InPage vs Layout Department

InPage is page-making software for Urdu and related languages, intended for publishing newspapers, magazines, and books. Its desktop product supports Perso-Arabic scripts including Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Pushto, and Hazaragi. Layout tools provide linked or separate text boxes and automatic rules between columns; automatic kerning adjusts extra word spacing in Nastaliq text. InPage 4.1 adds character style sheets, multilevel bullets and numbering, spell checking with autocorrection, and word completion. It imports AI and EPS files, exports pages to EPS, GIF, PNG, TIFF, or BMP at selectable resolutions from 96 to 1200 DPI, and can generate ePUB files. The free mobile app creates and edits Nastaliq and Naskh files for use with the Urdu desktop application. Online InPage Tools runs in the cloud without downloads, though conversion limits depend on file version: PDF conversion supports files up to version 4.0, while EPUB and TXT conversion supports versions up to 3.6. The maker says InPage has served publishing needs since its introduction in 1994. The desktop product is for Windows, not Mac.

Layout Department turns PDFs into imposed print files for books, zines, and booklets. Choose a sheet size, pages per sheet, binding, and other settings, then export a print-ready PDF. Its documented layouts include Booklet, Perfect Bound, Magic Zine, and Cover; the default Booklet arrangement prepares pages for folding into a zine, and books can be divided into sections or signatures. Printer marks can include trim, bleed, center marks, page numbers, and sheet labels, with options to disable them or choose defaults. PDF processing happens locally on the user’s computer rather than through an upload. The free Community Edition has no time or page-count limit, needs no payment details, and exports without watermarks or downsampling. It includes basic book and zine layouts, page creep adjustment, cover layouts, and full print-file export. The one-time Paid License costs $29 as a one-time purchase and adds resizing, custom trim size, more imposition layouts, sections, multi-fold, and other options; it includes one year of updates. The app runs on macOS and Windows.