Flipbook magazines take your content from one format (eg: PDF) and turn it into a fully functioning digital publication. Some flipbook makers will let you design magazines from scratch within the application but most require a finished magazine design to work their magic.

With that in mind, we’ll be running through the best design suites for creating magazines worthy of converting into flipbooks. These are the industry standard tools and no serious digital publisher could do without one.

Adobe InDesign

The first name you need to know in magazine design software is Adobe InDesign. This is Adobe’s specialist tool for creating digital publications. The good thing about Adobe is you can sign up for the entire suite and use Photoshop for your image editing and Illustrator for your graphics – everything you could need to design a magazine.

Once you’re done you simply save it as a PDF file (or whichever file your flipbook software requires) and convert it into a flipbook magazine. You’re only looking at around £15/month for InDesign, too, which makes it a premium product with a very affordable price tag.

QuarkXPress

QuarkXPress is another big name in the publication design game. It doesn’t come with quite the same polished look and features of InDesign but it’s probably a shade easier to use. It’s a good platform, too, but you’ll have to pay close to £800 upfront as a new customer – some way off InDesign’s tempting monthly fee.

CorelDRAW

CorelDRAW is another popular choice among designers and a flexible platform. It isn’t designed specifically for magazine publishing, unlike the first two options, we looked at, which can make it more time-consuming. It’s a solid platform, though, and a good all-rounder if you do a range of design work. You’ll be looking at around a £500 one-time fee to buy the product or you can get a one-year subscription for around £180.

Verdict

Personal preference will pick the best platform from these three for many publishers, of course. All that aside, we have to Adobe InDesign is would be our first recommendation every time. Adobe software is industry-leading across the board and it’s used by so many professionals it makes even simple things like exchanging files easier. There’s also a lot to be said for the quality of magazine design you can create with InDesign – an important factor if you want to promote your brand with a stunning flipbook magazine.

Some cheaper alternatives

While don’t want to suggest you scrimp on design software, there are some cheaper alternatives if the budget is short. When you can get InDesign for £15/month, this shouldn’t be a major problem – but here are some cheaper options for good measure.

PagePlus

PagePlus from the Serif team is like an intermediate-level platform. It comes pretty close to the features and quality you’ll see from the first free options. It does fall short on flexibility and in-app resources but you’re only paying a one-odd fee of around £100.

MS Publisher

If you have an Office 365 subscription, then you’ll already have access to Microsoft’s MS Publisher. Otherwise, you can get a subscription starting from £6.99 a month and get access to the app. It doesn’t come all that close to the likes of InDesign or QuarkXPress but it’s easily the most budget option we’re looking at today.

You’ll also find plenty of free magazine design platforms online but we’re going to end our list of recommendations here. It’s absolutely fine if you choose to take the free or budget option but we always like to recommend products based on quality rather than price.

All of the options we’ve looked at today come with free trials so there’s no pressure to pay for something you’re not happy with. It’s worth trying out a few options to see if anything stands out for you. As we say, though, it’s pretty difficult to beat InDesign when it comes to a dedicated magazine design platform.

The post Best Software to Design Your Flipbook Magazines appeared first on Cellchaos.

Making a pdf to flipbook catalog

Making a pdf to flipbook catalog is no more difficult than converting a Word document – or whatever content creation software you use – into a pdf file to upload in your flipbook making software.

You then have a variety of options to customize your digital catalog and give it your brand flavor. Flipbook software comes with pre-programmed templates you can use as a base and adapt it as you please.

A full palette of vibrant colors enables you to select your brand colors and make your catalog recognizably unique to your business. If you prefer, you can also upload your own graphic designs to use as a template.

Just a word of advice; when creating your pdf flipbook it is a good idea to create informal content your customers can relate to and not overdo the sales copy. The modern consumer is accustomed to researching and learning about what they should expect from products and services.

This is a branding approach. Customers tend to lean towards companies they can relate to. Consumers buy from brands they trust and by publishing content in a high-quality format like digital catalogs provide, you increase your potential to earn trust.

