Esko DeskPack is a suite of packaging prepress plug-ins that turn Adobe Illustrator (and Photoshop) into a full packaging workstation — step-and-repeat for labels via PowerLayout, dynamic marks, structural/CAD import, trapping, and dynamic barcodes. It runs inside Illustrator, so it requires a paid Adobe Illustrator license on top of an Esko subscription, and it sits in the enterprise tier alongside Esko Automation Engine and ArtPro+. PDF Press covers everyday commercial imposition in the browser with nothing to install. The choice is between DeskPack's Illustrator-native packaging prepress and PDF Press's no-install, template-driven workspace.
Use PDF Press from Windows, macOS, Linux, or ChromeOS without downloading an app or maintaining workstation installs.
Start processing immediately with no file-upload round trip. Your PDF stays on your device while the browser workspace updates.
Jump into proven layouts for cards, books, labels, packaging, signage, tickets, variable data, and more.
Choose PDF Press if you do commercial imposition — booklets, n-up, step-and-repeat, cut-and-stack — and want to start online with no install, no Illustrator license, and no enterprise subscription. Choose Esko DeskPack if you do packaging or label artwork inside Adobe Illustrator and need CAD-aware step-and-repeat, dynamic marks, trapping, and Esko workflow integration.
These trade-offs may be worth accepting for the right production workflow. Check them against how your team actually works before you commit.
DeskPack is a set of plug-ins that run inside Adobe Illustrator (CC 2018 or later), so it only works if you already pay for an Adobe Creative Cloud / Illustrator subscription on top of the Esko subscription. PDF Press needs no Adobe app at all — it starts with five free exports, then costs $120 per year, published up front.
DeskPack's strengths — PowerLayout step-and-repeat for labels, structural/CAD import, trapping, and dynamic barcodes — target label, carton, and flexo production. For ordinary booklet, n-up, and cut-and-stack imposition, that packaging toolset is more than most commercial shops need.
Esko does not publish flat DeskPack pricing; it is sold as annual Named User or Dynamic subscriptions, by bundle or individual plug-in, priced through the Esko Store or a rep. PDF Press publishes its price openly and starts free.
From installed software to one browser workspace
Esko DeskPack can be the right choice for a fixed production setup. But installed software adds compatibility and maintenance checkpoints that an online browser workflow avoids.
Esko DeskPack depends on a paid Adobe Illustrator license and the DeskPack plug-in installation. After an operating-system or host-app upgrade, a team may need a compatible release, patch, or reinstall before production continues. PDF Press is not tied to that desktop integration chain.
Installed software must be deployed, activated, updated, and troubleshot on each production workstation. PDF Press delivers updates through the browser, so there is no desktop package or plug-in to maintain on every device.
Mixed desktop versions can create workflow drift between operators and machines. Supported browsers open the same current version of PDF Press, with the same tools and production-template library.
| Feature | PDF Press | Esko DeskPack |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in the browser (any OS, Chromebook) | Runs inside Illustrator | |
| Nothing to install | Illustrator plug-in install | |
| No Adobe app required | Needs Illustrator | |
| Published, up-front price | Free, then $12/mo or $120/yr | Enterprise quote |
| Try without paying | 5 clean downloads | Subscription + Illustrator |
| Commercial booklet & n-up imposition | Packaging step-and-repeat focus | |
| Step-and-repeat for labels | PowerLayout, its core strength | |
| Cut & stack | Repetition blocks, not paginated | |
| Dynamic / registration & cutter marks | Dynamic Marks | |
| Variable data | Dynamic VDP add-on | |
| Ready-made template gallery | 190 live templates | Saved plate layouts |
| Set up and impose in minutes | Illustrator + plug-in setup |
full · partial / paid add-on · not available. Esko DeskPack's Adobe Illustrator requirement (CC 2018 or later), packaging/label plug-in scope (PowerLayout, Dynamic Marks, Dynamic VDP), Named User / Dynamic subscription model, and the absence of a public list price were checked on Esko's official pages on July 15, 2026.
Built-in template gallery
PDF Press includes 196 production-ready templates across commercial print, publishing, packaging, large format, office work, and variable data. Pick one, add your artwork, and fine-tune it in the live preview.
14-up · Tabloid · duplex
A4 · signatures · creep
3-up · cut-and-stack · sequential
13×19 in · die cut · folds
A4 · kiss cut · contour
Signatures · duplex · binding
No install, no upload, no credit card. Get 5 free downloads to try it.
