Skip to main content
We no longer support Internet Explorer. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Find out more.

5 things you should know about Affinity Publisher 2

After tireless work, seeing how much further we could push the boundaries of what’s possible with creative technology, we’re absolutely thrilled to announce that Version 2 of Affinity is here, and it brings some big new features to Affinity Publisher. Features we think users both new and old are going to love!

In this article, we walk through our top five new additions, including a highly requested Books feature, notes tool and Place Auto-flow, and what you need to know about them.

1. Books

The new Books Tool in Version 2 allows you to combine multiple Affinity Publisher documents into one cohesive file while updating your reference information, such as page numbers, table of contents, indexes and text styles throughout. This feature is especially useful for collaboration, as contributors can work on their own sections individually before everything is brought together. Available in desktop version only.

Watch the demo:

See how to combine multiple Publisher documents together and export them as a full publication.

2. Footnotes, sidenotes & endnotes

One of our most requested features for Affinity Publisher has been the ability to create and manage academic-style notes, and the new notes tool doesn’t disappoint. There are three different types of notes that you can create: footnotes, endnotes and sidenotes, which are useful for all kinds of documents, from academic journals and business reports to newspapers and magazines.

Watch the demo:

Learn the best practices for using footnotes, sidenotes and endnotes in Affinity Publisher.

3. Place Auto-flow

This new feature is a huge time-saver for page layout workflows. It allows you to flow content into a series of automatically generated pages which is useful for placing PDF content into your documents and large amounts of text and imagery. Plus, with the ability to choose a repeat count for images, you can set up advanced templates so that, in the future, you can instantly produce multiple variants in only a few clicks.

Watch the demo:

Discover how to auto-flow text, images and PDF spreads, with Publisher automatically creating new pages and picture frames to accommodate the content.

4. Linked File Layer Visibility Override

If you place a file containing layer information such as a PSD, PDF, DWG, DXF or another Affinity document, you now have the ability to turn layers on or off as long as the resource is linked. Your layer visibility settings will still be maintained even if the source file is changed.

Linked File Layer Visibility Override

5. Style Picker Tool

The new Style Picker Tool allows you to sample styles, formats and attributes from existing objects and apply them or replicate them throughout your document to other design elements of the same nature. This is particularly useful for speeding up your page design process and making sure all your formatting is consistent throughout your document.

It works with text, effects, multi-stroke fields and multi-stroke effects, and you can apply formatting to multiple objects at the same time. Available in desktop version only.

Watch the demo:

Discover how to intuitively copy layer effects, object styles and text formatting to other layers in your publication using the Style Picker Tool.

And that’s not all…

We’ve crammed many more new features into Affinity Publisher 2, along with a host of feature enhancements, making workflows for layout and document design faster, smoother and more efficient. Here’s a quick run-down of our favourites that we really wanted to let you know about.

Enhanced performance

The handling of memory for large documents, particularly with lots of large placed files and images, has been reengineered, resulting in significant performance improvements.

Quick Grid

Quick Grid allows you to quickly and efficiently replicate shapes, picture frames and text frames in the shape of a grid. This functionality has many different applications, but it is particularly useful for creating standardised page layouts. Available in desktop version only.

Watch the demo:

Discover Affinity Publisher’s Quick Grid functionality, which allows you to quickly duplicate and lay out multiple copies of shapes, text frames and picture frames.

Resave Package

We’ve added a new feature that allows you to save over an existing packaged file, which is much more efficient and prevents unnecessary duplicate resources from being created. Available in desktop version only.

Word & Character Count

Affinity Publisher now has a word counter so you can get a word, character, line and paragraph count of your document or current selection.

DWG/DXF Place

This feature is a game-changer for users who need to include technical and architectural drawings in their publications. Affinity Publisher 2 allows the import of DWG/DXF files while maintaining the layer structure and scale of the original file. You can also place them as embedded (which allows editing) or linked files, so if they get updated, the link will automatically update in your publication.

DWG/DXF Place

Frame/Art Text conversion

Another change we’ve made is that you can now convert Frame Text to Art Text and vice-versa. This gives you much more flexibility when working with text.

Quick bitmap fill

When working with shapes and fill layers, you can now drop bitmap images from files, assets or other layers directly onto the fill icon in the Context Toolbar or your selected object. Click-drag sets the scaling and rotation of the fill, with all changes happening instantly, in real time. Available in desktop version only.

New box colour wheel

Along with the existing triangle wheel, the optimised Colour Panel has a new box colour wheel, which makes it easier for you to change saturation without changing luminosity and vice versa by moving vertically and horizontally. Available in desktop version only.

Force scale everything

This new option in the Transform Panel allows you to override any individual scale settings so you can force all strokes, effects and fills to scale with whatever your currently selected object is set to.

Select Same

You now have access to the Select Same function from within Publisher, enabling you to locate and edit all instances of attributes such as fill colour, stroke colour, stroke weight, transparency, blend mode or shape within your document. Previously this feature was only available in the Designer Persona.


Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad is here!

You’ve been asking for it, and now it’s finally here. Affinity Publisher has made its way to iPad! The power and portability of Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad allows you to take page design and layout out of the confines of the office and into whatever space brings you the most inspiration. Check out our article: Create incredible layouts on the go with Affinity Publisher 2 for iPad! to learn more.


Get 40% off Affinity V2 for a limited time!

To celebrate the release of Affinity V2, we are giving customers the chance to purchase any of the apps individually on macOS, Windows or iPad or the Affinity V2 Universal Licence covering the entire suite on all platforms for a single one-off payment, with a substantial 40% launch discount applied.

This incredible offer is available for a limited time, so don’t miss out—buy Version 2 now at affinity.serif.com.

BUY NOW


Watch more tutorials

Head over to our YouTube channel and you’ll find a vast bank of video tutorials covering all the new features, core tools and essential techniques for each app. We’ll be posting new videos regularly, so make sure you’re subscribed to our channel to see the latest V2 demos, tutorials, tips and tricks and more.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel


Find out more about Affinity V2

More information about Affinity V2, including details of the new features and learning resources for each app, can be found here: