this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2024
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As far as InDesign alternatives go, do people know about VivaDesigner or even LaTeX for that matter?
Once upon a time print shops would only accept files in Quark Xpress format. Eventually, they came to accept InDesign documents too. They have licenses for the software and workflows and toolchains set up to integrate those files into their existing prepress and press systems.
LaTeX is purely for academic markup for postscript printing. VivaDesigner and its kind? Only niche and hobby layout and print.
That said, I only share in PDF now, so I use other software for the layout phases and don’t care that it isn’t portable to other shops.
I don't know about VivaDesigner (never looked for an alternative anyway), but I hope people know about Scribus. LaTeX is a bit too manual for someone coming from InDesign, so it's not a real alternative in that sense. My point was, that people have projects and files created and maintained with the Adobe software. Unless the programs are 100% compatible with the alternative, it's hard for many to make the switch. Plus they would need to learn a new "complex" tool, and know exactly which one is the right one and is worth switching for years to come.
Just giving people an alternative is not enough to convince them.
I've tried to use scribus, but the interface is pretty clunky and it doesnt react well to high-dpi screens in my experience.
If you start from the assumption you're using Quark 3.3, it's not bad,
Or maybe Affinity Designer? I bought that a few years ago for Mac and it was really good.
In a word, no. They are focused on the Adobe name. A bit like Apple, lots of good alternatives but who wants to be seen with a 'insert non fashionable name here' phone. There was a time when Adobe was king, not anymore though.