042 www.macuser.co.uk Reprinted from 15 April 2011 from Reprinted
With version 9, QuarkXPress is finally emerging from InDesign’s shadow. It’s a beacon of hope for small publishers and designers wanting to create digital editions – and it’s full of gadgets to power up layouts in all media.
Words Keith Martin 043 Reprinted from 15 April 2011 www.macuser.co.uk
uarkXPress has been a key name the final version of the iPad publishing Desktop publishing software in desktop publishing since the solution is still due to emerge in the next Q 1980s, and for years was the default 90 days as a free update. In the meantime, QuarkXPress 9 choice for the world’s leading periodicals. It there’s plenty more to see in QuarkXPress 9, retains a huge professional user base among which has new features across the board. publishing houses, but through much of the We were given the software ahead of its last decade it’s been overshadowed by Adobe launch later this month so that we could Price £934 (£779 ex VAT) + Upgrade: InDesign. In 2008, test the new features £334 (£279 ex VAT) + Student/teacher version 8 brought a in depth and assess £99 (£82.50 ex VAT) new interface and a ‘In keeping with QuarkXPress’ what they’ll bring Contact Quark + quark.com revived approach, and heritage, we found a familiar to designers and Needs Mac OS X 10.5.8 + Intel now QuarkXPress 9 is publishers working product equipped with a varied processor + 1GB Ram set to bring a suite of for both traditional Pros Rich design- and production- digital publishing tools selection of new tricks’ and new platforms. focused tools + Easy-to-use digital into the mix. In keeping with publishing features We examined QuarkXPress’ heritage, Cons App Studio release delayed those tools in detail six weeks ago (see we found a familiar product equipped with Verdict Rounded multi-platform solution MacUser, 4 March 2011, p64), when they a varied selection of new tricks, all created that may bring Quark back to the fore. were released with preliminary support for with real-world design and production needs QuarkXPress 8.5. As previously announced, in mind. 044 www.macuser.co.uk Reprinted from 15 April 2011 Digital publishing solution that enables iPad publishing from QuarkXPress 8.5. still Windows-only, coming butreportedly rich-media eBookreadersoftware (currently readers; BliooutputfortheK-NFB-developed creating ePuboutputforstandard eBook now includessomerather usefultoolsfor output thatit’s hadforawhile, QuarkXPress interactive Flashcreationandweb support, different ways. BesidestheprintandPDF now createanddeliver workinagreatmany one design-richlayout environment,you can abilities onwhichQuarkisbetting.Inthe getting feature:thenewdigitalpublishing Let’s firstrecaponthebig,attention- The App Studio additions won’t be available in their final form until the summer, although there’s an interim QuarkXPress 9 provides a mature and fully featured environment for layout creation and production, regardless of your destination media and platforms. manner totheiPad designprocess: after version 9ships. promises willbeavailable within90days into placewithafreeupdatethatQuark QuarkXPress 9owner;thingswillfallproperly you cangetatnoextra costifyou’re a available onlyforQuarkXPress8.5,which preliminary version thatwesaw. currently requiredtoproduceappswiththe dropping theneedforconversion service digital magazineproductionandoutput, to iOS);and,soon,fullyintegrated iPad The Bliofunctionalityisbuiltinasimilar Note that,awkwardly, thisremains features, always astrongarea, have been efficient production tool,andthestylesheet QuarkXPress hasalways beenknownasan Big style party utilities is a standard procedure. but converting to that from ePub via third- other eReaders. No Kindle output is available, and on the Sony Reader, the Nook and most results work smoothly in the iOS iBooks app fast, efficient ePub production workflow. The equally importantly, this turns out to be a are actually surprisingly easy to use – and, this relatively layout-free way, but these tools layout application to structure content in content meaningfulstructure. (stylesbyanyothername)togive the tags content formattingandapplyeBook-specific ReflowView modeisusedtofine-tunethe image, inthedesiredorder; thenthenew up listsofcontentelements, bothtext and The Reflow palette isusedtobuild Tagging structure canbejarringifyou’re newtoit. visual layout toePub’s relatively design-free relatively simple, thoughthejumpfroma and uploadtotheK-NFBonlinebookstore. test itonaBlioreader(onlyPCsofar) and you’re done. Oratleastyou’re readyto thefile asaBlioeBookfile finished, export an interactive Bliotableofcontents. When focused reading,text-to-speech audioand possible, includingreflowviewforcontent- Moresophisticationis referenced HTML. slideshow, video, orembeddedexternally being aBliointeractive type, specificallya picture boxes as inyour layouts aretagged It’s a little strange to use such a visual Regular isalso eBookePub-formatexport www.macuser.co.uk Reprinted from 15 April 2011 045 If you’ve ever had to edit text that’s over over that’s had to edit text ever If you’ve – it can be a bit of a nightmare keeping – it can be a bit of a nightmare keeping and aligned with the right text everything a Callout on the appropriate page. Now, anchor is inserted flow and into the text objects or groups are then associated with of that Callout. The alignment and behaviour Callout items can be controlled with a wide is set and once everything of options, range as Callout Styles for up, these can be saved quick reuse. out of strong colours an image, reversed or tinted to fade into the background – or in a just needed to edit a lot of text even appreciate the new – you’ll layout complex a plain The idea of incorporating Story Editor. dates back program editor into a layout text Our one issue with this is that individual feature is another useful The Callout Box Adding rich-media elements for Blio output is done using a simple dialog box and set of choices. of set and box dialog simple a using done is output Blio for elements rich-media Adding way beyond Nested Styles and you can fully Nested Styles and you beyond way In formatting job. automate highly complex need to figure out the at least; you’ll theory, particularstep-by-step logic required for your so be ready to practise. formatting needs, be lines of Conditional Style settings can’t in the list, so reworking the logic reordered can require duplication and deletion instead. just applying the style however, Once made, will do the work, and editing the style later cleanly. reformats everything workflow enhancement. If a design requires content to specific text to sit next boxes design flow – a common within longer text function in book publishing in particular Bullet, Numbering and Outline Styles Conditional Styles allows style sheets to ‘Conditional Styles go quite a quite go Styles ‘Conditional Styles Nested beyond way long automate fully can you and jobs’ formatting complex highly Setting up Conditional Styles is relatively simple, as long as you can predict some structural aspects of your text. text. your of aspects structural some predict can you as long as simple, relatively is Styles Conditional up Setting make designing list-based content easier, designing list-based content easier, make of including customising the appearance used the bullets and numbering systems and the list structure for different list levels, Set this up, apply it, then itself. appearance fine-tune the styles as required. be applied to content using a semi-intelligent you Nested Styles, As with InDesign’s logic. can set it up so that one style will apply to a and then a different one, number of words, this more powerfulso on. What makes than look is the ability to the Adobe equivalent for a condition (such as a return or column backwards and then move break character) from that point before applying a or forwards specific style – not to mention the ability to repeat a set of Conditional Style statements string, character, text a given whenever ‘conditional style or specific new paragraph is found. This goes quite a long marker’ given a serious boost. Paragraph, Character Character Paragraph, a serious boost. given and Grid Styles are joined by Bullet, Callout Styles Numbering and Outline Styles, Each of these three and Conditional Styles. new features uses the style sheet concept; storing and applying sets of formatting instructions for efficient styling and control of content and design. 046 www.macuser.co.uk Reprinted from 15 April 2011 fiddly tomanage, especiallywhen your application, these linkshave beenabit production. However, inevery DTP requirement ofefficientlayout and one box toanother, areafundamental Linked text boxes, whereastoryflowsfrom Tooled up remove existing visuallayout formatting. and editingtext intheStoryEditordoesn’t and layout structureithasonthepage, completely separate fromwhatever styling text isshowninaword processor-like display is avery welcomearrival inQuarkXPress. The it appearedmorethantwodecadesago,but at leastasfarAdobePageMaker, where body text size regardless of the formatting in your layout. The Story Editor view shows text in a simple word processing-like window, black on white and at a legible The new Callouts feature allows items to be associated with particular text elements, paragraphs or stories, and follow those through flowing layouts with no more effort. boxes thatalready have contentinorder linking text process isalsosupported, box andflowingonwards. Reversing the breaking there, or breakingatthecurrent links, flowingonly uptothecurrentbox and theother from theflowbutpreserving various boxes, removing theselectedbox unlinking andkeeping thetext as-isinthe different ways tohandletheflowing content: Linkster. Thedialogbox offersavariety of new Linkstertoolisintendedtotackle. more so. Thisiswhatthemodishlynamed a hassleandrebuildinglinked boxes even being made. Breakinguptext flowscanbe designisinfluxandchangesare page Select abox inalinked chainandchoose down, whetherto addpictureinformation, gap orsayhowmanytocreateacross and this newtool,you define thebox sizeand you’ll knowhowtediousthatcanbe. With ever neededtosetupan array ofimages, focused onaspecifickindoftask. If you’ve new feature, although onethat’s equally some circumstances. potentially usefulandcouldbeinvaluable in needsrefinement, thisis the interface fully astheymightinIllustrator. Still,while application, wheretheycan’t bedeveloped graphics ofthisnaturewithinalayout flashes, it’s fairlyunusualto want toproduce is thatitexists atall;beyond star-shaped presets. Thecuriousthingaboutthistool and you cansave custom parameters as graphics orforflowingtext intooronto, regular boxes andpaths, readyforholding for fine-tuningtheoutput.Theresultsare to spirals, withanumberofdifferentcontrols different shapes, fromwaves andpolygons curiosity. Itcreatesobjectsinavariety of make nomistake, it’s seriouslyuseful. rather thansomethingvisualandglitzy–but the stackingorder. Thisisaworkflowfeature elements, withthefloworder determinedby to createasingleflowfromthedisparate mistake, it’s seriously useful’ it’s seriously mistake, no –but make glitzy and visual something than rather aworkflow is feature ‘Linkster ImageGrid isamoreobviouslyhandy ImageGrid The newShapeMaker toolisabitof www.macuser.co.uk Reprinted from 15 April 2011 047 For anyone interested in publishing to interested For anyone industry’s long tail of smaller publishers, publishers, smaller of tail long industry’s who’ve us of those To designers. and studios past the for market DTP the watching been could that reversal role a like looks it decade, fortune. of reversal corresponding a bring than only in print, digital platforms rather now seems to be the most package Quark’s solution. It’s and designer-friendly affordable longer a little to wait that we have frustrating app for a proper implementation of the iPad but from the end of July creation features, of App Studio will version a fully integrated for QuarkXPress 9. As we said be available when we first tried it: this is the new publishing. Exciting times are ahead. We look forward to seeing how Adobe Adobe how seeing to forward look We Use the excellent new ImageGrid feature if you want to create gridded-up image arrays across multiple pages. pages. multiple across arrays image gridded-up create to want you if feature ImageGrid new excellent the Use you. for rest the does QuarkXPress and images of folder a pick settings, your Choose Back on top on Back impressed. As well as the we’re Frankly, mature tools and useful new abilities for QuarkXPress creating all kinds of layouts, 9 offers cutting-edge digital design and production features that put new publishing reach, and without platforms within anyone’s resorting expensive to multiple applications, systems or hand-coding. workflow had has InDesign challenge. the to rises cheaper, £200 remains and run, good a firmly are add-ons publishing digital its but top-flight for reserved unapologetically and simply has Adobe houses; publishing the of needs the address to chosen not For an even more structured approach For an even The Cloner is another godsend if you such as the supportOther features, for Moving from visual layout to eBook production can be a jolt, but the new Reflow Tagging tools help build well-structured documents for ePub export. ePub for documents well-structured build help tools Tagging Reflow new the but jolt, a be can production eBook to layout visual from Moving to layouts, the Table tool is worth trying. It the Table to layouts, new to QuarkXPress 9, but has been isn’t or enhanced to allow cells to be either text maintaining As before, picture containers. link between a table and an Excel file a live is an undeniably useful trick, with updates to the data document automatically tracked into the layout. need to replicate anything across ever multiple pages or to different documents. objects and clone them to can select You of pages, range the same place on a specific or clone whole pages from one document Style sheets can be included, to another. and so creating elements in one layout then adding them to a number of different done becomes a documents when they’re reality. practical files and direct access to Illustrator native item styles and the Photoshop PSD layers, but they new, proofing view modes aren’t live help round out QuarkXPress into a highly tool. productive the box shape, and how to scale images. and how to scale images. shape, the box pageThen pick a folder and go: your will be filled with a grid of images, just as the A refinement we hope to name promises. see in a future update is more sophisticated from what data handling of the added text, to using and applied through is extracted what it However, predefined style sheets. offers now is undeniably useful and a clear catching up with a Again, it’s time-saver. feature previously seen in InDesign and steps further. going several