Megal Publisher Instruction Manual

Megal Publisher opens on a full-page start screen. Use Home to return to the main start view, New to set up a blank publication, Open to choose a supported file from this device, Continue to resume current or autosaved work, or select the Publisher banner to import a .pub file.

Start screen

The full-page start screen combines Home, New, Open and Continue with account access, direct Publisher-file import, template search, category filters, previews, plan access, the instruction manual and analytics choices.

Ribbon

Commands are grouped by task. Formatting groups change with the selected object so the relevant controls stay in view.

Pages sidebar

Select and navigate pages. Page commands add, duplicate and delete pages.

Design tools

Select, Textbox, Image, Table, Textart, Shapes, Megal AI Image and Megal AI Textbox. Drag drawing tools on the page, or open Megal AI Template Designer from the File ribbon to generate a new editable page.

Canvas and rulers

The white page is the printable design area. Rulers, guides, margins, grid and bleed help position work precisely.

Properties

Detailed controls for the selected page or object, including exact geometry and specialist text or image settings.

Status and zoom

Shows tool guidance and provides zoom from 10% to 300%, Fit and 100% views.

Use the start screen

• Home: Returns to the main start view and template catalogue.
• New: Opens page setup inside the start screen so you can choose a preset, orientation or custom page size.
• Open: Opens the file chooser for a supported local publication or import file.
• Continue: Returns to the current unsaved browser design when one is present. Otherwise, sign in to restore the latest autosave saved to your Megal Publisher account.

Tip: Press Esc to leave text editing, cancel a drawing tool or clear the current selection.

File commands

Open a Publisher file

1. From the start screen choose Open and Edit a Microsoft Publisher .pub File, or use File → Open .PUB.
2. Select the local .pub file and wait while Megal reads and rebuilds it.
3. Compare page size, page count, text flow, fonts, pictures, tables, borders and special effects with the original.
4. Run all three Review checkers. Correct any overflow, missing picture, low-resolution, font or colour warnings.
5. Save the converted design as .mpub. Your original .pub remains unchanged.

Import Word, Excel or PowerPoint

Choose File → Import Office and select a macro-free .docx, .xlsx or .pptx file no larger than 25 MB. Megal inspects the file first and shows an import report before conversion.

• Full document as a new publication: Replaces the current working publication, so save anything you need first.
• Insert into the current page: Adds editable objects to the open page. Choose the required worksheet, PowerPoint slide or estimated Word source page.
• Word: Imports paragraphs, lists, tables and embedded pictures, then paginates them into Megal pages.
• Excel: Imports displayed worksheet values and formatting into editable table objects. Formula information can be retained as metadata, but Megal is not a spreadsheet calculation engine.
• PowerPoint: Creates a Megal page for each slide and imports supported text frames, basic shapes, tables and embedded pictures.

The same-site importer uses the request's temporary upload, does not retain the source or extracted parts, does not fetch external Office relationships and never runs macros. The editable result becomes part of the Megal publication.

Import other artwork

Use the Image tool for supported bitmap artwork. SVG imports remain scalable where possible. PDF import converts page content for editing; because PDFs describe a finished page rather than the original publication structure, carefully review converted text, images and geometry.

My Publication Library

Choose File → My Library to keep reusable publication material in the current browser profile.

A Brand Kit saved while an Identity Set is active remembers that association and reselects it when the kit is applied. Search saved items by name, category, description or tags.

Local-storage note: Library items are not uploaded to Megal or synchronised with the account. Use Export to download a JSON backup and Import to merge it into another browser or computer.

Pack & Go

Choose File → Pack & Go when another person needs the editable publication and its supporting material. The ZIP contains the MPUB, loose copies of embedded assets, Fonts.txt, a checksum-and-count manifest and a human-readable report.

Set up a page

Open the Page tab. Choose A4, A5, Letter, Retail Flyer, Bi-fold Brochure or Custom, then set orientation and units. Custom pages accept exact width and height in centimetres, inches or points.

