Newsletter Design Software for the Mac

Create newsletters for home, school or office on your Mac

settings Smiling graphic designer working at computer in office.
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Not everyone who wants to publish a newsletter has access to professional page layout software. However, one of these affordable (or free) software packages designed specifically for casual use can handle the job. These programs are in addition to professional desktop publishing software programs such as Adobe InDesign or QuarkXPress, which are also quite capable of producing newsletters, although they come with a much higher learning curve and price tag. These programs are for Mac computers.

Apple Pages

What We Like
  • Professionally designed templates.

  • Can save as a Word file or import Word files.

  • Clean interface with familiar formatting options.

What We Don't Like
  • Little in the way of instructions.

  • Only five of the templates are for newsletters specifically.

If you have a Mac, you probably already have Pages, which combines word processing and page layout in one program using different templates and windows depending on the type of document. Pages ships on all new Macs, and is also available for free for Apple mobile devices such as the iPad. One advantage of Pages is that it can store documents on the cloud where family members or co-workers can collaborate on the newsletter. 

Pages come with a template section of attractive and professional newsletter templates, and you can download additional templates online.

BeLight Software: Swift Publisher

What We Like
  • Inexpensive but powerful with clean user interface.

  • Hundreds of professionally designed templates.

  • Video tutorials at company website.

What We Don't Like
  • Editing tools are limited.

  • Extra fonts and clip art images require additional purchase.

Swift Publisher is an attractively priced software package for the Mac. It is specifically for designing newsletters, brochures, flyers and the like. This software package has high-end features, but it is easy for beginners to use.

Swift Publisher ships with more than 300 customizable templates, many of which are for newsletters. If you prefer to lay out your own newsletter design, Swift Publisher has guides for columns and includes linked text box capability so your text flows from one page to another. 

If you don't plan to print your newsletter yourself or if you are emailing it, you can export it in one of several formats: PDF, PNG, TIFF, JPEG, and EPS.

Scribus

What We Like
  • Supports CMYK and spot colors.

  • Includes vector drawing tools.

  • Interfaces with GIMP for image manipulation.

What We Don't Like
  • Interface may be too complex for novice users.

  • Steep learning curve.

  • Tutorials and basic documentation are very helpful.

This professional-quality desktop publishing software defies the old saying that "you get what you pay for" because it's feature-rich and free. It does just about everything that the much more expensive pro tools do, including serving as high-quality newsletter design software. It is a good choice if you need professional printing, but it doesn't have all the fun extras like graphics, fonts, and tons of templates.

Broderbund: The Print Shop

What We Like
  • Basic editing tools suitable for home projects and family newsletters.

  • Includes templates for all holidays and family occasions.

What We Don't Like
  • No web-sharing features.

  • Some pixelation with graphics, especially when enlarged.

  • Images aren't trendy or stylish.

The Print Shop for Mac by Broderbund makes simple newsletter design a breeze. It integrates with your Mac apps such as Photos, Contacts, and Calendar. This software ships with an astounding 4,000 templates, many of them newsletters. Modify the templates for your own use or build your newsletter from scratch.

The large clip art library and royalty-free image collection give you plenty of graphic assistance in jazzing up your newsletter. With The Print Shop for Mac, you can drag and drop photos and text. The dynamic headline feature turns plain type into eye-catching graphics standouts.

This a good all-around creative printing program that is available as a download or as a DVD. Mac system requirement: OS X 10.7 through 10.10.

iStudio Publisher

What We Like
  • Beautiful template designs.

  • Great collection of instructional videos.

  • Support for hyperlinks.

What We Don't Like
  • Not compatible with PCs.

  • Limited image enhancement tools.

  • Supports only basic Roman style of OpenType fonts.

iStudio Publisher prides itself on being easy to learn and use and offers a series of instructional videos and a rapid start guide for new users. This sleek software package offers sophisticated features for professional newsletter design. 

The software has a shape library, snap grid, rulers, inspectors and toolkit, like high-end published software.

iStudio Publisher comes with several newsletter templates, although you can design your own from scratch. The software is attractively priced and the company offers a 30-day free trial for curious designers. If you work in education or are a student, you receive a 40 percent discount, 

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Your Citation
Bear, Jacci Howard. "Newsletter Design Software for the Mac." ThoughtCo, Nov. 18, 2021, thoughtco.com/newsletter-design-software-for-mac-1078931. Bear, Jacci Howard. (2021, November 18). Newsletter Design Software for the Mac. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/newsletter-design-software-for-mac-1078931 Bear, Jacci Howard. "Newsletter Design Software for the Mac." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/newsletter-design-software-for-mac-1078931 (accessed March 19, 2024).