Quark Forums

Hi. I've used InDesign since version 2 and I'm now learning QuarkXpress 8. I like it a lot so far and it's very powerful when it comes to collaborating and sharing multiple layouts. I also absolutely LOVE the fact that you can design web and flash content in it. However these are just a few things I'd like to see Quark add on their next revision whether it be 8.5 or 9. Please share your thoughts too. Maybe Quark will read it. Eyedropper Tool (easier to work with colors). Easier way to ADD and DELETE colors. More Gradient Options (Add multiple colors and the positions - like Illustrator or InDesign). Ability to continue a path with the bezier tool after moving on to another object (like Illustrator) (Right now you can merge two paths together but it's just easier to continue a path). MUCH FASTER Start-Up (Quark 7 and 8 take a good long time to open in comparison to other design programs). Better support for Full-Resolution Previews (Colors in EPS and PDF files seem wrong most of the time in Full-Resolution preview). A simple pre-flight tool build in. I say a simple one because I know that it has a powerful Job Jacket tool and this works much better than pre-flighting but just an extra simple one if your not using a Job Jacket. Ability to Center a webpage (Very Important) as an option. A few more Effects for use in an interactive layout. That's all that comes to mind right now. I will add more later.

One I just thought of. Have a preview button that shows the page without bleeds.

I would like Quark to have an option somewhere for saving swatch libraries like in adobe illustrator. I use a set of corporate colors for each of my clients and having them stored makes it easy for me to load that specific swatch library and pick the colors from the palette that appears. I don't think there is a way in Quark to do that. So every time I work with quark I have to create the same set of colors over and over again.

Actually let me help you out their. If you go to Edit... Colors... there is an option to Append colors. Click on that and pick the Quark file that has the colors you want to use. This will import all of the colors from that project to your new one. However, your idea to be able to export the color swatches is still good. Thanks.

Even though appending colors implies some extra steps than the feature I recommend it's still a time saver. Thanks for your suggestion.

Most of the time I'll open the last job for a client when starting a new project. Duplicate, rename, and start new project. That way not only do you get all needed colors, but style sheets, custom character attributes (like superscript size), etc.

Hi, all,

anybody interested in a Job Jacket that stores colors and that you can link your projects too? The interesting thing of it is thatif you change the color definition in one document it changes the color everywhere throughout all other documents (regardless whether they are on your machine even)

Best
Matthias

I think the majority of people would just like to see the tools for colour and gradients enhanced to really help in the creative flow of things. Everybody seams to suggest (me included) an eye drop tool to sample colours and a gradient tool to add gradients with a more natural process than we currently have.

I also would like to see bigger thumbnails in the library palette. The current size works OK for distinguising pictures but sometimes I need to store text items that I use frequently in a library; which get very difficult to read at the current display size, therefore I can't distinguise which one of my headlines for example I need to pull out from the library. It would also be useful if under the thumbnail we could write a label, that way I could identify my elements better.

A few more things after messing around with Xpress 8. I'd like to be able to rearrange my LAYOUTS. It's nice that you can create multiple layouts in Xpress (For Web, Interactive and Print) but when you have so many created (I create several buttons, interactive items and ofcourse the weblayout) it would be very nice to be able to rearrange them. Also speaking of layouts, when the layout is shared I can't delete it even if I take the share layout off of it. I have to close the doc and reopen it to then be able to delete. I'd like to be able to delete if I unlink it right away. In the interactive panel, when I add an external reference (whether this be a URL or file that links to the interactive piece) I can't find a while to delete it from that menu if I choose to. Again I'd have to close the app and reopen for it to sometimes disappear.

Also... I don't know if in Quark 8 it's been adressed this issue since I am still using Quark 7. But I would like a way to collect for output a file that contains several layouts. Sometimes I have files with multiple layouts within the same file and when I need to send the file to the printer (File> collect for output) it only collects the elements of the active layout (pictures, fonts, etc.) leaving the other unactive layouts out, so if I open that collected file, it will only contain one layout instead of several like the original file. Maybe there should be a check box that lets you pick whether you want to collect all the layouts within the file or only the active layout.

Thanks.

 

I custom mix lots of colors so, here's what works for me. Make a Quark file . . . name it QuarkColors. Open 10 Quark docs, then drag over boxes, frames, text, etc.to the QuarkColors doc. That transferrs those colors to my master QuarkColors doc, which I update on occaision. For new jobs, I go Edit>Append and select some colors from my master QuarkColors doc. Saves tons of time!

Why do I have to go to a menu and call up a dialogue box to check the status of my Links? I'd much prefer to simply glance over at the Links Palette anytime that I want. This has annoyed me for years... it makes no sense at all.

I agree with you on the links palette. This will be very helpful. But did you know that in QuarkXpress 8, when you double click on a picture with the picture tool you get a small pop up that gives you 3 options (Cancel - Update - Edit) this at least is a welcomed feature as you don't have to go to the utilities window to edit a photo or update it when you know you've made changes.

 I'll be all set for picture info, link status, "Update Now", Open with (default or any other app), when Badia updates Full Measure for QX8 (soon, Badia, please... )

 What I would like to see in Quark is more helpful info about colors used in EPS files. I've been working on a book with hundreds of linked graphics, spot inks throughout. One of the spots was Reflex Blue CV -- but I noticed in the Colors palette there was an extra ink, Reflex Blue CVC. Sure enough, when I went to delete the CVC, I got the "color used in EPS, etc." message -- I had to open a bunch of files in Illustrator before I found the guilty one. Would have saved a lot of hassle if Quark could show me the inks used in linked EPS files. Maybe somehow incorporate this info into the Usage box?

But my number one request of Quark: stay lean and mean; don't get all bloated with menus and palettes like the apps from you-know-who... I love Quark because Quark "gets" production work -- the other guys don't.