• Orientation: Portrait or Landscape.
• Margins: Set left, right, top and bottom working margins independently.
• Bleed: Turn bleed on and choose its size when artwork must extend beyond the trim edge.
• Guides: Add X or Y guides, centre guides and inset guides, then show or hide them.
• Grid: Set grid spacing and turn Snap to Grid on when objects should lock to regular increments.

Manage pages

Select a page in the Pages sidebar, then use Add Page, Duplicate Page or Delete Page. Duplicate is useful when a design shares structure but needs different content.

Backgrounds and page views

Apply a solid page background or choose a dots, grid, diagonal, stripes or crosshatch pattern. Use View for Single Page, Multi-page or Facing Pages. Facing Pages is especially useful for brochures and magazines.

Master pages

Create a master for repeating elements such as logos, rules and folios. Edit the master, then assign it to publication pages. Changes to the master update the pages using it. Masters can be created, edited, assigned and deleted.

1. Choose the Select tool and click an object.
2. Drag inside the object to move it. Drag a handle to resize it and use the rotation handle to turn it.
3. For precision, type exact X, Y, width, height and rotation values in the object controls.
4. Use Fill, Outline, Outline Weight and Opacity for the object’s appearance.

The Arrange tab changes stacking order with Bring Forward, Send Backward, Bring to Front and Send to Back. It also rotates left or right by 90 degrees and flips horizontally or vertically.

Select and group several objects

Hold Shift, Ctrl or ⌘ while clicking to add or remove objects from the selection. Choose Arrange → Group to keep two or more editable objects together; choose Ungroup to separate them again. A group moves, resizes and changes stacking order as one unit while preserving the members' internal spacing.

Use Ctrl/⌘+G to group and Ctrl/⌘+Shift+G to ungroup.

Align and distribute

Select at least two editable objects or groups, then align their left edges, horizontal centres, right edges, top edges, vertical centres or bottom edges. With at least three objects or groups, Distribute Horizontally or Vertically keeps the two outer items in place and creates equal edge-to-edge gaps between them. A group is treated as one alignment unit.

Smart guides

Turn on View → Guides. While an object or group is dragged, temporary smart guides snap its edges or centre to the page, page centre and other objects. Equal-spacing indicators appear when the object can match neighbouring gaps. Hold Alt while dragging to bypass smart-guide snapping temporarily.

Hyperlinks

Select text in a linked text box, text inside a table cell, or one or more page objects, then choose Edit → Hyperlink. Enter the destination and an accessible description, then choose Apply Link. Use Remove Link to clear it.

• Use an HTTP or HTTPS address for a website.
• Enter an email address, or use a mailto: address.
• Use tel: for a telephone link.
• Use a page link such as page:2; a page name or page ID is also accepted after page:.

Standard PDF 1.7 and SVG output retain supported interactive links. Certified PDF/X output deliberately omits interactive links because it is print-exchange output. Test every link in the exported file.

Use Edit or the standard keyboard commands for Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Redo and Delete. Duplicating a page also duplicates its page objects and linked-story data safely.

Tip: When objects overlap, change their stacking order before assuming one has disappeared.

Add and edit a text box

1. Choose Text Box from the left design tools.
2. Drag a frame on the page.
3. Double-click inside the frame to edit its text. Select characters for local formatting, or select the frame to affect the story/frame.

Character formatting

Choose searchable system, local and supported web fonts; font size; regular, bold, italic and bold italic faces; underline; text colour; and character spacing from Very Tight to Very Loose. Grow and Shrink change the current text size by steps.

Paragraph formatting

• Align Left, Centre, Right or Justify.
• Apply bullets or numbering and increase/decrease paragraph indent.
• Set vertical alignment to Top, Middle or Bottom within the frame.
• Use Body, Heading 1, Heading 2 and Caption paragraph styles.
• Set space before/after and line spacing as Multiple, Exact or At Least.
• Set left, right and first-line indents.
• Add left, centre, right or decimal tab stops with none, dots, dashes, line or bullet leaders.

