Serif Software PagePlus X4

If you are looking for an easy-to-use and effective desktop publishing package, PagePlus X4 from Serif Software is the perfect solution. Not only does this software package provide features that are comparable to many high-end desktop publishing packages, it's available at a much more affordable price.

 About the Company

Serif was founded in 1987 with a mission to create value-priced alternatives to popular high-end publishing, design and graphics packages.  They have developed a number of software packages that allow users to achieve professional results easily, and for a good price. In addition to PagePlus, their software offering also include packages such as PhotoPlus, DrawPlus, MoviePlus, WebPlus, PanoramaPlus, and Digital Scrapbook Artist.

About the Product

The X4 version of PagePlus is a fairly significant upgrade from the previous version. There have been enhancements added that allow extra drawing capabilities, as well as photo editing features. These both help to make PagePlus a more useful, without the need to use other software packages for graphics needs. There have also been improvements made in the popular LogoStudio tool, as well as overall improvements that were made in regards to text handling and document importing functionality. Overall, PagePlus X4 is now easier and more productive to use.

The Good

PagePlus X4 provides a lot of advanced features for the small price. If you are looking for a good desktop publishing package for home use or for a small business, PagePlus X4 would be a good fit. It provides plenty of templates which make it easy to create newsletters, Web sites, business cards, cards and other types of desktop publishing projects.

The Bad

The product does have a few unusual quirks, such some unusual terminology that can be confusing to a newcomer to the application. For example, it uses the term "Flash" to refer to a collection of shapes within the application, and not Adobe Flash elements. The speed for importing graphics into a document over a network is also somewhat slow, which can be overcome by first copying the graphics to your local computer before inserting them into your documents.

The Bottom Line

The new version provides even more features and flexibility, making this software package well worth the price. Those who have used previous versions of PagePlus will enjoy the new image handling and editing functionality, as well as the improvements in text handling and other document features. For the price, it's hard to beat PagePlus X4, as it provides a number of features that are comparable to much more expensive desktop publishing packages.

Product Information

Serif Software PagePlus X4 is available from Serif for $99. It is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP 32 bit, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems.