[Scribus] Scribus Digest, Vol 44, Issue 2

[James Gilmore]

> > I started to write down some thoughts I had about
> > word-processors and DTP:
> >
> > http://www.thomas-zastrow.de/readarticle.php?article_id=38
> >
> Thanks for this, Tom.  MOST helpful for those new to DTP.
> Should (IMHO) be the first Chapter of the Scribus New User
> Tutorial.
>
I agree. It's a great article.
I find that, at least here in the U.S., most people's eyes just sort
of glaze over when you say Desktop Publishing. However, if you say,
"It works like 'Printmaster' or 'The Print Shop'," lightbulbs light
up. For those who have never heard of either of these, they are very
much like a real DTP software package, except that they focus on
templates and drop-in-place graphics, and are geared to produce a
final document ready to print out and take to your next church
function, as opposed to one you might have professionally printed.

That comparison does bring up a good point, though--having a robust
set of templates would appeal to those kind of users for scribus. As
would packaging some ready-made clipart/photographs. I like that
scribus is professional grade, and of course no professional grade DTP
software comes with such things. But on the other hand, scribus easily
could, without any sacrifice of credibility, by having a separate
package with those things included. Most casual users would appreciate
having a directory full of clipart and photos that they can drop in
place, since they're using it to create a simple church bulletin or
newsletter.

I'm not saying that such a thing should happen. Most of the users here
in this forum are at least computer literate, and making scribus more
inviting to less clueful users may not exactly be a boon. I'm just
bringing it up for something to think about.