Text box formatting

Use Find, Find Next and Replace in the Edit tab to update wording across the publication.

A linked story can continue through several text boxes, including boxes on different pages. Megal keeps one editable story and distributes it through the linked frames.

Flow overflow into another box

1. Select a text box containing hidden overflow. The overflow port appears at its edge.
2. Click the overflow port. The pointer enters linking mode.
3. Click an existing unlinked text box, or click/drag an empty page area to create the next frame.
4. Edit the story in any linked frame. Text reflows through the chain automatically.

If a selected frame is already linked, its ports can move to the previous or next frame. Use the break-link control to disconnect the downstream chain. Resizing a frame, changing its columns, text margins, font metrics or Text Fit recalculates the flow.

TextArt is live, editable text on the page. Use it for headings, vouchers, posters and decorative lettering without flattening the words into a picture.

Create and edit TextArt

1. Choose TextArt, then drag a frame.
2. Double-click the words to edit them directly on the page.
3. Open Styles and choose a preset. Applying a preset removes the previous TextArt style before applying the new one.
4. Fine-tune the selected TextArt with the live shape and fill controls.

Preset styles

Bold Outline Drop, Soft Drop, Open Face, Light Halo, Colour Blend, Split Face, Repeat Shade, Digital Shift, Text Plate, Mirror Fade, Depth Project and Shape Bend provide ready-made starting points.

Shape and wave controls

• Straight: Keeps the baseline level.
• Arch Up / Arch Down: Use the Arch amount slider to bend the text gradually.
• Wave: Pick 1–8 waves and Megal places them automatically. Wave Intensity controls the depth of the wave.

Fill controls

Choose Solid, Gradient or Outline Only. A gradient has start and end colours, an angle and a movable Position control that shifts where the blend changes. Every adjustment updates the selected TextArt live on the page.

Tip: Apply a preset first, then tune shape, waves and gradient. Choosing another preset deliberately replaces those style settings.

1. Choose the Image tool, select a supported local file and place it on the page.
2. Use Crop to choose the visible part, or Replace to preserve the frame while changing the source.
3. Adjust Brightness, Contrast and Saturation. Recolour options include None, Greyscale, Sepia, Warm and Cool.
4. Use Compress to reduce publication size; Restore returns the picture to its unadjusted source state when available.
5. Add concise Alt Text that describes the picture’s purpose for accessibility.

Layered Image Editor

Select an unlocked image or a shape with a picture fill, then choose Image Editor or Fill Editor. Use the ordinary Crop, Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Recolour controls for quick publication adjustments; use the Image Editor when you need pixel and layer editing.

• Draw with Brush, Pencil or Pen; erase, flood-fill, pick colours, and add lines, rectangles or ellipses.
• Move a layer, pan or zoom the view, crop the complete image, flip a layer, rotate or transpose the document, and undo or redo changes.
• Add blank layers, import another image as a layer, duplicate, delete, rename, show or hide, reorder and change layer opacity or blend mode.
• Use Import layers and Export layers for Megal layered-image JSON files.

Save places a flattened PNG composite back into the publication while retaining the editable layer document for the next Image Editor session. The object's page position, frame size and existing crop/pan placement are preserved. Cancel closes the editor without changing the publication.

Pictures inside shapes

A shape can use an image as its fill. Edit the shape image, then change zoom and X/Y pan to choose the crop. Reset restores the default image position.

Generate an image with Megal AI Image

1. Sign in to Megal Publisher, choose Megal AI Image, then drag the required image box on the page.
2. Enter an image description in the panel directly below the box. Include the subject, visual style, colours, composition and any wording that must appear.
3. Choose Generate or press Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+Enter (macOS). The box shows Generating with moving dots until the image is ready.
4. Select the finished image and choose Regenerate to try the revised description. The generated pixels are embedded in the publication.

Megal AI Image requires a registered, signed-in Megal Publisher account. Free accounts receive a one-time trial of two image generations. Professional subscribers use their 1,000 monthly Megal AI Credits. No separate AI-provider login or local AI software is required. Always check generated wording, visual defects and usage rights before publishing.