Boost your brand with pdf flipbook software

Thanks to technological advances with HTML5 and jQuery, flipbook technology is very easy to use. And because it is compatible with other media files, adding a diverse variety of branded content is straightforward.

You can start by adding your company logo to the toolbar so that it is easy to grab whenever you find a suitable space to place it within your flipbook. Building brand awareness at every opportunity increases your chances of customers remembering your logo and company name.

And because flipbooks are so eye-catching, only putting your logo on the front page might mean it gets missed so scatter it across your pdf catalog.

Flipbook software allows marketers to embed video, audio, and photo slideshares. This is a great feature that allows you to diversify your content and showcase your brand personality in different ways.

Visuals are vitally important to product placement and flipbooks produce high-quality images that will not let you down. Slideshares and photo galleries can create an interactive shopping experience and help improve sales.

Share on social media

Flipbook software connects directly with social media networks so with one click of a button you can post a link to your digital catalog from your dashboard.

Sharing content on social media is a vital action for online businesses to connect with their audience and drive traffic to their website. Furthermore, flipbooks give you social creditability and are more likely to be shared thus expanding your customers base and spreading brand awareness.

PDF flipbook software is a visually engaging platform that provides numerous solutions for brands to promote content, engage readers and drive traffic.

There are many service providers to choose from and although I can’t tell you which is best for your business, I strongly advise you to take advantage of the free trial offers to discover which platform you are most comfortable using.

The post How To Promote Brand Image With PDF Flipbook Software appeared first on Cellchaos.

How to convert content into a pdf file?

To make a flipbook, all you have to do is load a pdf file into the flipping book software. However, flipbook technology will only accept pdf files do you need to know how to convert whatever document you are creating content into a pdf.

So this is another benefit of using flipbook makers. You do not have to learn additional skills to create content, you can continue using whatever documents you are accustomed to.

For example, as a freelance content writer, I usually work in Word. So to convert an article into a flipbook I right-click on my Word document in my saved folder and select “Convert to PDF in Foxit Reader” from the drop-down menu as seen below.

If you have Adobe or other pdf software, you will still follow the same process as the example above. If you want to convert a file in design software such as Photoshop you convert files to pdf from the drop-down menu under “file”.

How to upload pdf to flipbook software

This blog intends to remain impartial and promote flipbooks on an even playing field so we will not tell you which software package to buy. That decision will depend on your requirements and which software you find the most comfortable to use.

Uploading a pdf to a flipbook is much the same in all flipbook software packages. The slight differences between flipbook software are the number of available features and the design of the templates.

So for the purpose of this blog we are going to use the Flipbook Tutorial from Flipbookbuilder.com just to show you how easy the process is. Obviously, you need to follow the instructions of whatever flipbook software you purchase, but this video gives you a good idea of how easy it is to use flipbook software.

Customising your flipbook

It is when you reach the customizing stage that you will notice a difference between the various software packages. I recommend taking advantage of the free trial packages that are on offer to determine which flipbook maker is best for you.

jQuery flipbooks come will pre-designed templates, but they are flexible enough for users to customize and create unique flipbooks. The software also has a full-color palette so you can define your brand image and upload your logo.

Flipbook software is very flexible. If you do not want to use one of the ready-made templates you can always upload your own design. You can also upload your logo and any media files you want to include in your online marketing material.

Flipbook software is compatible with modern media files so you can upload videos and audio files as well as text files. This gives your flipbook versatility and more content options to engage readers.

PDF to flipbooks have the potential to give your content marketing strategy a boost. Create your own branded magazine, catalog, brochure or any other document that will benefit from visually appealing graphics and you have content that can effectively attract and engage readers.

The post How To Make A jQuery PDF To Flipbook appeared first on Cellchaos.

What can pdf flipbook makers do for your business?

The benefits of a pdf flipbook maker vary from one business to the next. It all depends on your business goals and your current marketing processes. In the introduction, I touched on the capacity for pdf flipbook makers to attract the eyes of readers.

