Microsoft Publisher reaches end of support in October 2026. Microsoft 365 subscribers lose access to the app on 1 October, and the perpetual Office 2021 version follows on 13 October. That leaves a large group of people who never opened a real layout tool holding .pub files they still have to print: parish newsletters, school flyers, club programmes, market price lists, zines run off at the local copy shop.
A word processor will not cover this. Word has no bleed, no CMYK, no facing pages that behave when you add a page in the middle. So we researched the best apps for desktop publishing across Windows, macOS, and Linux and checked the parts that decide whether a file survives contact with a printing press: CMYK colour, PDF/X export, spot inks, bleed and crop marks, and whether the app can open a legacy .pub file at all. The eight picks below run from a free replacement you can learn in an afternoon to what commercial print shops expect to receive.
What to look for in a desktop publishing app
Page layout is a narrow job with sharp requirements. These are the six that matter, in the order a print job will punish you for missing them.
Text frames that link across pages. The defining difference between layout software and a word processor. Text should flow from frame to frame, page to page, and reflow when you insert a page. If an app makes you retype into separate boxes, it is a drawing tool wearing a costume.
CMYK and PDF/X export. Offset and most digital presses want CMYK, not the RGB your screen uses. PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4 are the two presets print shops name most often. An app that only exports plain RGB PDF means someone downstream converts your colours and guesses at your intent.
Bleed and crop marks. Anything that prints to the edge of the paper needs 3mm of artwork past the trim line plus marks telling the guillotine where to cut. This has to be a document setting, not something you fake by enlarging the page.
Spot colours. Pre-mixed inks (PANTONE and similar) for logos and packaging that must match exactly. Not every job needs them, but the jobs that do cannot proceed without them.
Master pages and styles. Running heads, folios, and repeated furniture belong on a master page. Paragraph and character styles are what let you change all 40 headings at once instead of one at a time.
Legacy file import. If you have years of .pub files, the ability to open them, even imperfectly, saves rebuilding from a screenshot.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Price | CMYK + PDF/X | Opens .pub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scribus | Free full prepress | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free | Yes, PDF/X-1a, X-3, X-4 | Partial |
| Affinity | Free modern layout | Windows, macOS, iPad | Free with a Canva account | Yes | No |
| LibreOffice Draw | Rescuing legacy .pub files | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free | No | Yes |
| Xara Page & Layout Designer | Publisher-style workflow on Windows | Windows | One-time purchase | Yes | No |
| Swift Publisher | Small print jobs on a Mac | macOS | One-time purchase | CMYK yes, no PDF/X preset | No |
| Adobe InDesign | The print industry default | Windows, macOS | Subscription | Yes | No |
| QuarkXPress | Prepress without a subscription | Windows, macOS | One-time or annual | Yes | No |
| Typst | Long structured documents | Windows, macOS, Linux, web | Free | CMYK yes, no PDF/X | No |
The best apps for desktop publishing, ranked
1. Scribus, best free tool with full prepress control
Scribus is the open-source page layout application that print-ready work actually goes through. The 1.6 stable series handles linked text frames, master pages, paragraph and character styles, native CMYK, ICC colour management, spot colours, and colour separations, and it exports PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, and PDF/X-4 with bleed and printer marks. The built-in Preflight Verifier checks a document for missing images, RGB colours in a CMYK job, and fonts that will not embed before you send anything anywhere.
Scribus for desktop publishing is also the only pick here that ships a Microsoft Publisher import filter. It is built on the same libmspub library LibreOffice uses, and it works best on older .pub files. Treat anything it opens as a starting point rather than a finished layout.
Where it falls short: The interface follows an older Qt design and shows its age, and text editing is deliberate rather than fluid, with more dialogs than a Publisher user expects. There is no collaboration of any kind, and no mail merge without scripting.
Pricing: Free and GPL-licensed, with no paid tier and no account.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus BSD builds.
Print output: CMYK, spot colours, PDF/X-1a, X-3 and X-4, bleed, crop and registration marks, separations preview.
Download: scribus.net · Flathub · GitHub
Bottom line: If you need press-ready output and refuse to pay anything, this is the pick. Budget a weekend to learn it.
