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    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kato's Avatar

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    Default Easy to use software to make a (school) magazine

    I'm looking for a (preferably free but not too expensive is fine, too) program my school can use for its student paper. Sadly, I know pretty much nothing in the field andsearching does offer a few choices but it's just way too many to test them all.

    Since it's meant to be used by students and people who are not experts at handling more sophisticed programs at least the basic features should be easy to use. It doesn't even need to be especially fancy but just give the possibility to make something that looks kind of neat and doesn't take forever to use and get used to.

    I know that's probably something few people have been dealing with but since I know you people I'd assumed some of you might be able to help me out.
    Ideally it would be great if it had a German option..

    Thanks in advance!
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    Orc in the Playground
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    Default Re: Easy to use software to make a (school) magazine

    I know every professional will hate me for this, but:
    Microsoft Word / Open Office Writer

    There are advanced layouts that are harder to do on it so it's not pro software, but for amateurs, a "What you see is what you get" program is ideal and those have a gentle learning curve, you can use the features you do know even if you don't know most of them. Word is not free, but it's often sold along with a new computer so there are chances you already have it, while Writer is entirely free.

    Important things to note if using those:
    - Save submitted articles in common formats. My school's paper had a problem with the fact that it wasn't allowed to install new software on school computers and some students insisted on submitting their articles in .odt form.
    - What you see is ALMOST what you get. Word layouts don't act as weird as they did in 1997, but you can still break a layout by using a font that's not installed on the computer the document will be printed on and other not always obvious errors. Save a copy of the final document as a pdf, avoid problems later.

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    Ogre in the Playground
     
    ElfPirate

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    Default Re: Easy to use software to make a (school) magazine

    Furthermore as part of an MS Office package/subscription you may have access to MS Publisher which is about exactly what you want.

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    Titan in the Playground
     
    Yuki Akuma's Avatar

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    Default Re: Easy to use software to make a (school) magazine

    Yeah, MS Office is what you need. They even do a version specifically for schools, so it's likely your school already has it.
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    Titan in the Playground
     
    Kato's Avatar

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    Default Re: Easy to use software to make a (school) magazine

    I guess I should take a look at what MS can do. Just my fellow teacher who used to work with it said she'd prefer something better. Then again maybe I just need to point out what it can actually do to her.

    Otherwise I had a look at scribus which seems fine from what I can tell albeit I fail to find decent templates or such.
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    Barbarian in the Playground
     
    DwarfFighterGuy

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    Default Re: Easy to use software to make a (school) magazine

    Right, so you're looking for an InDesign alternative (because InDesign isn't cheap).

    Well, let's start there:
    https://onextrapixel.com/10-best-alt...dobe-indesign/

    You'll note that, as others have said, MS Publisher is listed at #2 on that list. That doesn't necessarily mean it's second-best, but it is a solid option. Definitely better than just using Word, if you have access to it. It won't be nearly as full-featured as others on the list, but it can make up for that by being familiar and widely available.

    Scribus is also listed as an open-source option. Open source alternatives are great, and can save a lot of money, but they often involve additional legwork due to having less support. It'll take more work for find templates and such, like you mentioned.

    I can't speak much to the other products listed, except to say that I know Quark is a quality program. But check them all out if you want. I think for your situation Publisher and Scribus are the two best options, though. you'll just need to decide between the familiarity and reduced legwork of MS, and the additional functionality (and maybe cost savings) of Scribus.

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    Ogre in the Playground
     
    ElfPirate

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    Default Re: Easy to use software to make a (school) magazine

    Something I forgot to point out, MS Publisher is likely available in German. One of the things MS is actually very good at, language versions.

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    Orc in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

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    Default Re: Easy to use software to make a (school) magazine

    MS Publisher is probably what you want. Your school can probably get a license for free, and might already have one. There is definitely a german version.

    If that's no good, look into Scribus, which is sortof a free alternative. I'm not sure about a german version, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was one.
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