PRESS RELEASE
Small businesses, charities and hobbyists looking for an affordable office suite to help create professional promotional materials can now benefit from PagePlus X7 - a powerful and easy-to-use desktop publisher from Serif, the award-winning design, publishing and creative software developer.
The latest version gives people with normal office software skills the power to create and print eye-catching marketing materials and stationery, fully edit PDFs, produce business plans and other formal documents, make interactive multimedia brochures, and publish eBooks - all for just £81.69. Versatile templates and simple drag-and-drop design elements help organisations and hobbyists effortlessly create materials that will stand out in a highly competitive market.
"PagePlus has frequently been recognised as one of the best desktop publishing tools in the last two decades, and is now the only program that creates diverse business-class documents and marketing materials, fully edits PDFs, and publishes eBooks - all in one affordable package," says Ashley Hewson, Managing Director at Serif. "The latest release builds on PagePlus' position as the #1-ranked desktop publisher* by adding more design capabilities and greater efficiency. For businesses and volunteer organisations everywhere - non-designers and design enthusiasts alike - PagePlus remains the most effective way to quickly and easily produce a whole range of unique digital and print communications."
New features include built-in charts, meaning businesses and charities can now easily share their success with pie, line, scatter, area and bar charts. Users can lift data from existing spreadsheets, or use figures from PagePlus tables, then highlight statistics by adding eye-catching colours, 3D effects, and their own choice of fonts and labels.
The new Startup Assistant offers instant access to the latest tutorials and a quick keyword search for templates and document types. Users can also read a live stream of the latest PagePlus news and CommunityPlus articles as soon as they are published. The program also features a cleaner and more efficient interface with new docking controls for more screen layout personalisation. Plus, users can take advantage of new effects and other formatting tabs, making it easier to use colour and transparency and one-click charting controls.
Accelerated Graphics Technology, combined with native support for 64-bit operating systems, means PagePlus' all round performance has been massively improved. It's faster than ever to create outstanding promotional materials, plus there's greater efficiency when working on large or complex files with highly accurate on-screen colours and smoother fonts and graphics.
"Digital publishing is growing with e-readers, tablets, and smartphones. PagePlus' synergy with this market means it is well suited to the do-it-yourself aspect of digital publishing, just as it is for printed documents, so businesses, charities and clubs can produce multiple outputs from a single source. By enhancing its PDF publishing power, PagePlus is now more useful than ever for start-ups and small to medium businesses. Users can now save files in the modern PDF/X-3 format favoured by print shops and publishers, and self-publishing authors can now also get their eBooks validated by EPUBCheck for compatibility with even more book stores," adds Ashley Hewson.
Other features include improved tables, which now flow data from page to page, just like a text frame. Data is simpler to format, and data types are auto-detected. Letterheads, logos and other designs will stand out even more with new fill and transparency styles, and, for advanced graphic editing, a new conversion option allows easier control over vectors and text. Plus, design enthusiasts and power users can also control how object colours interact and add designer texture effects with new blend modes. PagePlus continues to offer a broader feature set and wider compatibility than any other desktop publisher or office package, while striving for even greater user friendliness.
PagePlus X7 is compatible with Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP, and retails at £81.69 (inc. VAT). It is available directly from Serif at www.serif.com/pageplus. Existing Serif Software users should contact 0800 376 7070 for further information on upgrade pricing.
*Top Ten Reviews has rated PagePlus the #1 desktop publisher for five years in a row and the 1# logo designer for four years. It currently has a rating of 9.63 out of ten as a desktop publisher, and 9.15 out of ten as a logo designer and has achieved Gold and Excellence awards in both categories. Checked 9th April 2013.
New and improved features of PagePlus X7 include:
- Impressive Charts - Chart the success of a business or charity with pie, line, scatter, area and bar charts. Get data from popular spreadsheets or use figures from PagePlus tables.
- All-new Startup Assistant - A brand new Startup Assistant offers instant access to the latest tutorials and a quick search for templates and document types. Users can even read the latest PagePlus news and expert articles as soon as they are published.
- 64-bit Engine - With native support for 64-bit operating systems and Accelerated Graphics Technology, PagePlus is now faster than ever. There's also greater efficiency when working on large or complex files plus highly accurate on-screen colours and smoother fonts and graphics.
- New Workspace - PagePlus X7 features a cleaner and more efficient interface that users can customise to suit the way they work. Use new effects tabs, data and charting controls and take advantage of improvements to the colour and transparency tabs.
- New Drawing and Graphics Power - Letter heads, logos and other designs will stand out even more withnew fill and transparency styles and a conversion option for fine-control vector editing.
- Improved Tables - Users can now flow data from page to page just like a text frame, cells are simpler to format, and data types are auto-detected in PagePlus X7.
- New Blend Modes - Control how object colours interact, and add texture and other detailed effects to designs with professional blend modes.
- Improved PDF and eBook Publishing - Now save files in the modern PDF/X-3 format, favoured by print shops and book publishers. Authors can get eBooks validated by EPUBCheck for compatibility with even more book stores
- Smart Hints - Friendly top tips follow users around from task to task offering advice and techniques without getting in the way.
- Great Export Options - The new Export Optimiser offers even more settings: a super sampled level of quality and includes a new SVG export. There's also access to a great new live preview of work before and during exporting.
About Serif
Serif is the publisher of the award-winning software range that includes PagePlus, PhotoPlus, DrawPlus, WebPlus, MoviePlus, CraftArtist and more. Founded in 1987 with the aim to develop low-cost alternatives to high-end publishing and graphics packages, Serif has been repeatedly praised for its powerful yet easy-to-use software which has put professional effects and demanding publishing tasks within the reach of ordinary PC users around the world. Now the winner of over 200 awards internationally, with over 6.5 million customers worldwide, Serif has over 230 employees at its head office, development and European sales centre in Nottingham, UK.
