Desktop Publishing Software: Reviews

Updated March 2009
 

Best desktop publishing software for families

Broderbund The Print Shop 23 Deluxe *Est. $35 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Computer Shopper: The Print Shop 23 Deluxe earns a rating of 8.4 on a 10-point scale at Computer Shopper, based on a full review. The varied ...

TopTenReviews.com: The Print Shop 23 Deluxe gets top ranking among "print creativity" software for fun home projects and ranks second for greeting ...

Amazon.com: Over two dozen users review The Print Shop 23 Deluxe here, giving it an average rating of three on a five-point scale. About half ...

PCMag.com: This much earlier version of Print Shop Deluxe earns an Editors' Choice award, based on comparisons with three other desktop ...

CNet.com: This expert review covers an even older version of Print Shop Deluxe, giving it an overall rating of 3.5 out of a possible five ...

 

Small-business desktop publishing software

Serif PagePlus X3 Publisher Professional *Est. $90 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

PC Advisor: This U.K. review compares Serif PagePlus X3 with Microsoft Publisher and Adobe InDesign, judging PagePlus the winner for all but ...

About.com: Jacci Howard Bear, the desktop publishing guide at About.com, calls Serif PagePlus X3 Publisher Professional "a powerful ...

Computer Active: Serif PagePlus X3 earns a recommendation for home and small-business users, with special praise for ease of use plus improvements ...

Amazon.com: At the time of our report, all seven users reviewing Serif PagePlus X3 Publisher Professional at Amazon.com award it high ratings ...

TopTenReviews.com: This review, though dated 2009, covers an earlier version of PagePlus that lacks some of the improvements added to the X3 ...

Software Editorial: This review gives Serif PagePlus X3 Publisher Professional top ratings for features, ease of use and value, without noting any ...

 

Desktop publishing software for Mac

Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0 *Est. $45 Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

TopTenReviews.com: Editors here rank Print Explosion Deluxe eighth out of 10 desktop publishing programs, giving it a rating of 2.5 on a four-point ...

Macworld: This review praises Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0 as full-featured and easy to use, with excellent integration with other Apple ...

MacObserver.com: Mac user Nancy Gravley tests this edition of Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0 by making her holiday cards, finding pleasant ...

Applelinks.com: This detailed review, comparing Version 3.0 of Print Explosion Deluxe with an earlier version, includes several screen shots and ...

MacAddict.com: This review notes that Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0 is easy to use but, because it includes over 13,000 templates, takes up a lot ...

Amazon.com: Nearly three dozen users review Print Explosion Deluxe 3.0 at Amazon.com, with mixed reviews that lead to an overall rating of ...

 

Professional desktop publishing software

Adobe InDesign CS4 *Est. $700 or $200 to upgrade Compare Prices
 
Expert & User Review Sources:

PC World (Australia): Adobe InDesign CS4 gets a full, detailed review here, with a rating of four stars on a five-point scale -- a bit under that of ...

Computer Shopper: This full review of Adobe InDesign CS4 calls it "varied and useful," but criticizes it for some awkward usability (especially ...

How Design: This head-to-head comparison of Adobe InDesign CS4 and QuarkXpress 8 concludes that the latter is worth the upgrade for ...

PC World: This extremely detailed review of Adobe InDesign CS4 compares it favorably with QuarkXpress 8, but concludes that it's not a ...

PCMag.com: Adobe InDesign CS4 earns an Editors' Choice award, with a rating of 4.5 or "very good." The review is very brief, highlighting ...

The Graphic Mac: This hands-on review tests Adobe InDesign CS4 on a Mac, finding it fast, easy to use and worth the upgrade.

CreativePro.com: This well-illustrated review highlights improvements in the latest version of Adobe Indesign that professionals will appreciate, ...

 

Free desktop publishing software

 
Expert & User Review Sources:

Computer Shopper: This review of two free desktop publishing software titles finds Scribus more powerful than the free version of PagePlus (SE), ...

Lockergnome.com: In this forum discussion on preparing files for commercial printers, several users recommend Scribus, since it can create PDF ...

Softpedia.com: This detailed review praises Scribus 1.3.3.11 for both novices and professionals, calling it "one of the best DTP [desktop ...

PC World: This brief review of Scribus recommends it as easy to use, but notes that it can't import files from Quark or InDesign.

ITReviews.co.uk: This review finds some minor inconveniences with Scribus (such as awkward photo inserting), but recommends it for excellent ...

Download.com: Download.com editors say this "bug-fixing version" of Scribus lacks polish but excels in features, giving it a rating of four (on ...

Mad Penguin: This detailed single-product review of an earlier version of Scribus gives it high ratings for features and performance, but ...

OS News: This reviewer, perhaps because of his long experience with Scribus, finds it not only powerful, with many professional features, ...

Wikipedia.org: This factual description of Scribus may tell you more than you want to know about the software, but it includes useful links to ...

 

Where to buy:

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Desktop Publishing Software Runners Up:

Microsoft Publisher 2007 *Est. $150

4 picks including: About.com, Amazon.com…

iStudio Publisher *Est. $50

2 picks by top review sites.

     
 
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Microsoft Publisher 2007
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