Scribus Forums

Scribus => General Discussion => Topic started by: cbuffer on August 24, 2012, 08:21:40 PM

Title: Why use Scribus?
Post by: cbuffer on August 24, 2012, 08:21:40 PM
I'm a 12- year user of Linux.  I have just taken on the job of editing the bi-monthly newsletter of a local group.  The previous editor moved into DTP and created a arrangement for the printing to be done by a charity group which employs people with learning difficulties, using Microsoft Publisher. The business  funds itself mainly by business printing and, incidentally, does a good job of our local parish magazine.
 
I spent an hour with the chap in charge this morning and they have no knowledge of Scribus and require either Publisher prepared material or PDF material, which he says gives no options for checking and correcting if there are any problems.

Hence my question.  Is there some wonder program that converts Scribus material into Publisher look-a-like in the same way LibreOffice can handle .doc files?  I'm a complete novice in this matter and a near zero XP user - it's on my laptop  because that's how I bought it,  but my two desktops are Microsoft free and I'm loathe to change that.

Advice would be gratefully received.

TIA   Ken
Title: Re: Why use Scribus?
Post by: a.l.e on August 25, 2012, 07:22:30 AM
You can certainly send them PDFs!

Concerning the Publisher files compatibility: very recently there have been efforts to create a library for converting Publisher files to .odt. It's very likely that Scribus will use the same code in the future and be able to open those files, too... but for now it's still very new untested code and Scribus does not really have too many resources at hand :-( (but it's improving!)

I don't know if that code allows also to export to the Publisher format...

So, for now i see three way of handling this case:
- get the printer to know Scribus and use it for fixing the files you send them (you would send them PDF and .SLA).... it's free, after all :-)
- simply send them the PDF
- find somebody in your (digital?) neighborhood who is willing to put time in implementing the publisher importer/exporter for Scribus

Hope that
a.l.e
Title: Re: Why use Scribus?
Post by: cbuffer on August 27, 2012, 10:35:03 PM
Thank you a.l.e

I like the idea of sending a PDF with a present of Scribus and a .sla on a memory stick.  If the result is less slick we shall just have to live with it,  I'm loath to get a copy of Publisher for a voluntary job.

Regards,

Ken
Title: Re: Why use Scribus?
Post by: Nermander on August 28, 2012, 08:05:25 AM
Send them Scribus Portable on the memory stick?