QuarkXpress 2016: A winner, if it can live up to the expectations of the new features

Rob van den Braak/09/03/2016/Design, Production/Technology

Convert PDF to native Quark objects, make and export HTML5 publications, colour picker, support for ICCv4 profiles. These are only a few of the new features Quark is promising for its Xpress 2016 update. An very impressive list with which it can become as good, or even better, as Adobe InDesign. The question is of course if all functions will work and what the restrictions are that Quark mentions on its site.
Important for the success of the new version will be the speed and image quality of the new functions such as the multi-gradient color blends tool.
Xpress 2016 will become available in the 2nd quarter of this year and then we will now if it can compete with InDesign.
Want to know more about Xpress 2016? Read the below press release or visit Quark´s website.

Quark Previews QuarkXPress 2016

Denver, CO – 01/03/2016 – Today Quark Software Inc. unveiled QuarkXPress 2016, the next major version of Quark’s award-winning design and layout tool for print and digital publishing. Coming in the second quarter of this year, QuarkXPress 2016 is built on outstanding performance and stability introduced with QuarkXPress 2015.

New Wish List Features Delivered
Designers around the world asked for even more features to take QuarkXPress to the next level and QuarkXPress 2016 delivers. Feature highlights include:

Convert PDF, Illustrator and EPS Files to Native QuarkXPress Objects
Paste as Native Objects from Illustrator and Microsoft Office
Create and Export HTML5 Publications
Multi-Gradient Color Blends
Support for OpenType Stylistic Sets
Colour Picker (Eyedropper tool)
Touchpad Support for Pinch and Zoom (Mac only)
Search and Replace Non-breaking Spaces and Characters
Additional Dynamic Guides for Textbox Columns
Fit Textbox to Text
Streamlined and Efficient UI Now also on Windows
Option to Make Measurement Palette 50% Larger
Option to Line Wrap Content Variables
Support for ICCv4 Profiles
And More

Convert PDF, Illustrator and EPS Files to Native QuarkXPress Objects
QuarkXPress is the first layout application to import PDF, Illustrator and EPS files and convert them to native˚ objects, so designers can say goodbye to time-consuming projects like rebuilding logos and reconstructing PDF and EPS files. The new conversion functionality includes fully-editable Bezier versions of vector graphics, real text and automatically extracted colors and fonts.

Copy and Paste Objects from Illustrator, PowerPoint and Others to QuarkXPress
This new features allows designers to simply copy items from other applications such as PowerPoint, Illustrator or even InDesign and paste them into a QuarkXPress layout as Native QuarkXPress Objects˚, allowing for easy completion and reuse.

Create and Export HTML5 Publications
Building on the popularity of reflowable and fixed layout eBooks and stunning interactive apps from App Studio, QuarkXPress 2016 adds another digital output format. HTML5 Publications can be created from scratch or from existing print layouts without any additional software and no additional digital publishing costs.‡ Once created, HTML5 Publications can be previewed locally and uploaded to a user’s own website. HTML5 Publications displays pixel-perfect layouts on all modern desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers, providing an easy and effective online experience.

A highlight is how typographic features are exported natively in HTML5. There is no longer the need to set “Convert to Graphic” for text that contains runarounds, justified and hyphenated text, vertically justified text, text indents, text color opacity, text aligned with baselines, custom kerning and tracking, tabs and tab stops, etc. The new digital layout space offers near-WYSIWYG fixed layouts and typographic control for digital publishing.

And more, with HTML5 Publications it’s possible to go beyond static print layouts to add interactive enrichments such as scrollable areas, slide shows, and animations. It is quite possibly the easiest way to share magazines, newspapers, comics, reports, ads and more.

Multi-Colour Gradients
With the new Multi-Colour Gradients designers have full flexibility when designing colour blends. Users are able to create as many colour stops as they wish using sliders or numeric settings, and can opt for the full radial setting or set the aspect ratio. Unlike other layout software, users can even set different opacity levels for each colour stop.

Support for OpenType Stylistic Sets
With modern digital fonts, users can now group related alternative characters into OpenType Stylistic Sets, which may be switched on together. Stylistic Sets give users the ability to quickly apply these sets with one click. For example, Vollkorn, a free body typeface by Friedrich Althausen, provides two stylistic sets that users can easily switch between. One is a more standard “old-style” set for body text and another “plainer” stylistic set is better suited for headlines while preserving the look of the whole body text.

XTensions Interface Consistency
As the plug-in interface is the same between QuarkXPress 2016 and QuarkXPress 2015, XTensions, plugins to QuarkXPress, will work in the new version uninterrupted (provided the XTension does not conflict with any of the new functionality). This is a benefit to users who have already invested in XTensions for QuarkXPress 2015.

Rob van den Braak

Printer’s devil (1964), phototypesetter, offsetprinter, teacher of graphic techniques, salesmanager, productmanager, trade journalist, founder of BlokBoek e-zine (2011). But above all husband, father, friend and lover of life in southern Spain (since 2010).