With support for CMYK and ICC color administration, Scribus can save projects in PDF format without requiring help from another application. The elements that you insert in the page (text boxes, images, tables, shapes, polygons, Bezier curves.) can be grouped to facilitate page editing and locked to prevent unwanted changes. Another way ot save time is to create personalized paragraph and line stiles (threads). This characteristic allows you to save time not having to create the base page over and over again.
The next step consists of drawing the screentone over which the elements will be placed and define the sample pages. Select the correct paper format for the project indicate the size and orientation don't forget to adjust the margins, which are fundamental for getting a balanced design. These days it's possible to use free software for almost everything, including document layout, a function that can be carried out with Scribus, a multiplatform open-source alternative to QuarkXPress