Affinity Publisher 2

Affinity Publisher 2 is professional desktop publishing software that rivals Adobe InDesign for book cover production, interior layout, and typesetting. In October 2025, Canva relaunched the entire Affinity suite as a free unified application — combining Affinity Photo, Designer, and Publisher into a single download called "Affinity by Canva" with no subscription required and free lifetime updates.

What You Get

• Professional page layout: Precise typesetting, master pages, text frame linking, and full bleed/margin controls for print-ready output
• Integrated image and vector editing: Photo editing (Affinity Photo) and vector illustration (Affinity Designer) are bundled in the same app — no switching tools to prepare cover artwork
• Print-ready PDF export: Supports PDF/X formats with embedded ICC profiles, crop marks, and bleed settings required by KDP, IngramSpark, and other print-on-demand services
• Spine calculation: Build full wrap covers with accurate front, spine, and back in a single document using precise dimension controls
• InDesign import: Reads .indd files, useful for authors adapting templates designed for InDesign

Who It's For

• Authors with design skills: Affinity Publisher has a genuine learning curve — beginners will spend hours on tutorials before producing publish-ready files
• Windows authors: Unlike Vellum (Mac-only) and most professional formatters, this runs on Windows with full feature parity; an iPad version is in development (no official Linux release — community AppImage workarounds exist but are unofficial)
• Authors who want InDesign quality without the cost: Adobe InDesign costs $22.99/month; Affinity Publisher is now completely free

Pricing: Completely free as of October 2025. The new unified Affinity app (Windows and macOS) includes all layout, photo, and vector tools at no cost. AI-powered features — Generative Fill and Generative Expand — require a Canva subscription, but the core publishing tools are unrestricted.

Strengths

• Zero cost with no limitations: Professional-grade software with no trial watermarks, no project limits, and no export restrictions — unlike free tiers of other tools
• Complete typography control: OpenType font features, precise kerning, ligatures, drop caps, and text frame linking across pages — capabilities that Canva and book-specific cover tools lack
• Active development: Now backed by Canva's engineering resources, with regular feature updates and bug fixes
• Stable, offline-capable: A desktop application that works without internet access, with no cloud dependency for file storage

Limitations

• Steep learning curve: Mastering spine calculations, bleed settings, and print specifications for KDP or IngramSpark requires significant setup time — expect several hours of tutorials before your first publish-ready file
• No book-specific templates: Unlike BookBrush or Canva, there are no pre-built Amazon KDP or IngramSpark-sized cover templates; you configure dimensions manually
• AI features require Canva subscription: Generative Fill and AI image tools cost extra — only the traditional design tools are free
• Not designed for fast one-off covers: The workflow mirrors InDesign — powerful and precise, but slower than browser-based tools for a single book cover

Alternatives

For faster setup with genre-specific templates, Canva offers KDP-sized book cover templates ready to customize. For Mac users wanting professional print output without learning desktop publishing software, Vellum handles both formatting and cover-ready exports in one workflow.