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Free Flatplan designer · Press Studio

Free flatplan software for publishing teams

Map your publication before design begins. Arrange pages, assign content and advertisements, and work with your team in one shared flatplan. Create a Press Studio account to get started.

Start planning for free
Press Studio flatplan with a sample eight-page Northline Journal issue

A clearer plan for every publication

See the whole issue

Organize pages and sections visually before production starts.

Plan together

Invite teammates to coordinate content and review the plan.

Keep ads in place

Reserve advertisement positions alongside editorial pages.

Press Studio flatplan showing a sample two-page spread and content pool

From flatplan to finished pages

Keep page planning close to the rest of Press Studio. When you are ready, use Publication Designer and the other modules from the same account.

Start planning for free

Start with Press Studio

Create your free account

Get lasting access to manuscripts, advertisements, proofreading and Publication Designer. Plan publications with your team in the free flatplan designer.

What is a flatplan?

A flatplan is a visual map of a publication before its pages are designed. It shows the page order, editorial content and ad placements so everyone can see the whole issue and spot gaps early.

How to plan a publication in Press Studio

  1. 01

    Create your publication

    Create a free Press Studio account, choose the page count and add the content you already have.

  2. 02

    Place content and ads

    Arrange pages and spreads, place editorial content and reserve ad space in one shared plan.

  3. 03

    Review with your team

    Invite teammates to review the plan. Continue in Publication Designer when you are ready.

Free flatplan software: your questions

Is the flatplan designer free or a free trial?

The collaborative flatplan designer is free to use with a Press Studio account, without a subscription. AI actions use tokens. Using AI to generate content or layouts is separate from planning pages manually.

Who is the tool for?

It is for magazine publishers, editorial teams, print companies and other teams planning multipage publications. Use it to coordinate pages, editorial content and advertising before production.

Can we plan together instead of using a spreadsheet?

Yes. Invite teammates to coordinate content and review a shared visual plan. A spreadsheet can hold a content list; the flatplan lets you see that content in its page and spread positions.

Does a flatplan replace InDesign?

A flatplan organizes the publication before final layout. Press Studio’s separate Publication Designer can generate multipage compositions and export an editable IDML package for InDesign. Your team still reviews typography, assets and print requirements.

What happens when we need AI features?

Use the same Press Studio account for publication design, proofreading and other production modules. AI actions consume tokens, and you can request more tokens when needed. Custom integrations can be scoped separately.

An eight-page sample publication with articles, images, and ads arranged in the Flatplan tab.

Tutorials

See how it works, one step at a time.

Follow a real example with screenshots, from your first article to an exported file.

Make your first publication Learn to plan your pages Browse all tutorials

Ready to plan your next issue?

Create a free Press Studio account and build your flatplan with your team.

Create your free account