The ability to draw in readers is the very basic benefit businesses can expect from digital catalogs. The onus is still on marketers to create high-quality content flipbooks deserve, and here are a few reasons why pdf flipbook makers can help you improve your content marketing strategy.

Flipbook software cuts costs

Content marketing is not cheap – not if you do it properly and invest in high-quality content anyway. The chances are that if you do invest a small amount in a content marketing strategy, you will only get small returns – if any at all. When you pay low prices, you inevitably get low quality.

If you conduct offline marketing and invest in printed publications, switching to pdf flipbooks will save you substantial costs. You then have the option to invest in better quality content, more of which I will discuss in a moment.

Printing prices are not cheap. Nor are the shipping costs to distribute your magazines, catalogs, brochures, or whatever other marketing material you publish. PDF flipbooks are far less expensive to make and distribute.

For a small monthly fee of around £25, online businesses can produce digital catalogs and distribute them anywhere in the world with no shipping costs to pay. This gives you the potential to broaden your audience and stock an unlimited supply of digital marketing publications to use whenever you need them.

Furthermore, flipbooks can be updated and edited whenever you like so if it is pertinent, you can reuse some of the content without having to pay additional fees to replace existing content.

Flipbooks also give you the opportunity to boost your income from other companies. If you publish a branded magazine, take advantage of selling advertising space to publish third-party adverts.

Diversify content

To improve your online marketing strategy it is a good idea to diversify your content. By doing so, you can tell your brand story in a compelling way that engages readers.

You also need to consider the type of device consumers are using and create appropriate content. For example, a smartphone user with a five-inch screen is more likely to watch a video or listen to a podcast than read a 2000-word article.

If you limit publishing content on your blog, a mobile user may only land on the 2000-word article page. They cannot engage with that on a 5-inch screen so leave. You can publish a video on your homepage, but if the portal to your website the smartphone users cones through is the article page, they will probably leave without ever knowing about the video.

A flipbook resolves this, as people are more inclined to flick through the content to see what takes their interest. A video is an instant draw for a smartphone user in which case you still get to promote your products, services, and brand awareness.

Attract more customers

As mentioned above, the visual elements of pdf flipbooks are instantly eye-catching and draw in readers. Once you have them on the page, your high-quality content and diversity of content will keep them there.

Diversifying your content enables you to tell your brand story in various ways and engage your audience with different aspects of your company. This gives marketers a broader scope of guiding readers to your website to purchase your products.

For example, a piece of marketing content may evoke an emotional response in one customer because that particular product fulfills their need, whereas the person sat next to them has no interest.

Yet when they flip over the page and see something that does appeal to them, you don’t miss out on a second sale.

Flipbooks are also highly shareable. Call it an ego thing, but social media users typically share content that portrays an image of how they want other people to see them.

For example, a social media user that wants to appear intelligent will post content published in the Economist or Private Eye. People that want to be associated with quality will share a flipbook.  An attractive flipbook with amazing content is something that strokes a lot of egos.

You can also distribute digital catalogs via email and embed the publication on your website thus further increasing your online visibility and the chance of people sharing your content.

Conclusion

If you are struggling to make an impression online because you are not capturing a big enough audience, pdf flipbooks provide a solution.

Furthermore, because pdf flipbook makers are under-utilized by marketers in the online space at present, you have the opportunity to get ahead of your competitors and corner a good share of the market.

Not only that, but pdf flipbooks are easy to use, come at an affordable price, and are created by simply converting a simple pdf file.

The post How PDF Flipbook Makers Can Ease Your Business Pains appeared first on Cellchaos.

Transform low-res pdf files into high-ref flipbooks

To create flipping books, create content in a Word document, Powerpoint, or Photoshop file as usual and convert the file into a low res pdf. Then layout the flow of content in the order you want them to appear in your digital catalog and upload them into the flipbook maker.

If you want to trial flipbooks to test their capabilities, I recommend taking advantage of the free flipbook trials offered by almost every flipbook maker service provider.

