Top Paid Software for Making a Brochure

Those wanting to pay for top software for brochure design usually don't have a lot of choices outside of the Microsoft and Adobe market, which can be potentially expensive. Besides Microsoft Publisher, freeware, and numerous Adobe programs, the market is very small. Even major Web merchants such as Amazon only offer three paid programs for brochure design. Their Marketplace sellers sell several other programs, but these may be older, used and have more limited functionality.

Mac, Windows 7, Windows 98, and Windows 95 users also will sustain even more challenges when trying to find a fully functional, relatively modern, and paid desktop publishing program that can be used to design pamphlets. These users may need to seek a freeware program or stick to available Microsoft and Adobe publishing products.

Some people may not realize that Microsoft Word, which is available for virtually any computer operating system, can be a powerful desktop publishing program including for brochure design.

The good news is most graphic designers who would rather not use the old standby of Microsoft or Adobe can find top software for brochure design; most available programs also offer thousands of fonts as well as the ability to create other documents essential to desktop publishing such as posters or postcards.

Design & Print 6.0 offers a lot of tools that may be helpful for a graphic designer, especially one just getting started in the world of desktop publishing. The program features more than 10,000 fonts, over 8,400 backgrounds, and more than 6 million photos. However, Design & Print 6.0 is not one of Amazon's top-selling pieces of software, was marketed beginning in 2007, and as of February 2010 has no customer reviews. This appears to be a good financial value with plenty of options, including the ability for its users to design postcards, greeting cards, labels, envelopes, newsletters, and letterhead.

• Complete Title: Design & Print 6.0
• Manufacturer: Avanquest
• List Price (as of February 2010): $39.95
• Amazon Price (as of February 2010): $39.95
• Supported Operating Systems: Windows 1998, Me , 2000, XP, and Vista.
• ASIN: B000QFRT2Q
• Item Model Number: 3291

PagePlus X3 Publisher Professional is one of the few well-ranked choices among the market of top software for brochure design. As of February 2010, the product garnered four stars from 33 Amazon.com customer reviews. The desktop publishing "powerhouse" as described by marketing materials as well as user reviews is also one of the best-selling software products on Amazon.

The program can not only design pamphlets, but also a host of other products such as posters and multi-chapter books. PagePlusX3 Publisher Professional also works as a fully functional PDF writer and editor.

One drawback is that the list price of nearly $100 as of February 2010 may not be a great bargain to some graphic designers; consider choosing Amazon which will often save you about half of the list price.

• Complete Title: PagePlus X3 Publisher Professional
• Manufacturer: Serif
• List Price (as of February 2010): $99.99
• Amazon Price (as of February 2010): $48.98
• Supported Operating Systems: Windows 2000, XP, and Vista.
• ASIN: B0017U9Q2U
• Item Model Number: PPX3USREVMBRT

If after reading this guide about the limited non-obvious options, you may decide you would rather stick to the basics. Before buying a program made by Microsoft or Adobe, remember that virtually all versions of Microsoft Word may provide more than enough options for your brochure design needs. The decision on whether to buy a more expensive product is both personal and professional, and the nature of your graphic design and desktop publishing may require a more significant investment than selecting a cheaper program.

Microsoft Publisher 2007 is the most popular version noted on Amazon as of March 2010. While the price is much higher than the aforementioned products, remember this is one of the best-selling desktop publishing software products ever made. Some of your clients may prefer to deal with Publisher files rather than those created by a functional, but less commonly used alternative program.

• Complete Title: Microsoft Publisher 2007
• List Price (as of March 2010): $169.95
• Amazon Price (as of March 2010): $153.97
• Supported Operating Systems: Windows Vista and WIndows XP
• ASIN: B000HCVR58
• Item Model Number: 164-04130

Adobe InDesign is another powerful program but likely extraordinarily expensive for the average freelancer (the cost as of 2010 is more than $600). Unless you're running a rather expansive desktop publishing operation, you likely should select Microsoft Publisher 2007 or one of the other available options on the market.

• Complete Title: Adobe InDesign CS4
• List Price (as of March 2010): $699
• Amazon Price (as of March 2010): $661.94
• Supported Operating Systems: Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
• ASIN: B001EUBUR2
• Item Model Number: 65024500