So, I installed an open source book layout app called Scribus based on a comment/recommendation left on my previous post where I complain about Adobe and Apple removing useful functionality from their creativity software that was making it impossible for me to design a book. First impressions: Scribus rocks!
Originally I wanted to layout my RPG rulebook in Apple Pages, but basic "facing pages" functionality was removed from that app for the latest version (5) that I own. It was impossible for me to set inside-outside bleeds separately or for the app to recognize left vrs right page. Also, it was impossible for me to set a page size or bleed size to three decimal places. In others words, Pages doesn't handle 1/8th inch increments.
So then I decided to just use Photoshop since I already own that app and have been using it since 1995. Photoshop is awesome but not ideal for book layout. And Adobe removed the ability for photoshop to batch export PSDs into a multipage PDF. So then I tried to batch process them in Preview, but it kept breaking embedded fonts, and didn't really work correctly. I then installed Adobe Creative Cloud so that I could do an Acrobat free trial. Acrobat was able to build my PDF from multiple PSDs. I finally had a workflow, but it was complicated, and required multiple apps. And editing and iterating on PSDs was insanely tedious. And eventually I was going to have to give Adobe money on a monthly basis just to build my PDFs. Thanks Obama...
Finally, I listened to reason and installed Scribus. Since it's open source, it required launching Terminal and doing a command line install, which always makes me cringe a little. But it was painless. First, I was instructed to enter a single command to instal Brew, and then another single command to install Scribus via Brew. Then on launch I got an error that I needed to install Ghostscript, but after a little research was able to instal that via Brew too with a single command. In summary, a total of three copy-pasted commands in my Terminal and Scribus was installed and running, fewer than the number of mouse clicks many apps require on instal.
Within 5 minutes of launching Scribus, I had a blank book test layout ready to go with left and right independent inside-outside bleeds at 1/8th inch increments. I also exported a multi-page pdf of my test with full control over every possible aspect of the PDF I was creating. Scribus does everything I want it to, and more. It was almost painless to instal, and IT IS FREE. God bless open source. I'll will definitely be throwing some money their way and/or recommending Scribus to anyone needing book layout tools.
Originally I wanted to layout my RPG rulebook in Apple Pages, but basic "facing pages" functionality was removed from that app for the latest version (5) that I own. It was impossible for me to set inside-outside bleeds separately or for the app to recognize left vrs right page. Also, it was impossible for me to set a page size or bleed size to three decimal places. In others words, Pages doesn't handle 1/8th inch increments.
So then I decided to just use Photoshop since I already own that app and have been using it since 1995. Photoshop is awesome but not ideal for book layout. And Adobe removed the ability for photoshop to batch export PSDs into a multipage PDF. So then I tried to batch process them in Preview, but it kept breaking embedded fonts, and didn't really work correctly. I then installed Adobe Creative Cloud so that I could do an Acrobat free trial. Acrobat was able to build my PDF from multiple PSDs. I finally had a workflow, but it was complicated, and required multiple apps. And editing and iterating on PSDs was insanely tedious. And eventually I was going to have to give Adobe money on a monthly basis just to build my PDFs. Thanks Obama...
Finally, I listened to reason and installed Scribus. Since it's open source, it required launching Terminal and doing a command line install, which always makes me cringe a little. But it was painless. First, I was instructed to enter a single command to instal Brew, and then another single command to install Scribus via Brew. Then on launch I got an error that I needed to install Ghostscript, but after a little research was able to instal that via Brew too with a single command. In summary, a total of three copy-pasted commands in my Terminal and Scribus was installed and running, fewer than the number of mouse clicks many apps require on instal.
Within 5 minutes of launching Scribus, I had a blank book test layout ready to go with left and right independent inside-outside bleeds at 1/8th inch increments. I also exported a multi-page pdf of my test with full control over every possible aspect of the PDF I was creating. Scribus does everything I want it to, and more. It was almost painless to instal, and IT IS FREE. God bless open source. I'll will definitely be throwing some money their way and/or recommending Scribus to anyone needing book layout tools.
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