It should be noted, however, that limitation are imposed on the free trial software packages. However, they still give you a good idea of the capabilities flippingbook technology offers.

Should you decide to purchase a full package, you can expect to pay around $40 a month. If you publish a lot of printed content offline and intend to publish flipbooks on a regular basis, the low-cost monthly fee still represents good value for money.

The advantage flipbooks have over traditional print methods of publishing marketing material is that you only have to create one flipbook and you have an unlimited supply you can re-edit and update at will to distribute anywhere in the world. The potential savings on cost are therefore substantial.

Upload pdf file into flipbook software

Once you have organized your content into a layout you are happy with, login into your flipbook maker account and upload the pdf document. Then add relevant media files including images, videos, audio content, branding, email address, meta tags, and links.

The more digital files you add to diversify the content of your flipbook gives readers more opportunities to interact with your content and learn about your brand, products, and services.

You can then customize your flipbook using one of the pre-set templates or add a unique design of your own. The pre-programmed templates have a wide range of colors and interfaces to choose from so you shouldn’t have any problems matching them with your brand image.

Furthermore, you can embed flipbooks on your website, share them on social media networks in a matter of clicks, or email customers on your subscription list. All you have to do is download the file from the software into a file on your hard drive or main server.

Distribution opportunities are endless and a great way to expand your online profile and attract new customers. Because the digital sphere saves paper, flipbooks are also environmentally friendly.

Flipbooks are available for Windows and Mac operating systems so are compatible with the vast majority, if not all, types of businesses. If you need to improve your content and increase user engagement, flipbook software may just provide the solution.

The post How To Make a Simple PDF To Flipbook appeared first on Cellchaos.

Why PDF’s don’t work

PDFs have usability problems and do not create a good user experience.  They can look unseemly on some devices and do not always fit the screen causing users to scroll – which is labored.

The documents also have to be fully downloaded before they can be viewed and if the user does not have compatible software such as Adobe the document will not open.

PDF files are generally slow to use and do not have the same eye-catching appeal as a WordPress flipbook. They, therefore, do not engage readers or earn their trust.

The beauty of WordPress flipbook

Flipbooks or digital catalogs as they are known, render beautiful skins and are immediately eye-catching to audiences.

Because the software is responsive and interactive, it can be used on any device and provide an immersive experience. And it does not require anything more than loading your pdf file into a digital catalog makers software.

If your marketing strategy is not engaging readers in the way it should, consider upgrading the quality by converting your pdf files into eye-popping flipbooks. You may find you also increase your conversion rate.

The post How Converting A PDF To A WordPress Flipbook Converts Customers appeared first on Cellchaos.

Approach #1: Adding images directly into your PDFs

This will always be your first option for adding images into flipbook makers and this is for static images that don’t need to do anything. If you want images you can add jQuery animations too, then you’ll want to put those in later.

The easiest way to add images to a PDF file is to open it in Photoshop and add your images. You can then save your changes as a PDF file and publish them from there. If you’re creating your flipbook from scratch then probably better to use Adobe InDesign instead (you can also save it as a PDF).

Approach #2: Add images via flipbook makers

You can also add single images into your flipbooks from within your software. The exact process for this will depend on which software you’re using but there’s a video tutorial from Flip HTML5, one of the more popular choices:

This is the best way to add any images you want to create user interactions for. Let’s say you want users to be able to tap an image for it to enlarge, for example. These kinds of images will need to be added to your flipbook maker so you can set their interactions.

Knowing what image options you have available

You’re not limited to adding simple images onto your pages when it comes to flipbook makers. Depending on your software choice you will have a number of image options you can use to create richer publications. These will often include:

• Page images like you see in magazines
• Background images
• Image galleries
• Image sliders
• Image links
• Interactive images

How you use these different image types to enhance the flipbook experience for your readers is up to you. The great thing about flipbook software is it takes out all the coding skills that would otherwise be needed to make these things happen.

The post How to Add an Image to PDF Flipbook Makers appeared first on Cellchaos.