Best desktop publishing software (to create a yearbook) for Mac in $50-75 range.

Question

Level 1

0 points

Best desktop publishing software (to create a yearbook) for Mac in $50-75 range.

I'm looking for a desktop publishing software for my Mac. This is my first Mac (just got it) and I will be creating my son's elementary school yearbook. It's likely to be up to 80 pages, text and lots of pictures. I'd like to make it more graphically interesting that what has been done in the past (word).

I currently have Photoshop Elements 9 but I don't think that's the way to go with this project (although I can use it to manipulate the pictures). I'd like something that has templates, ability to move pages around, insert text, insert pics, graphics, etc. I don't think I need something expensive like InDesign but would rather stay in the $50-75 range. Could anyone give me any suggestions on what you feel might work the best?

Thanks so much

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Oct 5, 2012 6:38 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Oct 5, 2012 7:13 AM in response to Krs10f

I think you could do very well with Pages. It has two modes - word processing (letters, documents, etc) and page layout. It also comes with a bunch of templates, including school newsletters.

$20 from the App Store if you don't have it already.

Matt

Reply

Answer 2

Oct 5, 2012 8:41 AM in response to Krs10f

I agree that Pages should be able to do this job.

We did a nominal 8.5 by 5.5 cookbook a few years ago with many photographs of kids in it. We encountered many surprises.

What was fascinating for me was that most of the printing services wanted to print by making "copies" of our originals. This had worked fine for text plus line-art club yearbooks, but completely trashed the photographs we wanted to use.

We had to search quite a while to find a printer who could print (comparatively small runs) DIRECTLY from .pdf files. There were issues of file interchange formats on exactly which physical media. Today, you may be able to transfer those files to your printer electronically, but the file format will still be important. .pdf files with all fonts included may still be the way to go.

Then there were issues of page-ordering, since we had done a layout with page 1 opposite page 2 on the same 8.5 by 11 sideways sheet. Services referred to this as "Printers' proofs" and to re-order them differently (to get the fronts and backs in the right places) than if we had given them a continuous stream of half-sheet sized pages.

Inserting printed colored sheets from the second paper feeder could be done on the machine for cheap. Adding tabbed dividers was frighteningly expensive because these had to be inserted by hand.

So ... talk to your printer NOW, before you get too involved. There will be many issues.

Reply