Question: What is the Best Desktop Publishing Software for Business Professionals?
Readers chose QuarkXPress and Xara Designer Pro in the 2011 About.com Readers' Choice Awards.
Answer: The best desktop publishing software for business professionals is software that allows businesses to create a variety of materials common to business including business cards, brochures, annual reports, letterhead, books, and advertising. It is used primarily in an office setting — including small or home-based businesses whether that is for an in-house design team, individual office workers, or by small business owners doing their own marketing materials.
About.com Readers' Choice Winners and Finalists
- QuarkXPress (2011 Winner - tie)
- Xara Designer Pro (2011 Winner - tie)
- Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign/Photoshop/Illustrator)
- Microsoft Office (Publisher/Word)
- Serif PagePlus (2010 Winner)
About.com Desktop Publishing Guide Choice
This is really a broad category since it encompasses businesses of all sizes from large corporations to small home-based businesses and the readers choices reflect this. Here are my thoughts on the best desktop publishing software for business use.- If you are a Mac user, Xara and Serif are out of the running. For a small business owner on a Mac, consider using Apple Pages for your desktop publishing.
- For large business enterprises with an in-house design staff, the top choices are QuarkXPress and the Adobe Creative Suite.
- For small businesses and home-based operations, Serif PagePlus would top my list if you expect to be doing all or most of your own marketing materials.
- For small business owners who really need to cut costs and who will be printing out their materials (such as business cards on perforated paper) on a desktop printer, take a look at the free Serif PagePlus Starter Edition.
