Quark Forums

Ok folks, so our forum is back. But before everything else, let me hug and kiss you all fellow Quark loyalists. It's been a long time and we may have lost many of our expert users. Many of them have moved to InDesign, not really because that upstart is more superior but because they got sick and tired of Quark.com being pulled out at a crucial moment. We're not seeking explanations for we know that answer. Whatever happened, we are just so glad that our home has been restored. Thank you, thank you, Quark for listening to our plea. We love you! :D

That's just a load of bollocks.

Everybody who has had the chance to experience Indesign CS for a few weeks has already found out that it is far more superior to XPress than anyone could have predicted. I'm not saying this to start the whole discussion XPress vs. Indesign again but a fact is a fact.

Indesign beats XPress in functionallity, speed, (pdf)workflow, support, possibilities, cross-platform, stabillity and is more fun to work with.

The only reason that a lot of people stick to XPress is because in all these years they have built up an archive wich is not easily converted to Indesign.

Quark: you've been beaten by Adobe. :P

Seconded. :D

I hate to say it, but Quark did drop the ball in many ways. If they want to stay around in the print industry, they are going to have to offer new features and improved performance. The Adobe team is kicking their behinds around right now.

Ken

What ever be,
Quark is Quark :D

I've said this before--not that the thought is original with me--Quark's biggest competition isn't InDesign: it's Quark 4.1.

I'm very slow to upgrade because my department has limited discretionary bucks. Also, I use a PC at work, so I'm not under pressure to go beyond 4.1 for operating-system compatibility.

4.1 is mature and stable; versions 5 and 6 offer little in the way of enhancements. (Tables still aren't ready for prime time; layers are always nice, but nonessential; HTML features are useless; and synchronized text and multiple layouts per document are workflow catastrophes waiting to happen. What have I left out?)

If I had a PC-based studio with more than a few users and a lot of legacy documents I'd think real hard before considering going beyond 4.1 even if I hadn't been reading about version 6's issues for a year. Considering InDesign in that context would still be out of the question.

Can you back those statistics up with real proof?

Can you back those statistics up with real proof?

Ken you know what they say about statistics, In god we trust all others bring data J Since no one except resellers has a clue as to who is selling more all it a takes is some deductive reasoning.

When was the last time Quark give a fig about their customers? I mean you couldn't even get a t-shirt from them, now there are running/emailing promos with Macromedia? Sounds to me like both companies are getting clobbered by Adobe.

Now Adobe controlling the whole DTP enchilada does sound all that great either,but… They have had the image market cornered with Photoshop and they have not stuck it to the customers they way quark did in the 90’s.
:D

You will never get an honest answer about market share from anyone selling the item in question.

Talk to your local service bureaus and printers... They will tell you what the most common file formats are and their preferences...

Ask a designer, you will hear rave reviews about Indesign... Talk to a Production house or Adgency and you'll likely hear Quark... Talk to newspapers and you'll either hear Quark or Multi Ad Creator... {Yes.. it is still around.}


I am still amused that many in this industry believe that the way "they do it" is the only way it can possibly be done.

Great answer Tim.

kenlasley:

Can you back those statistics up with real proof?

What statistics do you mean?

That was good one Tim 8)

Indeed, InDesign is becoming so popular especially among designers. There have also been plenty of newspapers or publications going the InDesign way and the most common answer given by those I have asked was because of the restrictive cost of getting a Quark license and the poor support. On the other hand, Adobe had been giving good offers, including the killer IDCS offer. As for print bureaus, many of those I've met, including some in the Middle East, say while most of the jobs they get were made in Quark, they had to get their own copies of InDesign because they were experiencing a steady increase in InDesign files.

Oh, well, it may still not be too late. Quark 6 packaged with Macromedia MX is a lot better offer but will Quark do more? It would be good to know.

Don't get me wrong. I would hate to see Quark lose its flagship program. Although I have moved on to InDesign. I do own service bureau and have to keep up to date with what I am provided. I am in Louisville, Kentuck which is usually behind in alot of ways, but I have seen a big move to InDesign in this area. I cannot account for other shops, but we do about 40% InDesign, 45% Quark 4.11 with the rest making up PM, Publisher, QX 5 and 6 and an occasional FrameMaker file.

I sincerely hope Quark improves.

Ken