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Serif has an impressive pedigree when it comes to producing publishing packages that are filled with nifty features and yet remain remarkably easy to use. Whether you plan to publish your work on paper or online, or maybe both, you should have no problems finding a program in Serif's ever-expanding software library that does the trick and won't cost the earth.
The latest addition to the range is WebPlus 6. WebPlus is a WYSIWYG home-page creator, so there's no grandiose 'Website Construction Suite Deluxe' moniker here. Instead, simple but effective pages created with the minimum of fuss are the order of the day.
That said, however, Serif does claim that the program comes with "everything you need to create exciting web pages ... fast!" and while this may be stretching the point a little, for less than £30 we see little cause for complaint.
First impressions count and thankfully, unlike Serif's DTP package, PagePlus, which comes with 11 additional CD-ROMs, all of these web-oriented extras (and the program itself) are crammed onto just one disc. The quality of these extras - some 20,000 web art images, 600 animated gifs and 400 fonts - is variable, to say the least, but as you'll soon build up your own favourites, the program itself is where our focus should lie.
Installation is painless, so much so that you won't even need to reboot. And once the package has loaded, if you're a user who expects great results with just a few clicks, you won't be disappointed.
At its most basic level, getting the program up and running is a simple matter of selecting a style for your page from the panel that runs down the right-hand side of the screen. Next, choose a colour scheme from the selection on offer and click OK. You can then modify your newly created page to your heart's content.
The main screen is logically thought out, if a little non-standard, and should be more than familiar to PagePlus users. If you do need help there are Wizards to take you through the package step-by-step, and even a number of animated quick tours covering the main features.
While beginners will welcome these features with open arms, proficient users wanting quick results will be glad of the opportunity to turn off the handholding extras and add HTML code or Java scripts to their pages.
If you prefer to create a page from scratch, WebPlus is as easy to use as any desktop publisher. Simply set up your page, add some boxes for text and illustrations using the toolbox and pulldown menus, and then juggle them all around on screen for best effect.
WebPlus is no mere desktop publisher: there's support for animated gifs and sounds on your pages, and adding hyperlinks or hotspots is a piece of cake. While some web features are absent (mouseovers, for example) the program manages to pack in most of the tools and effects you're likely to need, including text marquees.
But even user-friendly packages can fall short when it comes to publishing your finished site. With the right information at hand it's easy enough, but novices can easily be scared off. WebPlus scores well on this count. On firing up the program for the first time you're encouraged to sign up for 10Mn of web space from Visual Cities, and when the time comes to publish your site, the ftp address is already entered into the dialog box. You just need to supply the account name and password. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before this is the case no matter which company you choose for your web space.
So, the question is: with so many publishing and web design packages around, where does WebPlus fit into the equation? It obviously isn't aimed at people who are likely to be tempted by FrontPage or Dreamweaver.
It isn't the most basic, handholding package you're likely to find on the shelves of your local software emporium, nor is it as feature-packed as a budget desktop publisher like Microsoft Publisher or Serif's own PagePlus. WebPlus lies somewhere between a DTP package and some of the more basic web-page creators. In effect, what you get is a cut-down version of PagePlus that embraces the web while junking some of the fineries of printing for the page. If that's what you're looking for, you can't go far wrong.
Contact
Serif 0800 376 7070 www.serif.com
See also:
A good choice for those who want a simple way to start designing web pages. 19 Jul 2002
If you've not used desktop publishing software before, Page Plus provides an easy to use introduction, even if it's not the best package around. 30 Apr 2000All Internet Tools
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