General
Publishing Assistant is a Windows only application. It operates with Paratext, which is also runs on Windows (and Linux). Neither of these applications run natively on the MacOS.
You can use Publishing Assistant and Paratext on Mac systems if Windows (64-bit version) is running, either using BootCamp or some type of virtual machine setup using Parallels, VMWare, or VirtualBox.
Publishing Assistant 6 is fully tested and supported for InDesign version CS6, CC, CC 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Theoretically Publishing Assistant also can work with earlier versions of InDesign (CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, and CS5.5). However, only limited ongoing testing can be been performed on these versions. And only limited support is available for InDesign versions prior to CS6.
To use Publishing Assistant 6, Paratext 8 or newer must already be installed on your system and your Paratext user account must have authorization for use of Publishing Assistant. See the Getting Started page for details on registration.
Paratext and Publishing Assistant require Windows 7 or later with 8 GB of RAM. Publishing Assistant 6 requires a 64-bit OS. 32-bit versions of Windows are no longer supported.
Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.6.2 or higher is highly recommended. Having an earlier version might significantly reduce PA’s performance.
Publishing Assistant 6.0 works with Adobe InDesign versions from CS2 to 2020, although features for Custom Layout (e.g. typesetting study Bibles) requires InDesign 5.5 or newer. InDesign also requires significant computer resources, and for this reason 8GB of RAM in your computer is the recommended minimum.
Adobe InDesign is quite demanding on computer resources. Make sure you have at least 8GB or more of RAM installed in your system in order for Publishing Assistant and InDesign to operate smoothly.
If the version of Microsoft .NET installed on your system is older than 4.6.2 this also might be a reason for very slow PA performance. Install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2 or higher.
Registration
There is no cost for Publishing Assistant for registered users.
There are some requirements to be met by those who would like to use Publishing Assistant. For details please read the Publishing Assistant Distribution Policy.
In terms of typesetting features, PA 5.1 and PA 6.0 are identical.
The major difference is that PA 5.1 works only with Paratext 7 projects, while PA 6 works only with Paratext 8 or newer projects. Also keep in mind that PA 6 requires separate registration.
No. If you are using Paratext 8 or newer, your Paratext registration also records Publishing Assistant status. To check your status, log in to Paratext Registry and then click on your name in the top right corner. Select the Registration menu item. You’ll see something like this:
The third line will tell you whether or not you are authorized to use Publishing Assistant.
If you think that your PA status is incorrect please contact support.
Technical
Publishing Assistant is a Windows only application. It operates with Paratext, which is also runs on Windows (and Linux). Neither of these applications run natively on the MacOS.
You can use Publishing Assistant and Paratext on Mac systems if Windows (64-bit version) is running, either using BootCamp or some type of virtual machine setup using Parallels, VMWare, or VirtualBox.
To use Publishing Assistant 6, Paratext 8 or newer must already be installed on your system and your Paratext user account must have authorization for use of Publishing Assistant. See the Getting Started page for details on registration.
Paratext and Publishing Assistant require Windows 7 or later with 8 GB of RAM. Publishing Assistant 6 requires a 64-bit OS. 32-bit versions of Windows are no longer supported.
Microsoft .NET Framework version 4.6.2 or higher is highly recommended. Having an earlier version might significantly reduce PA’s performance.
Publishing Assistant 6.0 works with Adobe InDesign versions from CS2 to 2020, although features for Custom Layout (e.g. typesetting study Bibles) requires InDesign 5.5 or newer. InDesign also requires significant computer resources, and for this reason 8GB of RAM in your computer is the recommended minimum.
Adobe InDesign is quite demanding on computer resources. Make sure you have at least 8GB or more of RAM installed in your system in order for Publishing Assistant and InDesign to operate smoothly.
If the version of Microsoft .NET installed on your system is older than 4.6.2 this also might be a reason for very slow PA performance. Install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.6.2 or higher.
Upgrade
You can continue using PA 5 (or PA 5.1) indefinitely in order to typeset any projects which have remained in Paratext 7, and have not migrated to a newer version of Paratext. Please keep in mind that the Send/Receive servers for Paratext 7 have been shut down and therefore getting project updates over the Internet is no longer possible. If any projects remaining in Paratext 7 are migrated to Paratext 8 you will need to begin using PA 6 or newer to typeset the project.
In terms of typesetting features, PA 5.1 and PA 6.0 are identical.
The major difference is that PA 5.1 works only with Paratext 7 projects, while PA 6 works only with Paratext 8 or newer projects. Also keep in mind that PA 6 requires separate registration.
The answer to this question depends on the project that you are about to typeset. If the project is in Paratext 8 or newer then you need to migrate to PA 6. If the project remains in Paratext 7, then you need to stay with PA 5 and should consider upgrading to PA 5.1. Note that PA 5 and PA 6 can safely coexist on your computer and will allow you to typeset both Paratext 7 and Paratext 8 or newer projects respectively.
Yes. Simple style templates (.isty) and template bundles (.tb) created in PA 5 can be used in PA 6. In the case of template bundles be sure that you use the same or later version of Adobe InDesign that the bundle was created with. In PA 5 these files are stored in your My Paratext Projects folder. You will need to copy them to _PA_StylesAndTemplates in your My Paratext 8 Projects folder in order to use them in PA 6.