Thread: Quark XPress 7

With QuarkXPress 7, Quark has started out with a clean slate and created it ground up. In doing so, they have incorporated a host of open standards into the core-chief among them being XML support. Also, new Document Object Model in QuarkXPress 7.0 is the QXML system that will impart read-write capability to virtually every aspect of the Quark file including formatting, hyphenation, style sheets and justification.

The main interface of this version of QuarkXPress 7 features some interesting enhancements-the most obvious being the new Measurements Palette. The equivalent of InDesign's Color Palette, this toolbar is replete with features. Instead of crowding the workspace with palettes, it displays context-sensitive information depending upon the function used during page design.

This would, for example, change depending upon whether you are working on text where there are tabs that allow access to character attributes, runaround, space/alignment, frame settings, etc. These tabs vary depending on the function used. This certainly frees up screen space leaving more room for the layout work at hand.

For managing palettes, QuarkXPress 7 now groups them together, making it very similarto what is seen in InDesign. Another significant feature-transparency can be controlled in every area that has color control including the Edit Menu, the Color Palette, Measurement Palette, etc.

Today, when the print workflow is so largely digital, the ability to collaborate between various support teams is critical. Adobe already realized this in creating C52 and it looks like Quark has too. There is a new Composition Zone feature that lets designers define a specific segment within a page layout for other designers to access and work on simultaneously-a boon for projects where different artists work on different aspects within the same page-for example, layout, illustrations, images, etc.



These sections can then be easily re-used across different projects. Next, there is the Job Jacket feature that allows designers to define limits so that they never stray away from the original objective of the project, from the typography, color and style sheet point of view. This can be of considerable use while rolling out to press, wherein tight control can be maintained over the production process in accordance with the norms laid down by designers. There are several other enhancements such as the ability to numerically define curves while working with images (as opposed to dragging curves with the mouse), the ability to apply filter effects to alpha channels, etc.

There is the new Open Type feature that enables the use of creative font structures such as ligatures, character alternates and Glyphs. You can preview layouts on a variety of output devices; the program can also be configured to use the color settings of previous QuarkXPress versions ensuring backward compatibility. During file creation, designers can see their projects using multiple views across several panes in a single window or across separate windows-ideal for multi-monitor setups. While QuarkXPress 6 allowed users to create multiple layouts of a single project, this version allows you to export individual layouts and even append them to existing projects.

While this is still a beta release, it is a good indication of things to come when the final version of QuarkXPress 7 is announced later this month. Does it outshine InDesign? It would only be fair to say so when the final versions are compared. But for InDesign, the competition has certainly grown strong. For: Better user interface with new Measurements Palette, improved workflow, better support for open standards, several new features to whet the creative designer. Against: This beta release is occasionally unstable.