The Digital Imaging Association’s Annual General Meeting and Christmas Lunch featured keynote speaker Ray Schiavone, president and CEO of Quark.
Two decades ago, Quark helped spark the first revolution in publishing by developing software that moved publishing from proprietary typesetting systems to the desktop computer. QuarkXPress changed the way people published around the world.
Today, the inherent nature of publishing has evolved — new pressures brought on by the Internet, handheld devices and other ways of delivering information present challenges to traditional publishing approaches. While most companies have computerized the production of high-quality designs, they have not yet automated their publishing processes.
Organizations of all types have a stronger need than ever to control costs, while simultaneously improving their information quality, enhancing their ability to meet changing requirements and creating new revenue streams presented by new communication channels.
What Quark’s been up to
Quark’s first step in its strategic plan was to observe publications and the state of print in general. What Quark found was the confirmation of what we have all seen; a decline in commercial printing. The overall conclusion was that Quark needed to fundamentally look at its business and identify how the company could use the knowledge it already had to create new channels for content. The good news, says Schiavone, is that printing won’t die; it will morph.
As an organization, Quark sees the need for itself and for the industry to evolve with it. There are opportunities to expand.
Specifically focusing on what audience would consume print, Quark has developed key offerings that address the trending toward personalized content and mass customization. Schiavone says, “There are tons of markets that we have not tapped.” And Quark is poised to do just that with two robust offerings.
Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution
Quark’s Dynamic Publishing Solution promises to be enterprise – class software that will maintain creative design integrity, automate the publishing process and enable output across multi-channels. Quark views this as an opportunity to take customers where they are going, not where they have been. And the company intends to do this with software that creates new revenue streams for itself and its customers.
In March 2008, Quark launched its Dynamic Publishing Solution to facilitate the automation. Quark views this as the next revolution for print. At the core is the offering of a software solution to take costs out and to automate workflow across multi-channels.
Quark Promote
With the November 2009 launch of Quark Promote, Quark extended its experience in design and publishing software to help owners and employees of small and mid-sized businesses promote their products and services easily, professionally and affordably.
Quark Promote is a new web-to-print service for small businesses. Using Quark Promote, says Schiavone, anyone can create business cards, postcards, flyers and other professionally-designed marketing materials in a few easy steps.
While it may sound like Quark is going into the printing business in competition with the printers it has historically sold software to, the reality is that the company has partnered with some of the biggest printing franchises and welcomes any neighbourhood printer that meets the quality guidelines.
Online orders will be downloaded to a local print provider as a Quark file format that facilitates seamless production. Printers will be able to capitalize in the advantage of Quark’s historic file preparation expertise as well as the team of graphic designers and software developers who have facilitated this unique online application.
Quark will be expanding the service into Canada this year and look forward to partnering with local entrepreneurs. The company’s objective with this software development is to partner with bricks-and-mortar printers to deliver strong and ongoing revenue streams. VistaPrint, says Schiavone, has just scratched the surface with its business model. There is every opportunity to expand the pie.
Partnerships
This time, Quark is not going it alone. In addition to partnering with service providers, the company has teamed up with some of the biggest players in enterprise technology solutions.
In April 2009, Quark announced a partnership with IBM to bring XML and DITA to the masses. In July, the company partnered with EMC to integrate Quark XML Author with EMC Documentum. And in October, Quark joined Microsoft to demonstrate an integrated solution for multimedia journalism and multi-channel publishing. Quark is committed to the marketplace. The company is growing in tough times, just as Apple has done.
“We need to come up with our iPhone and iPod,” says Schiavone.
