Affinity Layout Quick-start Guide
New Document Setup
Open Affinity Publisher and click New Document.
Scroll to the CMYK / Print presets and choose Letter size (8.5" × 11").
Set Units to inches.
Set DPI high (300 DPI recommended for print clarity).
Enable Multiple Pages.
Set Margins to
0.625 in.Set Bleed to
0.125 in.Click Create.
Understanding the Interface
Personas (Top Toolbar)
Use Layout Persona for page design.
Pixel and Vector personas exist but aren’t needed for this layout.
Tools (Left Toolbar)
Key tools used in this layout:
Move Tool (V)
Frame Text Tool (T)
Rectangle Tool (U)
Picture Frame Rectangle Tool
Panels (Right Side)
Adjustments like Color, Stroke, Layers, Character, Paragraph live here.
If panels are missing: go to View → Studio and enable them.
Navigating the Canvas
To Pan:
Hold Spacebar + Drag to move the canvas.
Use Middle Mouse Button to pan.
View Tool at the bottom of the toolbar
Zoom with:
Ctrl / Cmd + Scroll
Zoom Tool at the bottom of the toolbar
Pages & Master Pages
Adding Pages
Open the Pages Panel.
Click Add Pages and choose how many pages you need.
Create a Master Page (for Page Numbers)
In Pages Panel → Add Master Page.
Use the Frame Text Tool to draw a small box for the page number.
Right-click inside the text frame → Insert → Fields → Page Number.
Align text Right, set font size to ~8 pt.
Lower opacity or use a subtle color for a clean look.
Apply the Master
Right-click your pages → Apply Master.
Select Master A and apply to all pages.
Layers Basics
Open Layers Panel (View → Studio → Layers).
Layers control stacking order (top = front, bottom = back).
Layer Controls
Drag layers up/down to change visibility order.
Click the Lock icon to prevent editing.
Toggle the Eyeball icon to hide/show elements without deleting.
Set Up Layout Guides
Go to View → Guides → Guide Manager.
Set:
Columns: 6
Rows: 2
Gutter: 0.1 in
Click Close to apply the grid.
Place Images
Main Image
Select Picture Frame Rectangle Tool.
Drag a frame from bleed edge to the center of the page.
Drag your image from your computer directly into the frame.
Adjust Image Inside Frame
Use outer handles to resize the frame.
Use inner handles to move or scale the image itself.
Rotate using the top rotation handle if desired.
Frame Fitting Options
Right-click frame → Frame Properties:
Scale to Max Fit fills the frame
Scale to Min Fit shows full image with possible whitespace
Add Secondary Image
Create another picture frame near the top of the page.
Drag in a second image.
Adjust position so the focal point is visible.
Round Corners
Select the frame.
Use corner radius controls in the top toolbar.
Dial back rounding for subtle softness.
Preview the Layout
Press Ctrl / Cmd + Shift + W to toggle Preview Mode.
This hides guides and shows the final layout appearance.
Add Title Text
Select Frame Text Tool.
Drag a text box where your headline should go.
Type your title.
Style the Headline
Choose a font (e.g., Futura Heavy).
Increase size (e.g., 36 pt).
Adjust Fill (inside color) and Stroke (outline color).
Sample Colors from Image
Use the Color Picker Tool to sample a color directly from the image.
Apply it to the text fill for visual harmony.
Add Body Text
Use Frame Text Tool to draw a body text box.
Right-click → Insert Filler Text.
Change font to a readable body font.
Create Columns
With text frame selected, increase Columns to 2.
Manually adjust gutter width (e.g.,
0.1 in).Text will auto-flow between columns.
Optional: Captions & Details
Add smaller text frames for captions or callouts.
Position using guides for alignment consistency.
Export the Layout
Go to File → Export.
Choose PDF (recommended for print or sharing).
Most settings can stay default.
Choose export location and click Export.
