PagePlus X4 offers professional-looking DTP results without a hefty price tag. This is an excerpt from a review written for PC Plus magazine (issue 288).
PagePlus knows its place. Along with Microsoft Office Publisher, it shies away from targeting pro designers to pitch its wares at small business users and enthusiastic amateurs.
InDesign might be powerful, but it can also be notoriously unfriendly to new users. There’s not so much a learning curve involved but a sheer learning cliff face. Made of ice. If all you want to do is knock up a parish newsletter or car boot sale flyer, spending £684 on InDesign CS4 is overkill.
In comparison, PagePlus X4 ducks in well under the £100 mark. That makes it over £600 cheaper than InDesign, yet it never truly feels like a bargain-bucket DTP package.
Much of the same page layout functionality is present, enabling you to design brochures, business cards, flyers, newsletters, posters and even web pages. What makes PagePlus X4 stand out is its friendly usability. The learning curve here is a more of a gentle hill, well-signposted and with buses that run every half-hour.
