Serif Page Plus Software

[Edward]

Alot of people think you have to purchase Adobe InDesign or Quark XPress to get all the features, but as we discover more and more powers in PagePlus X3 we're beginning to think there's a third choice!

This award-winning desktop publishing application is designed for consumers and small businesses looking to create high-quality, dynamic brochures, newsletters and other printed materials. In addition to all of its professional-level design tools, when it comes to text handling, PagePlus X3 offers a full range of specialized applications to enhance a document's appearance.

One of the most dramatic methods for easily improving a document is to change the look of its artistic text'that is, text that makes up a headline, pull-out quote or other graphical text element. Serif's PagePlus X3 enables users to extend their artistic text's creative possibilities by flowing it along a curved path. The resulting object will have all of the properties of the artistic text, plus its path will be a Bezier curve that can be edited with the program's Pointer Tool as easily as any other line. By anchoring text along a curved line, users can create eye-catching effects that could not be achieved with traditional straight-line text.

1. Create an artistic text object using PagePlus X3's Artistic Text Tool found in the Artistic Text flyout on the Tools toolbar.

2. With the text selected, on the Text context toolbar, click the Path Text flyout and choose a preset path.

1. Create a freehand, straight or curved line using the line tools found on the Line Tools flyout of the Tools toolbar at the left.

2. Choose the Artistic Text Tool from the Artistic Text flyout on the same toolbar.

3. Bring the cursor very close to the line. When the cursor changes to include a curve, click the mouse where you want the text to begin.

4. Begin typing at the insertion point. Text flows along the line, which has been converted to a path.

PagePlus X3 also enables users to easily fit existing text to an existing line or shape in just three steps:

1. Create an artistic text object.

2. Create a freehand, straight or curved line or a shape.

3. Select both objects. On the Tools menu, choose Fit Text to Curve from the Tools menu.

No matter the curve or path chosen for artistic text, the text can still be moved along its path, adjusted with respect to text baseline height and flipped or reversed on the path, making editing curved text as easy as it is to edit text in the body of a document. Additionally, text can be fit to a path just as it can be fit to a text frame, to fill the entire path for maximum visual impact.

Using PagePlus X3 to create curved text opens the door to a variety of creative opportunities and provides users with the ability to add new and striking elements to their publications. For more information about PagePlus X3 and how to put text on a path, visit www.serif.com.

If you haven't already settled in to a desktop publishing program, or you're thinking you might want something more, just check out PagePlus X3... it's powerful publishing, easy to use, has everything you need, and is gentle on the pocketbook!

See Also: Creating a Logo Using Serif's PagePlus X3

PagePlus interface screen

PagePlus interface screen showing palettes

Free Download Serif PagePlus X9 for Windows PC. It makes professional quality page layout and design easy for everyone. Create any document professionally and print it on your desktop printer, or share it electronically with industry-standard PDF export.

With all these new features, plus over 80 improvements to enjoy, PagePlus 9 is our easiest, fastest, and most efficient page designer to date! Create your best documents with our famous desktop publisher which over 95% of customers would recommend.

Randy,

As I read the paragraph from your reader, I have a couple with 10 children. I created a One Page PDF with the parents and 10 children. I will email it to you. The problem with that requirement is that you can't read the information on the chart. I included the Names, Lifespan and Image or Default profile picture.

My 10 children, including spouses made 19 boxes on one line, meaning about 1/2 inch per person.

I did what was asked, BUT, you can't read it.

There ARE options.

Haven't looked at your Legacy and Roots Magic results yet. Will be interested in seeing how that works out.

Russ

Charles Vignernon,

I think the answer is yes. You can and should Save any chart or report that you might use again. Formatting, etc, then Open that saved report. You do this from the Publish Workspace.

When you bring of those reports / charts from the People workspace, that "saved report" format will be used.

Russ

Randy, I appreciate the trouble you took to help me find the right software to fit my large Irish Catholic families on a single page chart. As Russ says, it is a challenge to make it legible. I will continue to push the limits of FTM2012. But I'll consider the new chart you have written about in FTM2014. It may prove to be a different but better way to present the info my dad wants for his family history book.

