DesktopPublisher Pro - 2.2.5

The description claims this is for power users wanting professional looking designs and that it has features experienced graphic designers will appreciate. Others have already mentioned the problems with text editing and needed improvements to the interface.

Color support is clearly for novices wanting something to print on their home inkjet, though even a high end digital press like the Xerox 6060 would give good results too. The problem is that importing eps files does not add the colors in the eps to the color list for use in other layout elements or for printing spot separations. This is for any color, including Pantone colors, which ARE the industry standard for professional design. Pantone color libraries are not part of this application in any way.

Suppose you are a novice and have no clues what Pantone colors are. Not an unusual scenario. Now suppose you want a print shop to print your layout on their press. You've used the perfect color graphics you want, and the color photos you took with your digital camera. Unfortunately, the only colors that will be separated at print time are those pre-defined and those you've manually added. All the spot colors in your graphic files do not separate, nor do your photos separate into Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black (CMYK), assuming you've already converted those photos from the RGB standard used by digital cameras into CMYK. All those colors that are needed for correct printing of your design get dumped onto the Black separation. This is a BIG problem.

If all you need is something to print on your color inkjet or laser printer, this may be a great program. The price certainly is right. If that had been the description for this program, I would probably give it 3 or 4 stars. Instead, the description uses phrases such as "power users", "professional quality designs" and "experienced graphic designers" as well as calling itself a "Pro" quality program. In that regard, it definitely falls way short.

If you want your layout printed on your local print shop's press, avoid this program, save your money and buy programs that ARE pro quality, such as InDesign, Quark Xpress, Illustrator, Freehand, even an old copy of Pagemaker. There's a reason why they are so popular with professional designers and print shops and why these professionals rarely accept files from any other programs such as DesktopPublisher Pro. Marketing for this product needs to be more accurate and focused toward those it can really help, not mislead buyers into thinking the program is better than it is.