Scribus for Windows

Used Scribus for Windows? Share your experience and help other users.

Key Details of Scribus

Create professional looking documents and pages on PC.
Last updated on February 26, 2016
Virus scan status:
Clean (it’s extremely likely that this software program is clean)

Editors’ Review

Download.com staffFebruary 26, 2016

Scribus is a free desktop publishing program that lets you create all kinds of documents, from brochures to business cards, quickly and efficiently. You can use one of the included templates for your project, or just start from scratch and use the included tools to design a finished project that's perfectly in line with your vision.

Pros

File compatibility: In addition to creating completely new documents, this program also allows you to open existing ones. Most file formats are supported, so whether you've used other programs previously and want to keep working on items you started there, or you need to access files sent to you from colleagues, you'll be able to continue your work with ease.

Template options: There are templates available through this program for just about every type of document you might want to create. Additionally, each document type offers multiple templates for you to choose from, and you can then customize them to suit your specific needs.

Cons

Incomplete documentation: Due to the open source nature of this program, the documentation and Help resources are a little scattered. There are several options to explore when you have a problem or question, but it can take some time to find the answers you're looking for.

Bottom Line

Scribus is a good alternative to more expensive and elaborate desktop publishing programs. It provides a lot of functionality and supports multiple file types, making it a versatile choice for moderate creative needs. It's not as polished or high-powered as many top-tier programs, so power users might not find everything they're looking for. But since it's free, it doesn't hurt to try it out and see if it's a good option for you.

Scribus for Windows

Used Scribus for Windows? Share your experience and help other users.

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Full Specifications

GENERAL

Release: July 22, 2015

Latest update: February 26, 2016

Version: 1.4.5

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Windows

Operating System

Windows 10
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Windows 7
Windows Vista

