Training course

Affinity Publisher Essentials

This one-day hands-on course introduces participants to Affinity Publisher, Serif’s powerful desktop publishing tool. Ideal for those creating professional layouts for print or digital use, the course covers everything from document setup and working with text and images, through to advanced formatting, creative design elements, and preparing documents for export.

Participants will gain practical experience designing multi-page layouts with consistent formatting, placing and manipulating images, applying styles, using master pages and templates, and exporting to various formats.

This course is designed for marketing professionals, content creators, in-house designers, admin teams producing reports or newsletters, and anyone involved in creating visual documents for print or digital distribution.

  • 1 Day
  • In person

Course Objectives

  • Confidently navigate the Affinity Publisher interface and tools
  • Set up documents correctly for print or digital use, including margins, bleeds, and colour profiles
  • Place and format text using styles, columns, and flowing text frames
  • Add, scale, crop, and optimise images with control over resolution and linking
  • Create and format professional tables for reports or publications
  • Use master pages, guides, and grids to maintain consistency in layout
  • Apply and manage colour palettes, shapes, and special effects to enhance design
  • Use preflight tools to identify and fix common issues before export
  • Export documents in the correct format for print, web, or email use

Prerequisites

  • Good general computer literacy
    Not essential, but basic familiarity with design or publishing tools (e.g. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Canva, or similar) would help.

Course content Back to top

  1. Introduction to Affinity Publisher
    Setting up a document
    Margins, bleeds and colour settings
    Affinity Publisher workspace and toolbars
  2. Working with Text
    Placing text on a document
    Adjusting typography settings
    Creating and saving Paragraph and Character styles
  3. Adding Pictures
    Place images using frames
    Scale, crop and make other adjustments
    Understanding minimum dpi requirements to ensure image quality
    Insert multiple images at the same time
    Working with linked files
  4. Creating columns
    Separating text into columns
    Creating columns
  5. Designing interesting text layouts
    Wrapping text around images and objects
    Flow text between different frames
  6. Adding and formatting tables
    Creating a table
    Adding data to tables
    Formatting a table
    Saving formats to reuse
  7. Setting up templates and complex layouts
    Creating Master Pages
    Creating custom guides
    Adding page numbers
    Aligning text and objects with the Alignment tools
    Using Baseline grids
  8. Colour and Shapes in Affinity Publisher
    Using the Colour Picker
    Saving Swatches and Palettes
    Importing existing Colour Palettes
    Creating Palettes from an image or document
    Inserting and adjusting basic shapes
    Adjusting special shapes with smart controls
    Using the Style Picker to quickly change the style of text and images
  9. Working with creative effects
    Using Gradients
    Using the Transparency tool
    Adding a Drop Shadow, 3D effects and more
  10. Checking a document
    Using Preflight to check for spelling mistakes
    Using Preflight to check for common problems
    How to correct common problems
  11. Exporting documents
    PDF settings for print
    PDF settings for digital, and small file sizes
    Exporting to JPG or PNG

Public dates and prices Back to top

Prices are per delegate and exclude VAT.

  • Thursday 19 November 2026

    Durham 9:30–16:30

    £395+ VAT

Can't make these dates? Ask about a private course on a date that suits you.

Training a team?

Run this course privately, on your dates

What delegates say Back to top

“Really enjoyed the course, the trainer was very engaging and most helpful.”
M.C., James Jones, Excel Level 2

Following this training what are you going to do differently

“Review my trainees more thoroughly”
D.S., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Train the Trainer

Which part of the course did you find particularly valuable

“Teaching and learning cycle”
E.O., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Train the Trainer

Following this training what are you going to do differently

“I will set out my training plans more efficiently”
D.C., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Train the Trainer
“Very informative practical course.”
T.W., Stobart Rail Ltd, Excel Level 2
“Well done it was really useful and exceeded my expectations”
K.D., Merton Borough Council, Excel Level 2

Any other comments or recommendations

“Very worth attending”
T., Excel Level 3
“Very good course”
B.S., Adler and Allan Ltd, Microsoft Project Essentials

Please contact us to discuss your Affinity Publisher Essentials course, we have many solutions available to ensure you receive the best training possible.

Learn with IT Training Solutions. Small course sizes. Course materials included. Flexible Affinity Publisher Essentials course content. Expert trainers and tried & tested training methods. Many course materials available online using your personal training account. Please contact us to booka place or get a quote for your Affinity Publisher Essentials course.

IT Training Solutions Ltd
Oakville, 14 Durham Road West, Bowburn, Durham, DH6 5AU
0191 377 8377
ittrainingsolutions.co.uk
Printed: 10/20/2026 10:14:16 PM