Now, other competitors to InDesign would be- the main one would be QuarkXPress. When I was learning, when I was doing my degree as a Graphics Designer, we all learned Quark. As soon as I left my degree, to get my first job, InDesign got launched, and all those tools that are- I started actually teaching Quark. Q2ID (QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign) is a useful Adobe Plug-in of InDesign, which could converts QuarkXPress contents into a new Adobe InDesign document, with a single click, everything you wanted will be done within a few seconds! At the same time, you can re-create all Quark detailed contents while using InDesign.
Projects and layouts
QuarkXPress files are referred to as projects, and each project contains one or more layouts. Every layout is stored within a project, and every project contains at least one layout. Each layout can contain as many as 2,000 pages, and can be as large as 224' x 224' in size (or 112' x 224' for a two-page spread). A project can contain an unlimited number of layouts.
Because multiple layouts can be stored in a single file, you can easily share content between different versions of a document — for example, a letter with identical text in US letter and A4 layout sizes.
A QuarkXPress project can contain two types of layouts: Print and Digital. You can use one project to create content for various media — such as print, PDF, ePub, native apps, Kindle books and HTML5 Publications.
Working with projects
To create a project, choose File > New > Project. The New Project dialog box displays.
Every QuarkXPress project contains at least one layout. Therefore, when you create a project, you must specify a default layout for the file. To indicate the media type of the default layout, choose Print or Digital from the Layout Type drop-down menu. You can further choose the Digital layout type, Fixed or Flex from the drop down menu.
For more information about Digital layouts, see Digital Publishing with QuarkXPress. For more information about Flex layouts, see Getting Started with Flex Layouts.
A project created in any language edition of QuarkXPress can be edited, printed, and saved in any other language edition of QuarkXPress. All available spell checking dictionaries and hyphenation rules are supported by every language edition.
Options for Print layouts
You can use the default layout name or enter a new name for the layout in the Layout Name field.
By default, tabs display at the top of the project window for each of the layouts in a project. To prevent these tabs from displaying, check Single Layout Mode. (You can still add layouts to a project, but this will turn off the Single Layout mode.)
The controls in the Page area let you set the page size and orientation for the default layout.
Indesign Quark Plugin
To use custom page sizes see the information in 'Custom page size.'
The Facing Pages check box lets you create spreads. In a project with a horizontal default story direction, the Allow Odd Pages On Left check box lets you control whether you can have odd pages on the left. In a project with a vertical default story direction, the Allow Odd Pages On Right check box lets you control whether you can have odd pages on the right.
The Automatic Text Box check box lets you add a text box to the default master page for the layout.
The Margin Guides controls let you set default margins for the layout, and the controls in the Column Guides area lets you create a multi-column page by default.
The Page Count allows you to specify the number of pages you want to initially create.
Layout Level Bleed
QuarkXPress now allows users to specify bleed while creating a print layout. One can choose between symmetric and asymmetric bleed; and also specify the bleed values for the top, right, bottom, left or top, inside, bottom, outside edge, depending on whether the layout has facing pages or not respectively. At any given point users can customize these settings using the layout properties dialog. Please note that for existing documents the bleed settings will default to 0.
Not only this, while authoring the document a bleed guide will be displayed and the user can snap the items to this guide. The color of the bleed guide is also customizable via the bleed tab under layout preferences.
Various output styles as well as output dialog have been extended to include a setting to specify whether the user wants to use layout level bleed settings while generating output or not. For all existing output styles, this setting will be Off by default, and for any new output style that you create this setting will be On by default
Creating a project from an IDML file
In QuarkXPress, the IDML Import feature offers the functionality to convert InDesign created IDML documents into QuarkXPress projects with all its assets like text, pictures, all items, style sheets, colors, blend modes, gradients, anchored items and many more.
To create a project from an existing IDML file:
Choose New > Project from IDML
Select the IDML file in the file system
There are several features that are not yet supported from IDML. The following objects and attributes will be ignored and not converted:
Underline Styles
Digital layouts
Tagged elements
Track Changes
Interactivity
Image Advance Layers
Callout Anchor
Notes
East Asian features
InDesign CS4 created IDML files cannot be converted. QuarkXPress supports conversion of IDML files exported from InDesign CS5, CS6 and CC.
Convert InDesign files to QuarkXPress Projects
Open Single InDesign Files in QuarkXPress
You can open IDML files through File menu > Open Dialog in QuarkXPress and also open INDD files through File menu > Open Dialog in QuarkXPress.
