• Registered: 2025-10-23
  • Posts: 17

Topic: Studio Vs. Publisher

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has migrated from Publisher to Studio, and is using it for (just) DTP / Publisher substitute workflow.

Is there anything that Studio lacks that Publisher has, or can you set it up to be effectively the same app (including UI customisability)?

My thoughts were that I would use it exclusively as a DTP app, and keep Photo V2 (or maybe the much nicer V1) as an image editor.

I'm finding enough annoyances with unfixed bugs in Publisher, that I can't really keep using it long-term.

Thanks.

2 Reply by Ali (edited by Ali 2026-05-21 04:49:12)

  • Ali
  • Ali
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  • From: Ipswich, UK
  • Registered: 2024-12-21
  • Posts: 234

Re: Studio Vs. Publisher

It's free - why not try it for yourself? I have switched to V3.

V3 has everything that V2 had and more - it's an upgrade, not a downgrade. It will work alongside V2, but files saved in V3 are not backwards compatible. Some features have moved in the UI, but they are all there. Yes, the studios are customisable.

Here's a set of great resources for anyone into DTP: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsCM … Du2phxFAVL

Ali's Website

  • Registered: 2022-06-07
  • Posts: 20

Re: Studio Vs. Publisher

I agree with Ali's comments above.
Having used Publisher (and the other v2 apps), the migration to the new free v3 upgrade has worked well. There may be a handful of instances of getting used to different placement of some commands, but it certainly hasn't lost anything. Just be careful of ensuring you have backups of any v2 work. While v3 can access v2 files, once they are edited in v3 they are then  in v3 format and will not be accessible by the v2 app.
And Ali is well aware that I share her enthusiasm for the videos by Elaine Giles that are linked above; they are definitely an excellent resource on using v3.

  • Registered: 2025-10-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Studio Vs. Publisher

Thanks folks, i'm not in the habit of installing software "just to see", so i'd like to get a bit more of a handle on the practicalities of it.

For example;

- when switching modes between photo and layout, do your palettes all shift to different positions you can set specific or the mode, like they did in photo 2 when you switched to raw development mode? Or does it keep the same palette positions / functions, unless you manually change them through a studio preset?

I use a three display system, in photo my text palettes are on the left screen, image palettes on the right. In publisher, I reverse that, because text stuff is the primary toolset for that app.

5 Reply by Ali (edited by Ali 2026-05-22 05:51:18)

  • Ali
  • Ali
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  • From: Ipswich, UK
  • Registered: 2024-12-21
  • Posts: 234

Re: Studio Vs. Publisher

i'm not in the habit of installing software "just to see",

When I want to know very specific things about new software, I always download and test a trial version, if there is one. In this case, it's totally free. Why not??? Just uninstall it again if you don't like it.

As far as I can see, palettes, etc. stay in the same place from studio to studio unless you move them yourself. It's more about what's switched on and off between studios. And you can create your own bespoke studios if you wish, anyway, so it's entirely up to you how you lay them out.

Ali's Website

  • Registered: 2025-10-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Studio Vs. Publisher

Ali wrote:

When I want to know very specific things about new software, I always download and test a trial version, if there is one. In this case, it's totally free. Why not??? Just uninstall it again if you don't like it.

Serif / Affinity is one of those rare companies that's able to write user applications that can kernel panic a mac. Their apps' palettes change size on their own by single digit pixels. Their apps don't correctly handle screen connectivity changes, and even with their studio presets, the tools palette doesn't get captured by that function...

So, I'm not inclined to just take it on faith that it's a "safe" install.

Ali wrote:

As far as I can see, palettes, etc. stay in the same place from studio to studio unless you move them yourself. It's more about what's switched on and off between studios. And you can create your own bespoke studios if you wish, anyway, so it's entirely up to you how you lay them out.

Right, so from that it sounds like it's not like the experience of V2 switching between Photo and Developer.

  • Ali
  • Ali
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  • From: Ipswich, UK
  • Registered: 2024-12-21
  • Posts: 234

Re: Studio Vs. Publisher

I don't use Macs, so I wouldn't know about such vagaries.

Ali's Website

8 Reply by mattspace (edited by mattspace 2026-08-08 17:29:11)

  • Registered: 2025-10-23
  • Posts: 17

Re: Studio Vs. Publisher

Well, I finally tried Affinity Studio, and the biggest bug I had with Publisher:

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index. … mpression/

...is still there, and the UI is just amateur hour, with overly rounded corners that cut the edges off palette icon buttons etc.

So, I guess I'm just sticking with the V2 products, and we'll see if Canva responds to the bug report.

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