Xara Designer Pro as a Professional app for Pro work?

**Albacore** · 15 June 2013, 08:34 AM

GamePrinter please please try InDesign as I think you will find it an excellent programme, if you are going to use any Adobe programme it should be Acro pro & InDesign. You will find the PDF export and publication of you doc easy and correct maybe a small learn curve to overcome but not as steep say as AI. With a PDF import in ID then your Xara work will be easily accepted already in CMYK and if you want you can do a bit of editing which is better that Acro Pro. Also have a look at PagePlus a cheaper version of ID with tools nearly as good it also imports PDF's well but this time only text from Xara can be edited. I have done well over 200 page mark on 16 Mb computer memory with no wait for publication.

**Gamerprinter** · 15 June 2013, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by jon404

@Gamerprinter thanks for your post... I could hit myself in the head for not thinking of your obvious solution to make what, 8 to 10 pages at a time in XDP, and then bolt them all together later with Acrobat Pro into the final PDF.

Up to now, I've made my books using Framemaker and Open Office Writer... almost all text, a few illustrations here and there. But nothing highly graphical. These programs are good for regular books... page numbering, variable headers and footers, etc. But I won't be making any more print books... the money's not there. And that frees me up to use XDP/P&GD, since any new work will only be sold in PDF format. No limits on color, or graphics. Could probably make one chapter per .XAR file, using page numbering like 2-1, 2-2, 2-3 etc so I don't have to renumber across chapters, across .XARs. Can't think of any other real problem.

Will give XDP a shot. I like the program, have used it for years. At 69, would be very happy if I could condense my computer life to just a few programs, with XDP or P&GD one of them. Thanks again for the advice!

Actually creating publications for the roleplaying game industry - many gamers will only buy printed books considering PDFs only a bonus add-on to something they can hold in their hands when playing their games. So, while PDF only can become a dominant publishing platform for some industry markets. Print books are still a desireable product to the game industry. I produce both however, adding POD and short run printing to existing PDF documents simply a different grade of PDF (one with hi-res and printer's marks), but starting from the same Xara document used for book design.

Originally Posted by Albacore

GamePrinter please please try InDesign as I think you will find it an excellent programme, if you are going to use any Adobe programme it should be Acro pro & InDesign. You will find the PDF export and publication of you doc easy and correct maybe a small learn curve to overcome but not as steep say as AI. With a PDF import in ID then your Xara work will be easily accepted already in CMYK and if you want you can do a bit of editing which is better that Acro Pro. Also have a look at PagePlus a cheaper version of ID with tools nearly as good it also imports PDF's well but this time only text from Xara can be edited. I have done well over 200 page mark on 16 Mb computer memory with no wait for publication.

If I were doing more books per year, than I'm already doing now, I might consider a more efficient production flow with more appropriate software. I work with what I got now, it serves me well. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll just need to decide when too much is too much.

In the end, I'm not claiming that Xara is the best tool for page layout, especially large books. It works fine for my purposes, and I have fairly big books to create that are intended for printed books sales in shops worldwide. My initial trilogy of adventures (3 each 96 page books) were all created in Xara, printed in the US and UK, and are being sold in bookstores in India, Australia, throughout Europe, South America, US and Canada. I feel like a 'big time' publisher, though.

**tonylondon** · 15 June 2013, 11:58 AM

Originally Posted by angelize

I have to agree with Mike XDP would be impossible to use for a large publication or a book. I get away with using it for our publication because it is small, we fluctuate between 4 and 8 pages depending on advertising sales. I layout the pages as 11X17 spreads in folios so when it's printed and folded it's like a small 8.5 x 11 tabloid.

I believe with each release Xara is getting closer to being usable for long documents. However there are a few essentials still missing, such as automatic page numbers and contents generation. I wonder what the imminent release of XDP will bring? My Indesign doesn't function properly, and Adobe has been unable to solve the problem so I'm keen to make the changeover as soon as these features become available.
T

**WilliamHere** · 15 June 2013, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by Albacore

GamePrinter please please try InDesign as I think you will find it an excellent programme, if you are going to use any Adobe programme it should be Acro pro & InDesign.

Originally Posted by tonylondon

I believe with each release Xara is getting closer to being usable for long documents. However there are a few essentials still missing, such as automatic page numbers and contents generation. I wonder what the imminent release of XDP will bring? My Indesign doesn't function properly, and Adobe has been unable to solve the problem so I'm keen to make the changeover as soon as these features become available.
T

I would wait to see what the new version of XDP has to offer. You never know what surprises may be coming our way very soon with the new release.

**tonylondon** · 15 June 2013, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by WilliamHere

I would wait to see what the new version of XDP has to offer. You never know what surprises may be coming our way very soon with the new release.

Just to be clear, I hope one day to be able to use XDP for long documents instead of Indesign

**jon404** · 15 June 2013, 07:41 PM

@albacore and mwenz -- surrendering to your collective wisdom, I bought a copy of PagePlus and am pleasantly surprised -- like Xara products, it runs fine on my netbook, and will definitely do everything I want. Time to put Framemaker out in the garage, along with its sister Adobe products that I just can't deal with anymore. Except for Acrobat.

Thanks for your advice about this. Very appreciated.

**Gamerprinter** · 15 June 2013, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by mwenz

Jon--XDP is not a substitute for a page layout application no matter how many pages it can do. If you want a dang good page layout application that doesn't break the bank, get PagePlus.

@Jet, nice to see you here (back here, that is). Points well taken and agreed on the FH comparison (sorry for the lame pun...)

Take care, Mike

Is that Serif PagePlus? I think I have it and never used it, nor even know what it's capable of...

**jon404** · 15 June 2013, 09:07 PM

@gameprinter -- PagePlus... I just bought it... looks sweet. Like any DTP program, it makes PDFs -- but, of GREAT interest to us as authors, it lets you embed PDFs as page graphics (think user-enlargeable vector London subway map in, say, a 2" box surrounded by text.

REALLY EXCITING... you can bring in Flash .SWF animations... the simple ones you can make in XDP, or the more complex ones from other programs, like from Flash. And the ones from Flash can be user-controlled via Actionscript, so now all of a sudden you can have full viewer interactivity. Run attached PDF, it's got an interactive Actionscripted gas calculator I made back when. It works!

And it works well with graphics from XDP/P&GD, too. For $99, almost as good a deal as my $69 P&GD!