SVG and PDF artwork

SVG artwork remains vector-based where supported. PDF pages are converted into editable page content when possible, with text and picture recovery and fallback processing for difficult pages. Always proof a converted PDF because it was designed as a final-page format, not an editable publication file.

Choose Shapes and select from Lines, Basic Shapes, Block Arrows, Flowchart, Call-outs, Stars and Banners, or Extra Shapes. The gallery contains the complete classic Microsoft Publisher set, drawn with Megal's own vector geometry, plus additional Megal shapes. Drag on the page, then edit fill, outline, outline weight, opacity, object border and corner style.

Wrap text around an object

Select an image or shape and choose a wrapping mode:

Wrap Margin adds space between the object and surrounding text. Tight and Through enable editable wrap points. Wrapping affects linked text boxes on the same page.

1. Choose the Table tool.
2. Set the initial row and column count, from 1 to 30 each, and drag the table on the page.
3. Click a cell to edit its content. Press Tab for the next cell or Shift+Tab for the previous cell.
4. Format cell text, alignment, fill and borders with the available table controls.
5. Press Esc to finish cell editing and return to object selection.

Tables imported from supported Publisher files retain recovered grid, cell content and span information where possible. Check row heights, column widths and substituted fonts after import.

Add a border to the page

1. Open the Page tab and find Page Border.
2. Turn the border on.
3. Choose the line style, colour and width.
4. Set Inset to move the border away from the page edge.
5. Optionally choose decorative Art and Round, Square or Bevel corners.

Border range

Megal supports solid, dotted and dashed variants; dash-dot combinations; double and triple rules; and Publisher-style thick/thin multi-line combinations. Decorative vector choices include Beads, Ribbon, Confetti, Checker, Lace, Postage and Braid.

Object borders

Select an object and use its Outline/Border controls to choose line style, colour, weight and corner treatment. Object borders are separate from the page border, so a coupon can combine a decorative page frame with bordered text, image or shape objects.

Headers and footers

Use Page → Header or Footer to set repeating header/footer text boxes. Combine them with a master page when other repeated artwork is also required.

Sections

Sections let a publication restart or change numbering part-way through. Create and manage a section, then set numbering scope to the whole publication, the current section or from the current page.

Page numbers

Choose ordinary numbers, zero-padded numbers, lower/upper Roman numerals, or lower/upper alphabetic numbering. Position the result at top or bottom, aligned left, centre or right.

Publisher page-number placeholders recovered during import are converted into working Megal numbering where supported.

The Home view contains a searchable template catalogue. Type in Search templates to filter by subject or design type. Results update shortly after you type, or immediately when you press Enter.

1. Choose a category such as Invitations, Flyers, Brochures, Certificates, Menus, Letterheads, Newsletters, Business Cards or Posters. Selecting a category returns the catalogue to its first page.
2. Review the product and template totals above the results. When more than one results page is available, use Previous and Next; the page indicator shows your current position.
3. Select a thumbnail or template name to open the larger preview.
4. If the product supplies several layouts, use Choose layout to select the required document layout.
5. Choose Use this template. Megal opens an editable .mpub copy; the source Publisher file is not sent to the browser.

After opening a template, replace its sample wording, colours and pictures. For your own reusable design, keep a clean .mpub master and use Save As for each new edition.

Connect a recipient list

1. Open Mailings and choose Select List.
2. Select a CSV, TSV or Excel file. If an Excel workbook contains several worksheets, choose the worksheet to use.
3. Open Manage Recipients to search and filter rows, sort by as many as three fields, and include or exclude individual records.
4. Insert a merge field, Address Block or Greeting Line into a text box. Set field formatting for text, numbers or dates where required.
5. Use first, previous, next and last record controls to preview real values, then choose the merged preview or Finish & Print.

