Serif PagePlus X3 review

When most people think of publishing software, they automatically think of the market leaders, QuarkXPress and Adobe InDesign.

However, there's one package from a UK developer that's been around for longer - on the PC, at least - and it offers better ease of use and surprisingly advanced power for a fraction of the price of Quark or InDesign.

What really stands out about PagePlus is its usability. Serif is determined to make the creative process as simple as possible from beginning to end. Key to this is the streamlined interface, which is attractive and efficient, even more so now thanks to a revamped Gallery and Studio and the ability to create your own keyboard short cuts. PagePlus also makes sure you get off to a flying start with its wide range of 2,500 templates and design elements.

Templates are useful for providing a basic layout to work with, but what really matters is hands-on design power. Here, text handling is all-important and PagePlus X3 sees the addition of Word 2007 support, the ability to apply fills and transparency to frame-based text and improved handling of embedded tables. PagePlus X3 has enhanced AutoFit options, so if you resize a frame or text on a path, the point size changes accordingly in real time.

PagePlus X3 also adds support for the longstanding EPS vector standard, Microsoft's modern HD bitmap format and Serif's own SMF metafile format. You also get the ability to load and place multiple images in one go. To help make your bitmaps blend seamlessly into your layouts, the new Image Cutout Studio lets you create complex masks directly within PagePlus X3. Alternatively, you can add a soft feathered edge to objects with the Crop tool.

PagePlus doesn't just work well with imported images but also provides its own powerful set of drawing tools, including intelligent SmartShapes and Connector Lines. As well as basic fill, line and transparency handling, PagePlus provides a range of effects and preset styles to control the appearance of your objects, including new glass, metal and outlining options, plus a particularly striking reflection effect. To help you through one of the most common drawing tasks from start to finish, Serif has added a dedicated Logo Studio.

Once you're happy with your layout, text and graphics, you're ready to print. If you're using your own printer, the new Duplex Printing Wizard will handle the necessary page imposition to produce double-sided folded booklets correctly. If you're producing commercial print, the ability to package publications along with all fonts and images should prove useful, although you'll be lucky to find a bureau that has heard of PagePlus, let alone runs it. All is not lost, though, as PagePlus also lets you save to PDF/X-1a format, which is specifically designed to act as the digital master for commercial print.

Serif PagePlus X3 might not be as powerful a brand as QuarkXPress or InDesign, but it deserves to be better known. In fact, by making a difficult task not just straightforward but also enjoyable, it really puts the big players to shame, especially at this price.