and hard to use. I don't recommend it. I suspect it might be less wacky on Windows or Linux than on macOS.
I've used the olllllllld QuarkXPress ... like version 3 from the classic MacOS days. I really really liked it. Fast, powerful, accurate, reasonably stable and pretty simple to use.
I've also used InDesign a lot ... more complex than the old Quark (I've not used quark since the classic macos days) powerful, accurate ... expensive.
Have not tried the Affinity layout program.
Apple Pages can do some basic stuff, but it's nowhere near what InDesign/Quark can do.
Here's a wee endnote for any interested people stumbling across this thread. I do like Affinity Publisher. It's super easy to use. But I was dismayed to find it had no export to ePub option. I have version 1.8.4. I was told by Affinity that the next update will not include the function and it's merely, 'on the list to be considered' for future updates. I really do hope they include it.
There are lots of things "on the to do list" with Affinity - on all apps. Many things are basic elements that should be in all of their package.
I use them all, and whilst good and getting better with every incremental update, they still have a way to go before they can compete with Adobe stuff. Hopefully that will come as time progresses though.
I use them all, and whilst good and getting better with every incremental update, they still have a way to go before they can compete with Adobe stuff. Hopefully that will come as time progresses though.
I am writing a book, nearing publishing in both physical and e-book formats. Currently a around 200 pages and adding illustrations/photos into text, so it is a very major project. With my CC subscription set to auto renew in November, always looking for the "dump Adobe" or at a minimum maintain Photoshop/Lightroom. (Yes, I have looked at Photoshop alternatives, but invariably, you need the alternative PLUS Photoshop for what the alternative can't do...so may as well just have Photoshop.)
First, while I own Publisher, immediately ruled it out. Major oversight when released was the omission of e-book capability, requiring another program like Calibre. The Publisher user forums lit up over this, and Affinity's response three years ago was "working on it". They are famous for that phrase used during the decade delay on releasing Publisher. E-Book capability has never been added in any of the software updates.
Had very high hopes for QuarkXpress, even updating from 2017 to 2020 versions - and put up with their limited training videos. Everything went fine until I started adding photos. Yes, I appreciated their inDesign type placement box fitting they added in 2018...and the reason I upgraded. However, neither of the two types on anchors actually anchored for WYSIWYG formatting. Make changes elsewhere and the photo stays there while the text shifted pages away. Interesting no training tutorials on something that basic and I found out why when did a search as it is so convoluted. Apparently you can't do a simple place and anchor. Rather you make a second text box within the text and anchor it which then moves with the other text and maintaining wraparound. Within that second text box, you then place the photo and it moves with the dedicated text box.
It was taking (wasting) so much time, I gave up and re-imported the text into inDesign. After I am done, Quark does now import inDesign files so will play with it, but suspect will subscribe to Adobe for another year.
First, while I own Publisher, immediately ruled it out. Major oversight when released was the omission of e-book capability, requiring another program like Calibre. The Publisher user forums lit up over this, and Affinity's response three years ago was "working on it". They are famous for that phrase used during the decade delay on releasing Publisher. E-Book capability has never been added in any of the software updates.
Had very high hopes for QuarkXpress, even updating from 2017 to 2020 versions - and put up with their limited training videos. Everything went fine until I started adding photos. Yes, I appreciated their inDesign type placement box fitting they added in 2018...and the reason I upgraded. However, neither of the two types on anchors actually anchored for WYSIWYG formatting. Make changes elsewhere and the photo stays there while the text shifted pages away. Interesting no training tutorials on something that basic and I found out why when did a search as it is so convoluted. Apparently you can't do a simple place and anchor. Rather you make a second text box within the text and anchor it which then moves with the other text and maintaining wraparound. Within that second text box, you then place the photo and it moves with the dedicated text box.
It was taking (wasting) so much time, I gave up and re-imported the text into inDesign. After I am done, Quark does now import inDesign files so will play with it, but suspect will subscribe to Adobe for another year.