2. Affinity, best free option with a modern interface
Affinity Publisher no longer exists as a separate purchase. Canva bought Serif and, at the end of October 2025, folded Publisher, Photo, and Designer into a single free Affinity app where page layout is the Layout workspace. The layout half kept what it had: master pages, linked text frames, table of contents generation, paragraph and character styles, CMYK documents, spot colours, and PDF/X export. It opens IDML, so old InDesign files come across, along with PSD, AI, PDF, SVG, and TIFF.
The catch is the account. The app is free with no subscription for the design tools, but it signs in against a Canva account rather than a licence you own outright. Anyone who bought an Affinity V2 perpetual licence keeps it, and those standalone apps still run.
Where it falls short: No Linux build and none announced. The AI features Canva added sit behind a paid Canva plan. Some long-time V2 owners are wary of account-linked software after paying for a perpetual licence, which is a reasonable thing to weigh.
Pricing: Free. A Canva subscription only matters if you want the AI tools.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, and iPad.
Print output: CMYK, spot colours, PDF/X export including PDF/X-1a, bleed and marks.
Download: affinity.studio
Bottom line: The best balance of capability and approachability on Windows and macOS, and it costs nothing. Skip it if you are on Linux or you object to signing in to design software.
3. LibreOffice Draw, best for opening legacy .pub files
LibreOffice Draw is the most reliable free way to open a Microsoft Publisher document. It reads .pub through the libmspub filter, so File then Open on a .pub gets you editable text blocks and images rather than a flat picture. That alone earns it a place, because most of the professional tools on this list cannot read the format at all without a paid third-party converter.
As a layout tool it is limited. Draw is page-based and gives you frames, layers, and precise object placement, which covers a one-page flyer or a simple two-sided leaflet. It does not do text that flows from frame to frame across pages, which rules out anything with a long article running through it.
Where it falls short: No CMYK colour model anywhere in LibreOffice, and PDF export offers PDF/A rather than PDF/X. Bleed is not a document setting, so you enlarge the page and place marks by hand. Complex .pub imports lose effects and substitute fonts you do not have installed.
Pricing: Free and open source.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Print output: RGB PDF only. Fine for a copy shop, not for offset.
Download: libreoffice.org · Flathub
Bottom line: Use it to get your old .pub files open and readable, then rebuild the ones that matter in Scribus or Affinity.
4. Xara Page & Layout Designer, closest to the Publisher workflow
Xara Page & Layout Designer is the Windows tool a Publisher user will recognise fastest. You drag objects onto a page, text and graphics behave the way you expect, and the template library covers the same jobs Publisher’s did: flyers, newsletters, brochures, business cards. Rendering is fast even on large documents, which is a real advantage when a 24-page newsletter is full of photographs.
Behind the friendly surface it takes print seriously. Xara Page & Layout Designer for desktop publishing produces CMYK output either as PDF/X or as direct four-colour and spot separations from the print dialog, both with crop and printer’s marks, and it ships PANTONE libraries usable as spot colours or process equivalents.
Where it falls short: Windows only. The file format is proprietary and nothing else opens it, so you are trading one lock-in for another. It cannot import .pub files.
Pricing: Sold as a one-time purchase, with paid upgrades when a new version lands.
Platforms: Windows.
Print output: CMYK, PANTONE spot colours, PDF/X, separations, crop and printer’s marks.
Download: xara.com
Bottom line: The shortest learning curve of anything here for a Windows Publisher user, and it still hits real print specs. The platform lock is the price.
5. Swift Publisher, best small-format layout on macOS
Swift Publisher from BeLight is a Mac-only layout app aimed squarely at the work Publisher was used for: menus, flyers, brochures, calendars, booklets, letterheads, and labels. It has master pages, two-page spreads, text boxes that flow into each other, and layers, along with several hundred templates and a large catalogue of Avery and similar label stock layouts, which is the feature people miss most when they leave Publisher.
Export lets you pick RGB or CMYK and set a bleed size across PDF, EPS, TIFF, PNG, and JPEG. There is also a text-to-curves option that converts every character to vector outlines, which sidesteps font embedding arguments with a print shop entirely.
Where it falls short: macOS only, with no Windows or Linux version. Export exposes colour model and bleed rather than named PDF/X presets, so confirm with your printer that a CMYK PDF is acceptable. It is built for small and mid-size jobs, not a 300-page book.
