Skip to content
Independent directory · not affiliated with ArtCraft, Adobe or Microsoft · how we work
opencraftapps.top
DesignCraft application icon

07 / 13 · Desktop publishing

DesignCraft

DesignCraft is the publishing app of the suite: master pages, threaded text frames, typographic control and preflight PDF export, for books, magazines and long documents that word processors handle badly.
Replaces
Adobe InDesign
Licence
Apache-2.0
Latest release
v0.9.0
Released
2026-10-18
Source
storytold

In the maintainer's words

“DesignCraft: An open-source page and layout design editor written by scratch in pure Rust”— repository description, github.com/storytold/designcraft

What DesignCraft is built to do

  • Master pages and spread-based layout
  • Threaded text frames and paragraph styles
  • OpenType feature control (ligatures, optical alignment)
  • CMYK and spot-colour separations
  • Preflight / PDF-X print export
  • Long-document page numbering and indices
  • Liquid page rules and alternate layouts

These are the workflow areas the project targets. Implementation status changes release to release — confirm against the repository before relying on a specific behaviour.

What changed in DesignCraft v0.9.0

  • The Page tool grew up: click selects a page, Alt-drag resizes with the liquid rule previewed, and a control panel carries width, height, orientation and Liquid Page Rule.
  • A Table of Contents dialog with entry options, plus IDML TOC styles.
  • Gradients between process colours blend as inks, the way InDesign shows them.
  • PDF/A-2b exports now leave form fields and media out of the file.

Summarised from the release notes upstream published on 2026-10-18. Read the full list on the DesignCraft v0.9.0 release page ↗.

Download DesignCraft

DesignCraft is distributed by its own maintainers through GitHub releases. Nothing here is re-hosted, mirrored or repackaged, which is exactly why these links stay current when a new build lands.

DesignCraft v0.9.0 · upstream GitHub releases

All release assets ↗
  • macOS UniversalDMGGet
  • Windows x64MSIGet
  • Windows ARM64MSIGet
  • Windows x86 (32-bit)MSIGet
  • Windows x64 portableZIPGet
  • Linux x86_64 AppImageAppImageGet
  • Linux x86_64 debdebGet
  • Linux x86_64 rpmrpmGet
  • Linux x86_64 flatpakflatpakGet
  • Linux aarch64 debdebGet
  • Linux riscv64 debdebGet
  • FreeBSD x86_64TAR.GZGet
  • Command-line build (macOS)ZIPGet
  • Browser buildZIPGet
  • Linux x86_64 Arch packagePKG.TAR.ZSTGet
  • Linux aarch64 Arch packagePKG.TAR.ZSTGet
  • SHA-256 sumsTXTGet

Files are served by GitHub from the upstream repository — this project is not distributed through this site. Verify the download against SHA256SUMS.txt in the same release.

Platforms: macOS Universal · Windows x64 / ARM64 / x86 · Linux x86_64 / aarch64 / riscv64 · FreeBSD x86_64

DesignCraft vs Adobe InDesign

AspectDesignCraftAdobe InDesign
PriceFree, Apache-2.0Creative Cloud subscription
Print workflowPDF/X exportFull prepress chain + service providers
Long docsCore strengthBattle-tested
Team librariesFile basedCC Libraries
SourceOpenProprietary

Source, licence and building

The repository carries the licence text, issue tracker and release notes. Apache-2.0 permits commercial use, modification and redistribution with attribution notices preserved. If you prefer to compile it yourself, clone the repo and follow its README for the pinned Rust toolchain.

Open repository ↗Official project page ↗Suite-wide comparison

DesignCraft FAQ

Can DesignCraft open InDesign files?

There is a real path: upstream publishes indd-utils, which reads INDD without InDesign and converts to IDML, and v0.9.0 added IDML-aware table-of-contents styles. Still plan for re-layout rather than a clean import, and keep the original as a reference PDF.

Is it suitable for print shops?

Ask your printer to accept a PDF/X test sheet first; colour-separation behaviour is the thing to validate.

Does it replace Word for long documents?

For styled, fixed-layout publications yes; for collaborative drafting and revision tracking, WordCraft is the closer fit.

Continue

Nearby tools in the suite

All 13 apps →
WordCraft icon

WordCraft

Word processing

08/13

Ribbon-style word processing with native .docx.

Replaces
Microsoft Word
Licence
Apache-2.0
Release
v0.8.0 · 2026-10-18
Details
VectorCraft icon

VectorCraft

Vector illustration

01/13

Pen-tool-first vector illustration, rebuilt in Rust.

Replaces
Adobe Illustrator
Licence
Apache-2.0
Release
v0.13.1 · 2026-10-18
Details
PdfCraft icon

PdfCraft

PDF reading and editing

05/13

Read, annotate, merge and split PDFs offline.

Replaces
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Licence
Apache-2.0
Release
v0.9.0 · 2026-10-18
Details