PC World - USA (2019-10)

102 PCWorld OCTOBER 2019

HERE’S HOW ADOBE ALTERNATIVES

3. Affinity
   Designer
   PRICE: $49.99 FROM
   GO.PCWORLD.COM/
   AFDS
   Very similar to
   Adobe Illustrator,
   Affinity Designer’s
   most distinctive
   features (go.
   pcworld.com/dsft)
   include the Multi
   Stroke and Fill,
   which, among other
   things, stacks strokes and fills as layers so
   they can support their own blending and
   gradients. Also nice: the adjustable line
   weights, which are based on speed,
   pressure, and width. You get lots of new
   presets for symbols, shapes, and lines; more
   options for custom gradients, textures, and
   styles; and unlimited layers, masks, and
   groups. A big plus: There are over 8,000
   History steps for Undo/Redo.

ADOBE INDESIGN

ALTERNATIVES

InDesign and the programs listed below are

page layout, design, and desktop

publishing software. There are no

substitutions for this group unless you want

to use Microsoft Word or another word

processor, but those applications are not

really equipped to function as a layout and

design program. I still say PageMaker was

the all-time best desktop publishing

program, but it’s no longer supported by

Adobe or the operating systems.

1. Spring Publisher,
   Spring Publisher Pro
   PRICE: FREE AND $23.95 FROM
   GO.PCWORLD.COM/SPUB
   This little program is no InDesign or Affinity
   Publisher, but if you just need a simple,
   free program (go.pcworld.com/sprn) with
   nice templates—and without all the
   complicated menus, features, and
   effects—this one’s for you. Easy to learn,
   easy to use, easy Help language.


2. Scribus
   PRICE: FREE FROM GO.PCWORLD.COM/SCRB
   Scribus is an intuitively designed desktop

Spring Publisher comes with some nice templates.