Pricing: A one-time purchase, with a trial available before you buy.
Platforms: macOS.
Print output: CMYK or RGB PDF with bleed, text to curves, no PDF/X preset, no spot colours.
Download: swiftpublisher.com
Bottom line: The right pick for a Mac user producing a steady stream of short print jobs who does not want to learn Scribus.
6. Adobe InDesign, what print shops assume you are using
Adobe InDesign is the reference point the rest of this list is measured against, and it is on the list for a practical reason: if you hand work to designers, agencies, or a commercial printer, this is what they expect. Its typography engine, GREP styles, data merge, package-for-print command, and preflight profiles are still ahead of everything else, and PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4 presets are one menu away.
InDesign for desktop publishing is heavy machinery for a two-page newsletter. The reason to choose it is compatibility with other people rather than raw capability you cannot get elsewhere.
Where it falls short: Subscription only, with no way to buy it outright, so the cost never stops. There is no Linux version. It cannot open .pub files either, so a Publisher migration means a third-party converter or a rebuild.
Pricing: A monthly or annual Creative Cloud subscription, either as a single app or as part of the full suite.
Platforms: Windows and macOS.
Print output: CMYK, spot colours, PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-4 presets, bleed and slug, separations preview, live preflight.
Download: adobe.com
Bottom line: Worth the subscription only if you exchange working files with other professionals. For your own printing, Affinity or Scribus does the same job for nothing.
7. QuarkXPress, professional prepress you can buy once
QuarkXPress is the other tool that has been in commercial print since the beginning, and it remains the strongest option for people who want professional output without renting it. Colour separations, spot inks, output preview, PDF/X export, and job-specific output styles are all there, and it also publishes the same document to HTML5 and ePub, which matters if a magazine ships in print and digital.
The stand-out for anyone burnt by the Publisher retirement is the licensing. Quark still sells a perpetual licence alongside an annual subscription, so you can own a version outright and keep using it.
Where it falls short: It is the most expensive option here either way you buy it. The user base is much smaller than InDesign’s, so fewer freelancers can pick up your files and fewer tutorials exist. No Linux build.
Pricing: A perpetual one-time licence, or an annual subscription that includes upgrades. Education and nonprofit rates are lower.
Platforms: Windows and macOS.
Print output: CMYK, spot colours, PDF/X, separations, output preview, bleed and marks.
Download: quark.com
Bottom line: Buy it if you need professional prepress, refuse a subscription, and can absorb the cost once.
8. Typst, the pick for documents that repeat
Typst is not a page layout canvas, and that is the point. You describe the document in a compact markup language and a Rust compiler produces the PDF, so every heading, caption, and footnote follows a rule instead of being positioned by hand. For anything long and structured, a 200-page report, a thesis, an annual review, a conference programme, this beats dragging text frames around. It compiles fast enough to preview as you type, and it can enforce PDF/A standards on export.
Typst for desktop publishing also solves the problem Publisher users hit every year: the newsletter that has to look identical in twelve issues. Change the template once, recompile, done.
Where it falls short: No drag-and-drop layout at all, so a poster or a fold-out flyer is the wrong job for it. Colours can be defined in CMYK but there are no spot colours, no PDF/X preset, and no built-in bleed or crop marks. The package ecosystem is younger and thinner than LaTeX’s.
Pricing: The compiler is free and open source under Apache 2.0. The hosted web editor adds paid plans for collaboration.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus a browser editor.
Print output: PDF with CMYK colour values and PDF/A conformance options, no PDF/X, no spot colours.
Bottom line: The best answer for repeating, text-heavy print work, and completely wrong for a one-off flyer.
What a Publisher user actually loses
Nobody says this part out loud, so here it is. Moving off Publisher costs you five specific things.
The mail merge. Publisher merged directly from Outlook contacts and Excel sheets to produce personalised letters and catalogues. Scribus has no mail merge without scripting, and LibreOffice Draw has none. InDesign’s Data Merge is the closest replacement, and QuarkXPress covers it too. If merge is central to your work, factor that in before you pick.
The label and paper stock catalogue. Publisher knew the dimensions of every Avery sheet. Swift Publisher keeps a large catalogue of these, and Xara has templates, but in Scribus you set up the grid yourself once and save it as a template.