Additional Requirements: Ghostscript 8.70

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 112,969

Downloads Last Week: 1

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Last Updated

User Reviews

3.3/5

36 User Votes

Don't even bother
koalamsDecember 13, 2017
Pros
None whatsoever
Cons
Everything. Incredibly illogical. Can't even format text correctly. No matter what size you set it to, it defaults back to 20pt for the next paragraph. What's the point if you have to do all your text in a separate program and paste it in to this one?
Summary
Don't waste your time. Free doesn't have to mean garbage, but it certainly does in this case.
Gave up InDesign to switch to Scribus
Shaggyman2December 27, 2016
Pros
This free program can do pretty much anything InDesign can do. I have the CS4 f InDesign and have used it for years. I do a 25-page (60-70 color photos) monthly email PDF newsletter on Los Angeles homeless issues. I decided to switch when my desktop PC went into the shop for two weeks with a mysterious monitor blackout problem. InDesign can only be installed on 1 computer. A killer if you have to switch to your backup machine. I installed Scribus on my laptop and used creating a duplicate of my previous issue as a way to learn it. It is very different from InDesign and the learning curve is a little steep, but I have found that once you have it down it does anything I want, and it handles sizing photos better than InDesign. (Instead of Placing a photo you draw an image frame. Can set frame to image size or image to frame size. Very good idea.) . I now have it on both my PC and laptop, and keep a daily backup on an external hard drive that can be moved from one machine to another.
Cons
Once in a while hitting Ctrl-V to paste something in the clipboard causes the program to close, losing your latest changes. I have gotten into the habit of saving before pasting. But on the whole I am very happy with Scribus.
Summary
LOVE IT...Newsletter creator
May 26, 2015
Pros
Easy to learn and use in my opinion, and makes a nice Newsletter. After finishing the Newsletter, I export it to PDF for the ladies in our Guild and send it out. Someday, I hope it will be uploaded to our Guild's website for viewing; either way, it gets the job done, and its free.
Cons
None that I know of.
Summary
OK but just not MS Publisher
MikeinkerryApril 16, 2014
Pros
It's free and works ok, if you just want a DTP program for occasional use this would probably do the job for you but for regular use...
Cons
Not intuitive to use, copied text does not end up as I expected
Summary
I have used Publisher for years and find it so easy to use. I am about to replace my XP machine with a Win8 laptop and object to having to buy a new version of MS Pub so looked for an open source alternative. After using Scribus I have decided to bite the bullet and pay for office 365 at &#8364;99 per annum but my kids are starting college next year so they can use it too... sorry Scribus but that's the way it is...
Great DTP Application
joolsr1March 2, 2014
Pros
I've used this since early versions going back more than ten years now. Its not perfect, but for free you get an excellent app that I produced nearly all my works DTP, and professional printing with with no issues ever with the PDF export, even complicated CMYK, or spot colours, or PDF X A standards. The community and mailing list/forums are full of help people who will not tell you to RTFM, and will help you as best they can
Cons
Menus and GUI need a redesign in places and occasional issues such as non perfect undo steps, and issues with some use of SVG gradient import remain.
Summary
An excellent and powerful DTP professional package for many platforms, easily the best open source DTP app out there. If using alongside the gimp and Inkscape makes a great set of powerful tools
Major mess-up fo laptop! Stay away!!
janmeulendijkDecember 26, 2013
Pros
None to be identified
Cons
Major drag on cpu (I think; unless even worse was happening), to the point that Macbook simply became unusable for ANY purpose
Summary
After installing Scribus and after installing the helper programme called Ghostscript my Macbook went into complete meltdown. Only way to restore everything back to normal was throwing all Scribus related rubbish away, and then clearing out the startup-programme list of all sorts of automatically inserted nonsense. Could only do this by starting up the machine in safe mode; otherwise no way into the machine anymore. What world are we living in if that is required? If this is the world of freeware, then I'm all for paying for programmes that do not fry your chips. Stay away. STAY AWAY!!!
Good Feature set, available on multiple OS platforms.
hranMarch 12, 2013
Pros
Features/functions are very complete. The user interface is good. Rivals some very costly commercial packages. I can do everything that I need in page layout with Scribus. Worth learning the menu/command structure. Not a ridiculously complex user experience for 95% of what you do in desktop publishing. The last 5% costs a LOT more.
Cons
A different user interface and command layout to learn if you use a commercial desktop publishing package. It has to to avoid copyright infringement. Weighs in with programs retailing in $100s for commercial licenses. The last 5% isn't there.
Summary
Worth trying and taking the time to master. Comparable to many mid-level commercial products(Up to almost $200). The interface is a bit simple and old-school, but easy to use and learn.
Does Scribus work with Win 7?
RobertDiGiJanuary 11, 2013
Pros
Very good DTP with XP Pro. I do a monthly 30-odd page folded booklet, text & pictures, all B&W. (I used to do it with Scribus, fewer pages, but with color. Had to switch to BW because of printing cost. Leased laser printer was charging every page as color, though we were only using color on a few. Printer salesman blamed the Scribus, so I switched to paid software, didn't help. So we switched to B&W. When the software required upgrading, I went back to Scribus, now 1.4.1.)
Cons
With so many pages and XP, was running too slow. Long pauses when making changes. Scribus does seem to need more memory on large jobs.
Summary
My 1-2 year old Seagate 1 TB drive crashed right after I read the article on today's drives not lasting as long as the older drives! I replaced it with a WD Enterprise-level 2 TB drive, and Win 7 Pro and new installation of Scribus 1.4.1. Now I'm having a lot of trouble with it. On a new 1-page job, newly set-up jobs keep disappearing, and it won't let me move them to my 2nd monitor. Scribus was so good with XP, but 7 doesn't seem to like it at all.
Professional DTP for free
vanderlooSeptember 26, 2012
Pros
A lightweight programme for what it does, all the commercial alternatives are large installs. Simple interface which is relatively intuitive. Built-in pdf output.
Cons
No immediate cons. The only problems could only be minor complaints from people accustomed to using other alternatives, and those who don't want to read documentation.
Summary
There are several other reviews on here complaining that Scribus doesn't do this or that, but this is a failure to properly read the documentation beforehand. Scribus is not a little programme 'only suitable for newsletters'. It is capable of creating full newspaper layouts and is already used for doing just that. It has powerful text manipulation capabilities and the text editor is a lot more user friendly than Adobe InDesign or Quark (which still doesn't even have proper editor). There are also some complaints here that it 'wouldn't install' or asked for Ghostscript. In fact Scribus does install without having to first install Ghostscript. In any case Ghostscript is here on Download.com, all it takes is typing it into the search box and you get a simple installer that won't frighten the pants off people afraid of the command line.
Excellent DTP System
mikhul1July 25, 2012
Pros
A well-designed interface. Intuitive user interaction. Works well in a Windows environment.
Cons
Lacks spellcheck Relative file locations - don't move your photos to a different location or you will need to reinstall them into your document. The help system could be improved by offering worked examples as well as context-sensitive help.
Summary
Scribus is a well-designed piece of kit. It's a serious high-end DTP system capable of completing professional-quality layout. Overall, the system is easy to learn - given the intuitive interface - and, a day or so is generally enough to achieve quite passable results.

Developer’s Description

Create professional looking documents and pages on PC.

Scribus is an Open Source program that brings professional page layout to Linux/UNIX, Mac OS X, OS/2 Warp 4/eComStation and Windows desktops with a combination of press-ready output and new approaches to page design. Underneath a modern and user-friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as color separations, CMYK and Spot Color support, ICC color management, and versatile PDF creation.