Picture fields can place an image supplied by the selected record. Local data URLs stay in the browser; remote HTTPS picture addresses are requested only when you explicitly allow remote pictures. The remote host can receive the usual request information.

Catalog Merge

Use Catalog Merge to repeat multiple records on each page for labels, tickets, directories or catalogue layouts. Design one record on the selected template page, then set preset or custom rows, columns, margins, gaps, fitting and optional cell outlines before previewing or printing locally.

Identity Sets

Identity Sets hold reusable personal or business details in this browser profile. Insert a field as a linked token when it should update with the identity set, or insert its current value when the publication should keep a fixed copy. Preview linked fields before output.

Design Checker

Reports hidden text overflow, missing pictures, low-resolution images, off-page objects, transparency, unavailable fonts, RGB/CMYK output considerations and unresolved comments. Select an issue to locate the affected page or object.

Accessibility Checker

Checks publication title and language, picture alt text, colour contrast, empty text boxes, very small text, table structure and PDF-tagging considerations.

Proofing Checker

Finds repeated spaces, repeated punctuation, likely missing spaces and placeholder wording. Browser spellcheck and Megal’s English (UK) language service help identify spelling problems and offer replacements.

Thesaurus and comments

Select a word and use Thesaurus to explore alternatives, then replace the selection. Add comments to pages or objects for review, view the comment list, and resolve items when addressed.

Prepress

For commercial output, choose Review → Prepress to select General, PDF/X-4 preparation or PDF/X-1a preparation; review bleed, colour, transparency and font issues; record the current session's output-intent ICC profile; and define supported spot-ink intent. Prepress safely inspects and records the profile, while Output Preview performs strict final readiness validation. Continue with Print, prepress and export for the complete workflow and limitations.

You must register or sign in to Megal Publisher before using any AI tool. A registered Free account receives a one-time trial of two Megal AI Image generations and two Megal AI Textbox generations. These trial allowances are separate and never renew.

An active Professional subscription costs £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year. Both options include a 1,000-credit Megal AI allowance that refreshes monthly while Professional remains paid and active, and both unlock Megal AI Template Designer. AI requests run through Megal's protected server gateway, so no separate provider login or API key is required on the user's device.

Megal AI Credits and add-ons

Professional's 1,000-credit allowance starts when the first Professional payment is confirmed and refreshes monthly while that subscription remains paid and active. On the monthly plan the refresh normally follows each successful monthly payment; on the yearly plan it follows each monthly anniversary inside the paid annual term. Customers who need more can add a separate monthly or yearly Megal AI subscription through the plan chooser. Yearly Extra AI Credits cost the equivalent of 10 monthly payments for 12 months of service, while the selected credit allowance still refreshes monthly. Professional and the AI add-on are separate PayPal subscriptions, so they require separate approval, have separate billing and credit-refresh dates, and continue until individually cancelled. An add-on only issues or resets credits while Professional is successfully paid and active. Prices include VAT and unused credits in each allowance expire at that allowance's monthly refresh.

• Megal AI Basic — £5/month or £50/year: adds 1,500 credits, providing 2,500 total credits each month.
• Megal AI Plus — £20/month or £200/year: adds 5,000 credits, providing 6,000 total credits each month.
• Megal AI Pro — £90/month or £900/year: adds 19,000 credits, providing 20,000 total credits each month.
• Megal Business AI — £200/month or £2,000/year: adds 41,000 credits, providing 42,000 total credits each month.
• Megal Enterprise AI — £500/month or £5,000/year: adds 101,000 credits, providing 102,000 total credits each month.

Open Account and review Megal AI Credits to see the included Professional credits used and remaining, their next monthly refresh date, the add-on credits used and remaining, and the separate AI add-on renewal date. Billing shows the monthly or yearly Professional billing date. Choose Add more AI Credits or Change Megal AI add-on to subscribe or change level. The Publisher and AI add-on subscriptions are billed separately by PayPal and can be cancelled separately. If Professional becomes unpaid, add-on credits are frozen and do not issue or reset until the Professional payment is confirmed.

