Photo & Graphic Desigtner 2013 - Good for Brochures/Flyers?

Just looking for some input on this program and how well it does for flyers, brochures, etc...? Is it worth the $90 or is there something out there( xara or elsewhere )that would be better. I don't believe I need the $300 Pro version. I believe this basic one will do what I need.

I need a program that allows me to make flyers, leaflets, trifold brochures, etc... and that can be exported in a format that can be taken to a professional printer after it is done( this part is really important ). One of my web clients is really getting to be big and now they want me to start doing this other type of stuff for them. I would like to use a program with some brochure templates to help get me started as I learn this new phase of things( i.e. how to lay it out properly for printing and such ).

In the past I used Microsoft Publisher for this stuff but it is very outdated and limited compared to the Xara programs I have. I tried looking around the forum and doing a search but haven't come up with much on this specific use for the program. Right now I need to do a trifold brochure/flyer and am thinking about spending the $90 on this but am I wasting my money? Does it do a good job and is it easy for a beginner to figure out? I do everything by scratch for web sites using other xara programs so I can probably figure this out too I guess.

Thanks for any input you may have in advance.

If you're going to be doing more of this (publishing work), then I would pop for the extra bucks and get Designer Pro X.

Photo and Graphics Designer can output what you want, but the PDF export formats are limited. Designer Pro X has the greatest support for PDF/X which is the preferred format for most commercial printers and provides the most options. Plus, Designer Pro X has all the website creation capabilities as well.

I use Designer Pro X for 99% of all the professional work I do. And if it could create the stereograms I create, I would make the figure 100%. :-)

The difference in cost when you consider the increased billing should be the justification for getting the best tools for your money.

Download a trial and make a brochure - you don't need to pay upfront to have a go. You can get plenty of help on TG.

I do a lot of DTP work with Designer Pro X ( and website work as well) as Gary says the PDF/X support makes it worthwhile for commercial printing. And yes it does come with templates for flyers, newsletters, business cards and more. I also find the custom bullets feature and the text styles are a great time saver.

Thanks. Will think about it all.

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Originally Posted by pauland

Download a trial and make a brochure - you don't need to pay upfront to have a go. You can get plenty of help on TG.

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I did but 99.9% of it is not usable unless you buy it so it makes playing around a bit of a waste of time.

I did but 99.9% of it is not usable unless you buy it

I'm afraid I don't understand that at all - perhaps you can say why it's unusable? It's fully functional, isn't it?

I just shelled out the money so thanks to everyone.

I thought the trial was fully functional too. However welcome to the party gsthunder.

gsthunder -- Photo & Graphic Designer has EVERYTHING you need for brochures and leaflets etc for commercial printing. EVERYTHING. It is an excellent program.

There are lots of people on these Xara forums whom you can ask for advice if you run into problems. You'll get tips from several people (unlike me) who work in print shops and know all the 'ins and outs' of your Xara program.

Here's a tip -- -- make yourself a simple color test sheet... a lot of 1" squares of different colors, then save it as a PDF and -- at the start of the job -- have the brochure printer run you off a test print on the same press that the brochure will run on later. Compare your test print with colors onscreen and adjust to match the test print, no matter how different it looks onscreen. That test print is 'reality'.

Your P&GD PDF will work just fine 'out of the box.' It will embed the fonts you use, and your images will go out at 300 dpi. That's about it. Have fun... P&GD is a GREAT program... tremendous value for the money!

jon404( and others );

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. I have actually been working on a project using the new software and have been tied up with family stuff. You know how that is I am sure. Delivered it to the client today and they loved it. Thanks for recommending I go through with buying the new software. It did help a lot getting this done.