Affinity recently released version 2 for all of their applications. This week, I am taking a look at Affinity Publisher 2. I use Publisher to put together every issue of Pear Zine, so I was super excited about the update.
I love using Affinity for work because they are a one time purchase. The entire suite is currently on sale for just under $100 on Affinity's website. Even when it's not on sale, it is still much cheaper than Adobe's predatory subscription model in the long run.
When creating a new document, there are many presets to choose from. Documents are customizable with the option to change the page size, number of pages, and overall layout. Remember, if you are putting together a booklet, you must have a multiple of 4 pages in order to successfully print. For my example, I decided to go with 8 pages.
The first thing I do in a new document is to set up guides. I like to set up a 12x12 grid of rectangles with .15 inch between each one. This helps me create effective page layouts by lining everything up throughout the document. Any document wide changes, including guides, should be made in the master pages located at the top of the page tab. To access, simply double click the master page spread preview.
Publisher is a very intuitive and user friendly app. Most of the tools operate in a drag and drop fashion that is super easy to use. There are lots of ways to plan out pages before final content is dropped in place. The picture frame tool can be used to map out where images should go, and text boxes can be filled with filler text.
Images can also be placed with the place image tool. Once selected, a pop up window will prompt file selection before allowing the photo to be dragged in place. This is the tool I use most, and I think it is super quick and convenient.
The coolest Publisher feature is the ability to jump in between photo and designer without leaving the app. This makes quick photo touch ups a breeze. For this example, I jumped back and forth between publisher and photo to manipulate the colors of the images into matching with each other.
Exporting is easy and also comes with a variety of customizable presets.
I really like to print test copies of my zines from the app. Publisher has a specific "booklet" setting that automatically orders your pages for printing. These are the settings I use to get my zines printed correctly on the first try.
In my opinion, I don't see much of a difference between the update and the original. The interface is a lot cleaner, but I don't see my work flow changing at all. The iPad app was definitely the focus with the publisher update, but unfortunately I have not gotten a chance to explore it yet. That said, I think Publisher is totally worth it, and I use it all the time.
If you would like to see the zine I put together while trying out Publisher 2, it can be downloaded for free on my Freebies page.
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