Every paid option has its own unchecked I agree to the Terms & Conditions checkbox and Terms link. Tick the checkbox on the selected monthly or yearly Professional option before purchasing, and tick the checkbox on the particular AI package before purchasing or changing that add-on. Agreement to one subscription does not automatically accept another. Megal records the selected plan, acceptance time and terms version before sending the customer to PayPal.

Changing Professional Monthly to Yearly requires fresh PayPal approval and charges £59.99 immediately. The current paid month remains intact; the prepaid 12-month Yearly term is appended, begins when that month ends, and next renews 12 months after its start. Changing Professional Yearly to Monthly also requires fresh PayPal approval, but no £5.99 charge is taken at approval; Monthly starts and first bills on the existing Yearly next billing or expiry date.

If the customer already has an active Extra AI Credits subscription, the Professional change screen also offers the corresponding AI billing change. This option is never shown to a customer without an active Extra AI subscription and it never adds one automatically. Professional and Extra AI remain separate subscriptions: changing the AI billing frequency requires a second PayPal approval. During a Professional Monthly-to-Yearly change, an existing monthly AI add-on remains monthly unless the customer selects its Yearly conversion; the Yearly AI charge starts at the add-on's own next billing date. During a Professional Yearly-to-Monthly change, an existing yearly AI add-on is scheduled back to monthly at its own yearly next billing date, with no AI charge at approval.

Cancelling either subscription stops its next renewal or scheduled unpaid start. Access and credits already paid for continue to that subscription's next billing date or paid-through date, and no refund is issued for unused remaining time. Cancelling Professional does not cancel the separate Extra AI subscription; cancel each subscription separately when both renewals should stop.

Megal AI Image box

Draw a Megal AI Image box, describe the required image underneath it and choose Generate. Transparent background is checked by default, so Megal asks the image model for real transparency and removes only a safely detected plain or checkerboard background when needed. Untick it when you want a normal background. The box shows Generating with three moving dots until the result is ready. Select it again to revise the description and regenerate.

Megal AI Textbox

1. Choose Megal AI Textbox, then drag an empty text box on the page.
2. In the prompt directly beneath it, describe the required copy, including its purpose, audience, tone, length and essential facts.
3. Choose Generate or use the prompt keyboard shortcut. Generating and three moving dots remain visible while Megal AI prepares the text.
4. Review and fact-check the generated copy. It becomes ordinary editable text in the box; revise the prompt and choose Regenerate when needed.

Megal AI Template Designer

1. Choose Megal AI Template Designer from the File ribbon and describe the complete page, including its purpose, audience, visual style, colours, required wording and any essential details.
2. Choose Generate editable page. Megal searches for several relevant layout conventions and public subject details, then synthesises a fresh composition rather than copying one template. The dialog remains open while research and generation complete.
3. Megal Publisher adds a new page assembled from a separate newly generated hero image, styled editable text boxes, colour panels and native vector graphic accents. Layout positions vary with the brief and research instead of repeatedly using one fixed arrangement.
4. Use Select to move, resize, crop or replace the image; rewrite or format every text box; and recolour, rotate or rearrange each panel and graphic accent. Review all wording, facts, image details, contrast and usage rights before publishing.

When an exact place or item is named, Megal researches recognisable public characteristics and asks the image model to create a new depiction. It does not download or license a web photograph, and the result is not guaranteed to be photographically exact. For identity-critical work, replace the generated image with a photograph you are entitled to use. Use Ctrl+Enter (Windows/Linux) or ⌘+Enter (macOS) to generate while a Megal AI prompt is active. Generated output must be checked for wording, factual accuracy, image defects and usage rights before publication.

Print and Output Preview

Output access: Free accounts can use a watermarked Print Preview. Actual printing and PDF creation, export or download require an active Professional subscription. Subscribe now for full unrestricted access.

Choose File → Print, PDF or Images to open the shared Print and Output Preview. Choose all pages, the current page or a range; inspect each page; then set paper, orientation, scaling, copies, collation, bleed and crop marks. Megal prepares those choices before printing; choose the physical printer or destination in the browser or operating-system print dialog.

