Twixl Publisher is a publishing solution that takes projects from InDesign to iPad. Specifically, it is a combination of a stand-alone (Mac OS X) application and a plug-in for Adobe InDesign CS5 or 5.5 that converts and exports traditionally created documents into interactive reader applications for the Apple iPad.
Twixl Publisher makes it possible to translate print designs into digital designs by integrating interactive content such as photo slide shows, audio, video and more into a seamless iPad blend.
From print to mobile
The iPad is a new medium which creates a new experience for many of the activities we now consider to be time-consuming. It provides a variety of applications designed to make life easier and it’s filling the gap that exists between TV and PC. In the end, it’s a laptop that’s affordable, handy and very convenient to use.
The iPad is changing the game of digital publishing, e-commerce and advertising and offers a host of new business opportunities.
At Twixl media, we aimed to develop a solution that makes it possible to ‘translate’ print designs into digital designs by integrating interactive content such as photo slide shows, audio, video and more into a seamless iPad blend.
From InDesign to iPad
Twixl Publisher makes it possible to translate InDesign files into iPad apps and this for a great variety of sectors and application domains. Magazines are an obvious application, but Twixl Publisher can also be used for sales presentations, annual reports, newsletters, brand magazines, manuals, brochures, data sheets and a lot more.
One message on different media
Our job is to develop solutions that allow you to easily create apps for the Apple iPad, starting from traditional print formats. The goal is to develop one message and design, which can now be viewed in print and on the iPad.
The market has eagerly embraced the iPad and similar reading devices and is constantly looking for new applications. You don’t have to rethink the full model. The basics are the same, but digital affords you additional possibilities, new features, more interactivity, and an overall greater reading experience.
Add new publication as an update to an existing app
Create "standalone" or "single issue" apps
Create "storefront" or "kiosk" apps
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Add new publication via in-app purchase (in a "kiosk" app)
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Add new publication via subscription (in a "kiosk" app)
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Multi-threaded download of publications
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Action buttons
Web viewer with external HTML source
Web viewer with embedded HTML
Slide shows with scroll viewer indicators
URL links within text blocks
Table of Contents support
ICC Profile Support
Google Analytics Support
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Maintenance & feature upgrades first year
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Number of concurrent users
1 user
1 user
5 users
5 users
Benefits
iPad is the medium
For us, the medium is everything – and the medium we live for is the Apple iPad.
When you design a page for an iPad, you design it specifically for the iPad format, not for a larger or smaller format.
And when you view a page on an iPad, you want an optimized view from the start. You don’t want to pinch or zoom just to read the text.
Why read an article on an iPad instead of on paper?
We live in a digital age. Reading articles on devices like the iPad has become the norm – people don’t want the hassle of carrying around hard-copy publications.
The iPad offers a number of advantages:
Delivers a pleasant experience
Allows you to store info digitally
Provides fast, easy access to a greater amount of content
Offers enriched, interactive content
These are important factors to take into account when producing a publication for the iPad. Readers expect an all-round experience. They expect rich media, such as video, audio, slide shows and interactive content – all the extra stuff that traditional print can’t deliver.
And in keeping with all things Apple, they expect easy navigation.
Why not just use PDFs?
It’s easy to make a PDF document available on the iPad, but the user experience won’t be the same. For example, you can’t easily add enriched content to a PDF.
A PDF offers a quick fix, but it’s far from ideal in the long run if you want the reader to enjoy a great reading experience.
What’s the best way to display content on an iPad – image or HTML5 based?
Right now, an image-based application with native controls offers the best and most fluid experience.
This may change in the future, but current HTML5-based implementations appear unable to deliver the same responsiveness.
Why start from Adobe InDesign?
Because the software is used by designers around the world. So for them, it’s only a small step to switch from creating print publications to interactive tablet applications.
Will other options be added in future?
Today, our solution has one input source, InDesign, and one output source, the iPad. However, we may add other input options in the future, such as QuarkXPress, PDF or HTML(5).
This is why we designed our solution with multiple inputs and outputs in mind. We assessed where the market is today, but it will be our customers that guide us on the direction we take in the future.
What about other platforms?
The iPad rules the tablet world, which is why we chose it as our first platform. But technology moves fast and rival tablets will undoubtedly try to close the gap in the future. We intend to provide support for new platforms as soon as they become sufficiently relevant, so we may add support for Android Honeycomb tablets, Windows 8 etc.
Currently all iPads share the same screen resolution, but the challenge for future platforms will be to support the different screen resolutions that become available.
Simple pricing
There are many different pricing models on the market. Most of our competitors charge a licence or set-up fee for their solution. Some also charge an additional fee per issue, with limitation in time for the number of issues bought. Some make you pay a fixed cost per month, regardless of how many issues you publish. Others even charge a fee per downloaded issue, thus taking advantage of your hard work and success.
This all seems too complicated.
We only charge a licence fee, full stop. Depending on the type of license you purchase, you are free to publish as many issues as you want, without any additional fees. Maintenance and upgrades are free of charge for the first year and can be extended after the first year with a mere 20% surcharge of the licence fee.
Only when you purchase the Standard license, we charge a fee per App Store build you wish to publish. This type of license is ideal if you want to test our solution before possibly migrating to the Advanced or Pro license, as this does not charge a 'per app'-fee. Our Standard license is also the ideal solution for in-company publishing. If you have no need to publish on the App Store, this is definitely the most cost-effective solution.
It’s your App, not ours.
Some of our competitors try to control the financial relationship between you and your customers. This doesn’t seem fair. All we do is provide the tools for you to publish to the App Store easily – we never get involved with your customers.
Building apps has never been easier
Twixl Publisher helps you build apps that offer a unique user experience. This applies not only to the result, but also to our easy-to-use workflow. The most common feedback we get in our workshop is, ‘is it that easy?’ Yes, it really is.
System requirements
InDesign CS5/CS5.5 requirements: see the Adobe site for details. Although the plug-in can be used on both Windows and Mac OS X, the Twixl Publisher Builder app is Mac OS X only.
Twixl Publisher Builder requirements: Mac OS X 10.6.8 or 10.7.x and Xcode 4.x. Xcode is a free download from the Mac App Store.
