After using PagePlus for over a month, I’ve had some time to acquaint myself with its quirks and advantages.
Advantages:
It’s free! You can’t beat a free program that provides the flexibility you need to do all kinds of publishing. There are a number of free templates that you can download online. The layout options, though different than Publisher, are fairly diverse and provide options for brochures, newsletters, etc. The program itself runs very well, never slowing down the computer like Publisher often does. There are tons of fonts to choose from and you basically have all of the text editing tools that you could think of.
Disadvantages:
It did crash when I tried to import a .wmf clipart file I found on the Net and again when I tried to import either a .bmp or .gif (I can’t remember which)…But I have been able to download .jpg files. Make sure you save often! Layering text boxes can be a bit tricky and frustrating. If you figured out Publisher, you should be able to navigate it nonetheless. The templates are a bit limited, but you can customize them if you have the patience.
There is more I could say, but this gives you a glimpse of PagePlus. It’s worth downloading and playing with it. The money you save by not purchasing Publisher makes it worth a slight learning curve.
Ed Cyzewski: Author // Contemplative 