Serif raises the bar with huge update to Affinity apps

Latest 1.8 version of Affinity Publisher adds IDML Import, preflight checking, template support and document merge.

IDML import

Serif today consolidates its position as a serious challenger in the global professional creative software sector with across-the-board updates to its Affinity apps.

Central to the announcement is layout app Affinity Publisher—already Apple’s reigning Mac App of the Year—which gets IDML compatibility for importing InDesign files, in its first big update since launching last summer.

It’s an update aimed squarely at businesses and other professional users who need to be able to access a stock of older documents and will now find it much simpler to make the move to the Affinity suite.

Ashley Hewson, Managing Director of Serif, says: “More and more companies and organizations are choosing to switch from Creative Cloud to the Affinity suite since we launched Affinity Publisher.

“The need for an easy way to import existing InDesign documents remained a sticking point, particularly for those who have a large existing catalog of files, so we are thrilled to offer IDML import to make the transition easier than ever.”

Other new features in Affinity Publisher include:

Full preflight checking will throw up live instances of possible errors in a document, such as poor image resolution, bleed hazards, overflowing text, spelling errors, missing images or font resources, and more.
Ability to save documents as templates to re-use time and again on future projects.
Combine multiple Affinity Publisher documents together into a single file, with smart merge of master pages, text styles, table of contents and indexes.
Excel (xlsx) file import to instantly bring in tables of data from spreadsheets.
Many other improvements and fixes, including PDF export being up to five times faster than before.

Preflight checking

Affinity Photo and Designer also get v1.8 updates today, maintaining the suite’s unique single file format between the apps, which also boast the revolutionary StudioLink technology allowing access to Designer and Photo tools directly in an Affinity Publisher layout.

Some of the other features added today include:

PSD import now includes smart object support, maintaining the full resolution and editability of layers within any object.
Affinity Designer adds a new stock panel to instantly search and drag and drop stock imagery into your work.
Affinity Photo and Designer on iPad get the ability to customize keyboard shortcuts, in the same way as you can on Windows and Mac.
Affinity Photo now has full compatibility with the latest Nik Collection plug-ins, following a collaboration between Affinity developers and Nik owner DxO.

Affinity v1.8 apps are available to buy now for a one-off payment with no subscription. Existing users can download the updates free.

For more details see our 1.8 update page.