The Affinity range of professional creative software has come closer to adding a desktop publishing app to its family by releasing a beta version of Affinity Publisher, on 30 August 2018. Free to download for all, one can test the pre-release version of the app from https://affinity.serif.com/publisher.
Developed by the multi-award-winning team at developer Serif’s UK headquarters, Affinity Publisher is the result of thousands of hours worth of efforts. Serif is emphasizing that the app is still in development; beta users will play an influential role in shaping the first retail release, around the end of the year.
Affinity Publisher boasts full integration with Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo, allowing owners of all three to edit vector designs and images right there in one app. Early users will see buttons to switch to Photo and Designer within the app; however, these will not be available until later in the beta period.
Constructive criticism is welcome for the final app
Serif managing director Ashley Hewson says, “From the earliest days of visualizing the Affinity range, we planned an unrivaled trio of sleek, super-modern apps created to work with the latest technology; ultra-fast, with stunning power and completely stripped of bloat.
“The final step towards realizing that initial ambition will come with the launch of Affinity Publisher. It’s an all-new app which we believe will revolutionize desktop publishing in the same way Affinity Photo and Affinity Designer have shaken up professional photo editing and vector graphic design.”
Moreover, key desktop publishing capabilities built into Affinity Publisher include advanced typography, linked text frames, master pages, facing page spreads, dynamic photo frames, tables, baseline grids, linked resources, end-to-end CMYK. Hewson adds, “It’s a beta, so there will be bugs and areas of the app which are not yet fully polished. We don’t recommend you use it for any important production work at this time. We are relying on beta users to let us know what works and what doesn’t … You can expect plenty of free updates to come, just like with our other apps.”
Serif has set up a dedicated forum where beta users are encouraged to share their feedback, suggestions and requests, at https://affin.co/publisherbetaforum.
The beta version of Affinity Publisher is for Mac and Windows users only. An iPad version will follow later, as with Affinity Designer and Affinity Photo, Apple’s reigning iPad App of the Year.
