layers, zoom in/out) are accessible and conveniently located. The program feels as though it is designed by the people who use it, meaning that the most commonly-needed navigation tools (e.g. The learning curve for Scribus is quite reasonable. However, I’ve been using page layout programs since the early 1990s (since about PageMaker 3.0, if memory serves), and am familiar with the toolset of both Quark and InDesign, as well as the general workflow of document design. In college I worked as a graphic designer for a Sir Speedy print shop, and doubled as the layout monkey for the college newspaper I edited, but for the past twelve years, I have focused on commercial video and photography, so I don’t exactly have a design portfolio. For this project, each line is a separate element, and each subject heading and curriculum component is a separate text box.Īt this point, I should mention that I make no claims to significant design ability. I also figured that this would be a better test of the program’s real-world performance than a brochure or other document with relatively few separate elements. Although Scribus does have the capability to create tables, this particular diagram was so complex that I decided to create it from scratch.

The document you see there is a Montessori elementary curriculum outline that I transcribed from a hand-written original for my wife. Here you see Scribus 1.3.7, as it appears on the 10.1″ screen of my HP Mini 5103. And, of course, you can’t beat the price … Scribus is available free of charge for Mac, Windows and Linux systems.

It lacks the fit and finish of its commercial brethren Quark Xpress and Adobe InDesign, particularly in the areas of precision and flexibility, but overall it’s an exceptionally impressive piece of software. It is a full-featured page layout program capable of handling anything from a business card design to a lengthy, hyperlink-filled, interactive PDF publication. Yes, Scribus is the open-source InDesign. I’ll kill the suspense by answering the title question right now.

Scribus review