Bulk Conversion of InDesign Files to QuarkXPress Projects
You can convert your InDesign files (both IDML and INDD) seamlessly to QuarkXPress projects. There are multiple options to automatically search InDesign files by running a Smart Scan for Bulk conversion or you can Browse individual files for conversion. You can also select/deselect individual files for conversion.
How it Works?
The Convert InDesign files dialog will appear automatically after a fresh QuarkXPress installation. Alternatively, users can also invoke the Convert InDesign files dialog from the Help menu > Convert InDesign Files.
Convert InDesign files dialog will appear and user needs to select the option to convert files.
User needs to click on Run Smart Scan or Manually Select files.
After the scan, all the INDD & IDML files will display and the user can select all files or select only few for conversion before clicking on Convert Selected button.
After clicking on Convert Selected button, an alert 'Some files require Adobe InDesign to be launched. Please ensure that Adobe InDesign is not used while this process is running' will be displayed.
The results will be displayed at end of the conversion process. A user can navigate to the destination folder by clicking on the converted QuarkXPress files in this dialog.
Note:
To convert InDesign (INDD) files, a copy of InDesign should be installed on a customer machine.
Table Styles Enhancement in IDML Import
All the applied table styles and local formatting can be imported properly during IDML Import in the QuarkXPress project.
Properties applied through table style will be mapped in Table styles with the same name into QuarkXPress.
Cell style applied independently in InDesign mapped as locally.
Current Limitations/Defects
Some continued or long table's content might be displayed overflown.
Some features in InDesign for Row, Stroke, Fill (Skip First, Skip Last, Alternate Row & Column) are not mapped.
Saving and naming a QuarkXPress project
When you save a QuarkXPress project for the first time, the Save As dialog box displays. Use this dialog box to specify a project name, location, and type.
When you save a QuarkXPress project, you can choose an option from the Type/Save as type drop-down menu:
Choose Project to save a project that you can modify.
Choose Project Template to save a read-only version of the project.
Exporting layouts and projects
To export one or more layouts in the active project, choose File > Save a copy As/Downsave. Enter a name in the File name field and choose a type and version in the Save as Type and Version fields.
To export all the layouts in a project, check Select All in the Layouts area. To export individual layouts, check them in this area.
To export selected layouts that you can open in an earlier version of QuarkXPress, choose the earlier version number from the Version drop-down menu.
Custom page size
Indesign Quark Plugin
If you use a specific custom page size on a regular basis, you can define this page size and add it to the Page Size drop-down menu in the New Project dialog. These custom page sizes can be used for Print and eBook layouts.
To create a custom page size:
Choose File > New > Project. The New Project dialog box displays.
Choose either Print or Digital from the Layout Type drop-down menu.
Choose New from the Page Size: drop-down menu. The Custom Page Size dialog box displays.
Fill in a Name for the new custom page size, and define the Width and Height. The orientation will be assigned automatically, depending on the values input for Width and Height.
To create multiple custom page sizes, click Add. The new custom page size will appear in the list and you will be able to create another. To delete a custom page size, select it from the list and click Delete. To edit a custom page size, select it from the list and redefine the Width and Height fields.
Click OK.
Any custom page sizes you create will appear in the Page Size drop-down menu in the New Project and the New Layout dialog boxes and can be selected when creating new Print and Digital layouts, however, custom page sizes defined for Print layouts can only be used selected when creating new Print layouts, and custom page sizes defined for Digital layouts can only be used selected when creating new Digital layouts. The custom page sizes will be removed when your preferences are deleted and new preferences created.
Custom page sizes can also be created using the New Layout dialog. (Layout > New).
Working with layouts
It's easy to navigate between layouts, add layouts, duplicate layouts, and delete layouts.
By default, tabs display at the top of the project window for each of the layouts in a project. On Mac OS X only, you can change the order of layouts displayed in the layout tab by dragging and dropping the layout name tabs. This setting is saved with the document and the order is maintained.
To navigate between layouts, use the tabs at the top of the project window.
To add a layout to the active project, choose Layout > New or click a layout tab and choose New from its context menu.
To duplicate a layout, display the layout you want to duplicate, then choose Layout > Duplicate or choose Duplicate from the Layout tab context menu. User can duplicate a Print layout into a Digital layout or a Digital layout into a Print layout, by choosing Digital or Print as the layout type. (For more information, see Digital Publishing with QuarkXPress.)