The preview is an exact composite page view, not an individual-plate soft proof. Registration marks, colour bars, page-information slugs, automatic page rotation, pure-black preservation, paper/black-ink simulation and process-channel plate-eye toggling are currently unavailable and remain disabled.

Prepress preparation

For commercial output, open Review → Prepress. Choose General, PDF/X-4 preparation or PDF/X-1a preparation; enter the output-condition identifier supplied by the printer; load the intended ICC output profile; then run the advisory preflight. It checks such items as output intent, colour mode, bleed, transparency, fonts, spot assignments and image descriptions.

Prepress safely inspects and records the selected profile for the current session; Output Preview strictly validates its ICC container and tag table for PDF/X readiness. The preparation report and downloaded Ink-Intent JSON describe the document's intended inks; they are not a conformance certificate or a set of press plates. The profile file remains only in the current browser session. Its bytes and local filename are not saved in the MPUB publication or document metadata.

Standard PDF 1.7

Choose PDF 1.7 for ordinary sharing and office output. The browser-composed page is the authoritative exact-layout artwork. Megal adds an invisible searchable text layer, tagged document structure, table-cell roles, image alternatives and safe hyperlinks. Proof every page. Megal does not claim PDF/UA certification, so verify reading order and accessibility in the exported file.

PDF/X-4 and PDF/X-1a

1. Ask the printer which PDF/X target, output condition, ICC profile, bleed and marks are required.
2. In Review → Prepress, select the matching preparation target, enter the output-condition identifier, load the profile and resolve the report's blocking issues.
3. Open File → PDF. In Output Preview choose PDF/X-4 or PDF/X-1a:2001, the matching composite colour mode, Process formula or Convert to output intent, the rendering intent and the destination profile.
4. Export only when Output Preview reports that the request is ready. The controlled PDF writer adds a PDF/X claim only if every enforced final-file check passes; otherwise the PDF/X export is refused.

PDF/X-1a requires a CMYK destination profile and PDF 1.3-compatible output. PDF/X-4 requires the device colours and profile to agree. These print-exchange files use the exact composed artwork and deliberately omit the invisible searchable/tagged text overlay and interactive links until embedded-font output is available. Always run the resulting file through the printer's independent preflight; Megal's controlled checks are not a substitute for printer approval.

Colour conversion and ICC profiles

Choose Composite RGB for screen and office output. Composite CMYK with Process formula converts the exact page pixels with a deterministic device formula; it is not profile-managed colour. Convert to output intent requests an ICC transform using the strictly validated destination profile and selected rendering intent. An optional source profile can be loaded; otherwise untagged page snapshots use built-in sRGB. Black-point compensation is passed to LittleCMS when that conversion is available. If the profile or server transform fails validation, a requested PDF/X claim is withheld and the export fails rather than silently claiming conformance.

Spot colours and separations

In Prepress, define each custom ink name and its CMYK visual alternate. Select an unlocked object, assign the ink, tint and optional overprint intent, then run Preflight again. Spot definitions and assignments are saved as document metadata, but the CMYK alternate is only the on-screen approximation.

The current exact-layout spot overlay can preserve supported, opaque, topmost solid rectangles, circles and path shapes on fill or stroke channels. Text, gradients, picture fills, shadows, border art, transparency, unsupported strokes or rotations, page borders and unsafe stacking are refused instead of being silently flattened. Choose Separations or a PDF/X target to request the guarded overlay. A successful PDF contains DeviceCMYK process colour plus native Separation/DeviceN spot resources for a RIP; it does not create one PDF per plate, and Output Preview's ink list is an inventory rather than a plate-eye simulation. Verify spot names, tints and overprint behaviour with the printer.

Bleed, marks and proofing

Include Bleed only when artwork extends beyond the trim, and include Crop Marks only when the printer requests them. PDF output records MediaBox, TrimBox and BleedBox geometry. Registration marks, colour bars and page-information slugs are not currently rendered. Request or print a proof before the full run.