Kate, aka Jim's Girl

Jims Girl,

Where did you see that FTM had a "vertical descendents chart" ?

A one page DESCENDANT Chart that readable will NOT file on one Page. It's already in Landscape mode, at least for Family Tree Maker.

I can only suggest that you challenge ANY genealogy program do meet this requirement. Unless of course if all of the boxes are all over the page.

Think about it for a moment. 10 children on an 11" width piece of paper .....

Russ

Yes, Russ, I can see that 10 kids won't fit across a letter size sheet in one row. I must be mistaken about the vertical descendants chart in FTM; that must have been another software.

I was hopeful that the new version of FTM would have some new features, but it appears very little has been added.

Hi there, I am looking for a somewhat similar chart & just received my copy of FTM 2014. I was disappointed that they seem to have not expanded upon the charting features for this software line. It is something I've hoped for during every upgrade order. Nonetheless, I've created this report for my own tree & since it is so wide it is rendered nearly useless for sharing with family. I noticed an interesting part of your post I was hoping you could elaborate on. You mentioned the boxes could be resized if necessary. How is this accomplished? I can't seem to find that option when I'm playing with it. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

I was trying to create a descendants chart with "photos"...not thumbnails. The photos are better quality, and would give bigger pictures for the 3 gen chart (only 2 kids per gen). The problem was that I couldn't find any way for the person's box to expand vertically to accommodate the size of the picture; so the top of the head, and bottom of the head were cut off. The box will expand to accommodate larger type...but I can't find a way to make it expand for pictures. Am I overlooking something? Any ideas?

Printing charts is really a sore point with me. These software companies could accommodate us, but noooo. I LOVE Onepage. It did in 4 pages what FTM takes 3000 pages to do. (A pedigree of my dog, printing all names)

However, the names will not fit on one line and Onepage does not break names to use more lines. If the name is longer, it simply won't print.

Onepage also can break a chart. That is, pick my grandfather as the root. Onepage will print his ancestors, then his descendants. Wonderful!

I would like to rally the troops and appeal to the goodness of software programmer hearts to help us out. This is what I propose:

1. Chart like Onepage

2. We can choose ALL names for printing.

3. Let us break a chart (like Onepage does with a "root person"). However let us break it more times. That is we can start with Grandpa's great grandmother. We would break it at her kids so we can get the siblings. But not the siblings kids, except for Grandpa's line. When it gets to Grandpa, we break it again, to show his siblings but not their kids. From Grandpa, it then shows all his and Grandma's kids - plus the marriage partner of each kid. We can select if we want the in-law's ancestors or not. Now,onto the next generations - Grandpa's grandkids. Again, we can choose to show their marriage partner (and their ancestors), and whether to break the chart again or not.

4. The names of each person will appear on one if wanted, or broken into more than one line if we choose. The generations can have a set font size then go down smaller as the chart progresses (if desired).

5. And please God, let us go into this chart and enter, change, edit info. Insert and move a picture, add notes, etc.

6. For pets, print ALL the names. I do not appreciate when FTM says "Chip is already in the database". Yes I know Chip is already there, so put Chip in AGAIN ok?

7. Let us print to a 16x20 pdf, then let us reduce the whole thing to 8x10. It will work if the main part of the names are in a larger font. I have tried reducing to 8x10 and it fits but there is so much wasted white space around the names. A larger font size can easily be used.

8. Onepage is so great, but it has been taken off of the web. The Mormons are working on it, and students at BYU are coding the next generation. But my pleas to them so far do not bring anything concrete.

9. So - either supercharge Onepage or have another software company write up something like it with the suggestions that the people want.

As no genealogy software seems interested in Onepage, I am now using Microsoft Word to make my own displays. Like the following. I put a descendant chart inside, surrounded by pictures.

_zps5pzy31hf.jpg

3a8082e126