To change a layout's properties, display the layout, then choose Layout > Layout Properties or choose Layout Properties from the Layout tab context menu. The Layout Properties dialog box displays. You can use this dialog box to change limited layout properties based on the layout type, but you cannot change a layout to or from a Digital layout type. (For more information, see Digital Publishing with QuarkXPress.)
To delete a layout, display the layout, then choose Layout > Delete or choose Delete from the Layout tab context menu.
When you use the following commands, only the active layout is included in the resulting output:
File > Export As > PDF
File > Export As > EPS
File > Export As > JPEG/PNG/TIFF
File > Export As > HTML5 Publications
File > Export As > iOS App
File > Export As > Android App
File > Export As > ePub
File > Export As > Kindle
File > Export As > Article
Layers apply to the layout that is active when you create and edit them.
When you perform a project-level action (Edit > Undo), the action is added to the Undo History in all layouts.
When you check spelling (Utilities menu), QuarkXPress checks only the active layout.
The Find/Change feature (Edit menu) can search only the active layout.
Project-level and layout-level resources
Some resources are defined at the project level, and others are defined at the layout level.
Project-level resources
Project-level resources can be used by every layout in the project, and they are the same in every layout where they are used. Project-level resources include application preferences, style sheets, colors, H&Js, lists, and dashes and stripes.
Although every list definition you create can be used in any layout in the project, a list only draws from the active layout when you build it.
Layout-level resources
Layout-level resources can be unique for every layout in the project. Layout-level resources include the following:
Layout preferences (QuarkXPress/Edit > Preferences > Layout)
Kerning settings
Tracking settings
Hyphenation exceptions
Zoom values
Adaptive scaling
This section describes the Apply Adaptive Scaling option available in the Duplicate Layout, and Layout Properties dialogs.
This option is only available in the Layout Properties dialog for Print layouts.
This feature allows users to scale items based on a configurable set of rules, to get an almost 'ready to use' layout in the new size.
To apply adaptive scaling when duplicating a layout choose Layout > Duplicate. The Duplicate Layout dialog displays.
To apply adaptive scaling to the active Print layout choose Layout > Layout Properties. The Layout Properties dialog displays.
Check Apply Adaptive Scaling.
Click Options to configure the rules for scaling items on the layout. The Adaptive Scaling dialog displays.
Use the dialog to configure the rules for scaling the items on the layout. The Adaptive Scaling dialog allows you to configure rules for the page properties, locked items, text, pictures, boxes, lines, tables, and any interactivity items that may exist on the layout.
Click OK.
It is recommended that you create a copy of your file, before using adaptive scaling, especially if you have checked the Synchronize Box Attributes & Content option on the Text, Picture, and None tabs of the Adaptive Scaling dialog. This option affects the source layout, and the sharing cannot be undone. It adds a large number of items to the Contents palette.
Working with guides
Guides are nonprinting guidelines that help you to line up items and text in a layout. There are three types of guides: Ruler guides, column and margin guides and Dynamic guides.
Design grids are nonprinting guidelines that you can use to align items and text according to text size and position.
For more information, see 'Understanding design grids.'
Column and margin guides
Column and margin guides show where a page's outside margins are and where columns (if any) should be placed.
QuarkXPress automatically places column guides and margin guides in all new Print layouts. You can specify their position in the Column Guides and Margin Guides fields in the New Project dialog box (File > New > Project) or in the New Layout dialog box (Layout > New).
When a master page is displayed in the project window, you can use the Master Guides & Grid dialog box (Page > Master Guides & Grid) to change the placement of column guides and margin guides. If you check Automatic Text Box in the New Project dialog box (File > New > Project) or the New Layout dialog box (Layout > New), the values you specify in the Margin Guides area define the size and placement of the automatic text box.
For information about creating column and margin guides, see 'Configuring a master page grid.'
For more information, see 'Guide Manager Pro.'
Ruler guides
Ruler guides (or simply 'guides') are nonprinting guidelines that you can position manually. You can create ruler guides by dragging them off the horizontal and vertical rulers (View > Rulers). You can create ruler guides on master pages and on individual layout pages.