Images and SVG

Output Preview exports finished pages as PNG, JPEG, WebP, TIFF, BMP, GIF or SVG at the chosen resolution, as individual files or a ZIP where available. File → SVG separately exports scalable artwork for compatible vector applications. Fonts and effects can render differently elsewhere, so open and inspect every exported file.

Plan note: Watermarked Print Preview is available on Free. Actual printing and PDF creation, export or download remain locked until Professional is paid and active.

Open Help → Account to manage account details, plan and billing information. The Megal AI Credits section shows the Professional and AI add-on allowances separately, including credits used, credits remaining and each allowance's own refresh date. A Free account instead shows its separate one-time image and text trial counters. Choose Upgrade to Professional to receive 1,000 monthly credits and the design tools on either the monthly or yearly Professional option.

On the Account login, select Stay logged in only on a private device. An unchecked login lasts for the current browser session and uses the normal short inactivity timeout. A checked login can be reopened for up to 30 days from sign-in unless you sign out or replace it. Only one active login is allowed per account; signing in elsewhere asks you to replace the existing session and immediately invalidates it.

• Free: Create, edit, import and save publications, and view a watermarked Print Preview; a registered Free account includes a one-time trial of two Megal AI Image generations and two Megal AI Textbox generations. Actual printing and PDF creation, export or download are not included.
• Professional: £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year for actual printing and PDF creation, export or download; both options include 1,000 Megal AI Credits refreshed monthly while paid and active, and additional credits are available to buy.

Megal meters AI usage against the signed-in Megal account. Trial use is lifetime use and does not reset. Professional credits refresh monthly during a paid Professional term. Extra AI Credits also refresh monthly on both monthly and yearly add-on billing; the yearly option prepays 12 months for the price of 10. Failed provider requests return the reserved trial generation or paid credits automatically.

Sign Out immediately blocks all AI tools. OpenAI credentials are held only by Megal's server and are never stored in the browser or shown to users.

When signed in, Megal autosaves the working layout to that user's Megal Publisher account. On the opening screen, choose Continue to reload the latest account autosave, including its pages, editable objects, text stories and the page you were viewing. Autosave is useful recovery, but keep downloaded .mpub copies at meaningful milestones and before major conversions.

Some groups only appear when their object type is selected. If a control is missing, leave text editing with Esc, select the frame or object once, and open the relevant tab again.

Instructions is a separate top-menu link beside the ribbon tabs and opens this manual in a new browser tab.

Ribbon overflow and touch scrolling

On desktop and tablet-width screens, the ribbon remains in one horizontal row. If all groups do not fit, an arrow appears at the left or right edge. Choose an arrow to move through the hidden groups, or swipe and drag horizontally across the ribbon on a touch screen. An arrow disappears when you reach that end of the ribbon.

Phones and narrow windows

Below 700 pixels wide, Megal replaces the desktop ribbon, Pages sidebar and vertical tool strip with a command bar fixed to the bottom of the screen.

• Menu: Selects File, Edit, Page, Formatting, Styles, Arrange, View, Review, Mailings or Help, and can open these instructions.
• Tool: Selects drawing and editing tools including Text Box, Image, Table, TextArt, Shapes and the available Megal AI tools.
• Page: Moves directly to another page or page group.
• Action: Provides common file, edit, insert, formatting, arranging, page, review and mail-merge commands.
• Zoom and text: Use minus, plus and Fit for the page view. The final row changes the current font and font size.

On the page canvas, tap an object to select it. Drag the object or its move control to reposition it, drag a resize handle to change its size, and drag the rotation handle to turn it.

Recommended file discipline

1. Keep original source files unchanged.
2. Save an editable .mpub immediately after a successful import.
3. Use Save As for significant design revisions.
4. Keep linked images, licensed fonts and usage records together with the job.
5. Archive the final .mpub, approved PDF and proof notes.