Specializing in formatting and editing technical and scientific documents. Desktop publishing, graphic design, proofreading, digital transcription, Microsoft Word, InDesign, Acrobat. Document All Stars.
Scribus is a free open source desktop publishing application that's been compared to Adobe InDesign, much like GIMP has been compared to Adobe Photoshop and OpenOffice compared to Microsoft Office. It's free and powerful. However, if you've never used professional page layout applications, it can be a bit overwhelming when you first open it up and try to create something. Scribus tutorials may not be as plentiful as those for InDesign, but they are out there. Here are some tutorials and Scribus documentation that you may find useful in getting up and running quickly with Scribus.
Scribus Versions
Scribus offers its software in two versions: stable and development. Download the stable version if you want to work with tested software and avoid surprises. Download the development version to test and help improve Scribus. The current stable version is 1.4.6 and the current development version is 1.5.3, which has been in development for some time now and is relatively stable. You can even install both versions on your computer and decide which one you like the best. Download Scribus for Mac, Linux, or Windows.
A Simple Introduction: Scribus Video Tutorials
What We Like
Hands-on walk through.
Eases you in gradually.
Videos make it easier to follow along.
What We Don't Like
Could have covered more features.
Short series.
This three-part video series walks you through the basics, getting you ready to use Scribus effectively on your own. Each video in the set takes you deeper into the core concepts of Scribus.
The first video starts you off with the absolute fundamentals. The second one delves into the Scribus story editor and the beginning of stylesheets. The final video in the series continues your work with stylesheets and teaches you how you can distribute your completed work from Scribus.
The videos are in Theora/Ogg format, which is supported in Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. If you use a different browser, refer to these instructions before viewing the videos.
Project-Based Learning: Kevin Pugh's YouTube Demonstrations Using Scribus
What We Like
Broken into manageable parts.
Project based.
Easy to follow.
See how things should look and work.
What We Don't Like
Could have been longer/covered more.
More about projects, and less about basics.
YouTuber, Kevin Pugh created an excellent eight-part video tutorial for Scribus beginners. The first video gets you set up with the controls and configuration. From there, you dive right into using Scribus for real projects.
If you're a more visual learner or you prefer project-based tutorials, this is an excellent place to dive in an get working quickly, without the need to read lengthy manuals or walk through every tool in the application.
In-depth Information: Hexagon Scribus Tutorial
What We Like
Well organized.
Excellent screenshots.
Tons of information.
What We Don't Like
Can be dense.
Maybe not the best place to start.
The Hexagon Scribus TutorialPDF contains information for beginning, intermediate, and expert users of Scribus. In its 70-plus pages, it covers many topics including:
- Master pages
- Font installation
- Styles
- Links
- Image transformation
- Layers
- Text effects
It contains plenty of detail and screenshots that are useful to new users of Scribus.
Information From the Source: Official Scribus Wiki Tutorial
What We Like
Step-by-step introduction.
Comprehensive.
Very well organized.
What We Don't Like
Somewhat dated.
Feels more like documentation than a tutorial.
During the official wiki course, Get Started With Scribus, a tutorial complete with screenshots, you'll learn the features available from Scribus while creating several pages of a magazine. You'll be learning not only how to use Scribus desktop publishing software but a lot about desktop publishing and printing in general.
This course was designed for an earlier version of Scribus. There may be some differences between it and the current stable version.
Technical Manual Definition
Old, But Worthwhile: Sott's World Scribus Manual
What We Like
Excellent screenshots and diagrams.
Well organized.
Some great core concept information.
What We Don't Like
Partially outdated.
Mostly an intro to the tools.
For a beginner's tutorial in using Scribus for publication design, check out Sott's World Scribus Manual. While it won't exactly walk you through a project, it's a great introduction to the different tools available in Scribus.
Desktop Publishing Technical Manual Mac Pro
This manual was written for an early version of Scribus. The core concepts will mostly be the same, but there may be some differences between it and the current stable version. The icons and menus will also look a bit different.