To create a horizontal ruler guide, click the top ruler; when the pointer displays, drag the ruler guide into position on the page. To create a vertical ruler guide, click the vertical ruler, and then drag the ruler guide onto the page when the pointer displays. If the Measurements palette is open when you drag a ruler guide, the guide's position is indicated in the X field (for vertical ruler guides) or the Y field (for horizontal ruler guides).
If, as you create a horizontal ruler guide, you release the mouse button when the ruler guide is positioned over the pasteboard, the ruler guide will extend across the pasteboard and all the pages in the spread. If you release the mouse button when the horizontal ruler guide is positioned over a document page, the ruler guide will display only on that page.
To reposition a ruler guide, click it, and then drag it to a different location when the guide pointer displays. You can also double-click the ruler guide with the Item tool selected and enter a new location into the Guide Manager Pro dialog box.
To remove a ruler guide, drag the guide off the page.
To remove all ruler guides from a page, scroll until a portion of the page displays, then press Option/Alt and drag the guide back on to the ruler.
To remove all ruler guides from a spread's pasteboard, scroll until a portion of the pasteboard displays, then press Option/Alt and click a portion of the ruler.
See also 'Guide Manager Pro.'
Snapping to guides
QuarkXPress lets you create a 'magnetic field' around guides so that when you drag an item close to a guide, it automatically aligns with it. This feature is called Snap to Guides (View menu) and the width of the magnetic field is called the Snap Distance.
To control snapping with QuarkXPress controls, make sure View > Snap to Guides is checked. To specify the distance, choose QuarkXPress/Edit > Preferences > Print Layout > Guides & Grid and enter a pixel value in the Snap Distance field.
You can also choose View > Snap to Page Grids to force items to align with the master page grid. The value in the Snap Distance field applies to master page grids as well. For more information, see 'Snapping items to design grids.'
Dynamic Guides
Dynamic Guides are nonprinting temporary guides that appear when you create or manipulate items on a page. They help you align items relative to other items and to the page in a layout. You can specify the type of dynamic guides and the feedback that appears.
When you create, transform or move an item, Dynamic Guides automatically appear to assist in positioning the new item relative to an existing item or to the page.
Choose View > Dynamic Guides > Show/Hide Dynamic Guides to turn guides on or off.
You can change when and how Dynamic Guides appear by using the View > Dynamic Guides sub-menu to select the following options:
Select Align to Center of Item to display guide lines that are generated when the center of items are aligned with the center and/or edges of other items. These are generated when you create and move items.
Select Align to Edges of Item to display guide lines that are generated when the edges of items are aligned with the edges of other items. These are generated when you create and move items.
Select Align to Center of Page to display guide lines that are generated when the edges or center of items are aligned with the center of the page. These are generated when you create and move items.
Select Show Equal Dimensions to display guide lines that are generated when the dimensions of items are equal to the dimensions of other items. These are generated when you create and resize items.
Select Show Equal Spacing to display guide lines that are generated when the horizontal and/or vertical distance between items is equal to the distance between other items on the page. These are generated when you create and move items.
Select Show Measurements for Dimensions/Spacing) to display the value of the dimensions when Show Equal Dimensions is selected and the value of the spacing when Show Equal Spacing is selected.
This option is only available when Show Equal Dimensions or Show Equal Spacing is selected.
Dynamic Guides are on and all options selected by default.
When Align to Center of Item and Align to Edges of Item are selected, guides are generated not only when the center and edges of other text boxes are aligned, but will also appear when the center and edges of columns within the surrounding text boxes are aligned.
In Windows, use the Dynamic Guides Color pane of the Preferences dialog box to specify a color for each type of dynamic guide. See 'Preferences - Application - Dynamic Guides Color.' In Mac OS X you set the color for the dynamic guides using the Color Theme pane of the Preferences dialog box. See 'Preferences - Application - Color Theme.'
Undoing and redoing actions
The Undo command (Edit menu) reverses the last action performed on an item. For example, if you accidentally cut a picture box, the Undo command will bring the picture box back into the layout from the Clipboard. The Redo command (Edit menu) lets you reimplement an action you had undone.
Choose Edit > Undo (Command+Z/Ctrl+Z) to reverse the last action performed. The menu item identifies the specific action that can be undone. For example, the Undo Deletion command is available in the Edit menu after you have used the Item > Delete command. Undo displays as gray text when the Undo feature is unavailable.
To reimplement the action, choose Edit > Redo (Command+Shift+Z/Ctrl+Y) after you undo an action.