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Getting Started with XiLayout

These instructions describe the checked DesignCraft foundation as of 14 October 2026. XiLayout Alpha is free; public installer availability and XiKey integration are not yet verified.

Overview and Alpha Status

XiLayout is the desktop page layout, multi-page book and magazine publishing, preflight, and print/EPUB production application in the XiKey™ suite. XiLayout is based on DesignCraft (v0.7.1) by the ArtCraft team (MIT OR Apache-2.0).

Alpha is free today. Public installers are not yet confirmed. Signed update delivery through XiLauncher is in progress.

Creating and Opening Publications

  1. Choose File ▸ New Document (Ctrl+N / Cmd+N), set page size, facing pages, binding direction, margins, columns and bleed.
  2. Open (Ctrl+O / Cmd+O) native publication documents or IDML copies. Native INDD and INDT cannot be opened. Inspect fonts, line breaks, links and overset in every imported file. Manual frame-to-frame threading is a documented blocker; text-placement autoflow does not replace it.

Welcome Screen and Workspace Choices (Status)

  • Theme: Light and dark appearance options belong to the checked foundation.
  • Arabic interface and one-click English ⇄ العربية switch: In progress.
  • XiKey splash, About, welcome and message dialogs: In progress.
  • Classic and Modern layouts and Retina/interface scaling: Planned.

Next Steps

  • Explore the publication panels and tools in Interface Overview.
  • Typeset a multi-page concert booklet in Typesetting a 24-Page Philharmonic Concert Program Booklet.
  • Automate catalog layouts with CSV Data Merge in Producing a Data-Merged Heirloom Seed & Nursery Catalog.

XiKey is a trademark of Pioneer Local Development Co. Ltd. XiLayout is based on DesignCraft by the ArtCraft team (MIT OR Apache-2.0).

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