The best desktop publishing softwares, according to hackers
6 desktop publishing softwares recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
- Most recommendedAdobe InDesign16 people recommend it
- Least regretMicrosoft Publisher14 recommend, 14 criticize
- Free and lovedScribus8 people recommend it
All desktop publishing softwares
- Adobe InDesignPeople recommend it as the industry-standard layout tool for print work, with precise page control and output printers accept. Critics most often call it buggy and bloated.16recommend
- Microsoft PublisherSimple, easy layout tool for brochures and internal documents; main caveat is support ending October 2026, with critics warning existing files may become unopenable.14recommend
- ScribusFree, open-source desktop publishing app that people use for posters, resumes and print PDFs, valued for typography and longevity. Common caveat: clunky interface with many clicks.8recommend
- Affinity PublisherPeople recommend it as an easier, lower-cost alternative to Adobe's desktop publishing and design apps, and as a replacement for InDesign.7recommend
- VellumPeople recommend Vellum for generating fiction and literature ebooks, and a few mention it for network diagrams. One critic found the welcome screen text too small.6recommend
- Adobe FrameMakerPeople recommend FrameMaker as publishing software that was far ahead of its era and still the standard generalized markup editor.5recommend