Typing straight onto the page. Publisher let you click and type almost anywhere. Real layout tools require you to create a text frame first and link frames to make text flow. It sounds like a small thing and it is the single biggest adjustment.
The template and clip art library. Publisher shipped hundreds of ready designs. Affinity, Xara, and Swift Publisher all ship template libraries. Scribus ships very few, so you start from a blank page more often.
The .pub file itself. Only LibreOffice Draw and, partially, Scribus can read it. Convert everything you care about before 1 October 2026 while you still have a working copy of Publisher, and export a PDF of each document as a visual reference even if you plan to rebuild.
Also considered
Canva is where a lot of Publisher users will land, and for social graphics and quick flyers it is fine. For print it has hard limits worth knowing before you commit a job to it: the document itself is always RGB, CMYK exists only as an export setting on paid plans, bleed is fixed at 3mm and cannot be changed, and crop marks and bleed are a single combined checkbox in the PDF Print download. Ask your printer whether that is enough before you build a catalogue in it.
VivaDesigner deserves a mention as the only commercial InDesign-style layout tool with a native Linux build alongside Windows, macOS, and a browser version. There is a free edition plus paid editions, and the workflow will feel familiar to anyone who came from QuarkXPress. It is a smaller product with a smaller community, so support is thinner than the picks above.
How to pick
If you are a Publisher user on Windows who wants the least disruption: Xara Page & Layout Designer. The workflow maps closely and the print output is genuinely professional.
If you want the best free tool and will invest a weekend: Scribus. Nothing else free gets you PDF/X-4, spot colours, and a preflight check.
If you want capable layout at no cost with a modern interface: Affinity, as long as you are on Windows or macOS and do not mind the Canva sign-in.
If your problem is a folder of old .pub files: open them in LibreOffice Draw first, salvage the text and images, then rebuild the important ones properly.
If you are on a Mac doing menus, labels, and short-run flyers: Swift Publisher.
If you exchange working files with printers or agencies: Adobe InDesign, because that is what they will ask for.
If you need press-grade output and will not pay a subscription: QuarkXPress.
If the same document has to be produced again next month and the month after: Typst.
If you are on Linux and Scribus is not to your taste: VivaDesigner is the only other realistic option.
FAQ
What is the best free desktop publishing software?
Scribus, if you need output a commercial printer will accept. It is free, open source, runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and exports PDF/X-1a, X-3, and X-4 with CMYK, spot colours, bleed, and crop marks. The free Affinity app is easier to learn and also costs nothing, but there is no Linux version.
Can I open .pub files without Microsoft Publisher?
Yes, in two places. LibreOffice Draw reads .pub through the libmspub filter and is the most reliable free route. Scribus has an import filter built on the same library, and it works best with older Publisher files. Neither is perfect: complex layouts shift and missing fonts get substituted. Adobe InDesign, Affinity, and QuarkXPress cannot open .pub at all without a paid third-party converter.
Do I need CMYK for my print job?
Ask the printer. Digital presses and copy shops usually accept RGB PDF and convert on their side. Offset printing, anything with a PANTONE brand colour, and most packaging work want CMYK plus spot inks and a PDF/X file. If your work has always gone to a local copy shop, LibreOffice Draw or Canva may be enough. If it goes to a trade printer, you need Scribus, Affinity, Xara, InDesign, or QuarkXPress.
What happens to Publisher after October 2026?
Microsoft 365 subscribers lose access on 1 October 2026 and can no longer install, open, or edit .pub files in Publisher. The perpetual Office 2021 version keeps running after support ends on 13 October 2026, but with no security updates, bug fixes, or support. Microsoft recommends converting your files to PDF or another format before the cutoff.
Is Affinity Publisher still available to buy?
Not as a separate product. Canva merged Publisher, Photo, and Designer into one free Affinity app in October 2025, with page layout living in its Layout workspace. Existing Affinity V2 perpetual licences remain valid and those apps keep working, so V2 owners can stay put or move to the free unified app.
What do print shops actually want from a file?
A PDF/X file, usually PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4, in CMYK, with all fonts embedded, images at 300 dpi, 3mm of bleed past the trim, and crop marks. Every tool in the top half of this list can produce that. Send a test file before a large run.
