Quark to improve PDF output with technology from Callas

QuarkXPress 2015, due to be released at the end of March, will allow better and faster cutting-edge PDF output with the help of Callas Software. This is because this next version of professional-grade software for layout and graphic design now supports document output in PDF/X-4 format, verified by callas pdfToolbox. Now, PDF/X-4 files exported from QuarkXPress 2015 will be certified with the same technology used in Adobe Acrobat.
“This is exactly the kind of solution we were looking for – something to check and certify that the files we produce meet ISO standard 15930-7”, said Matthias Günther, Global Director of the Desktop Business Unit at Quark Software Inc. Quark has been collaborating with Callas for several years, and QuarkXPress has long been able to export PDF files, including options to export using the PDF/X-1a and PDF/X-3 standards. So it wasn’t surprising that the Berlin-based company was the right partner for adding PDF/X-4 export functionality.
Callas offers pdfToolbox as a software development kit (SDK) which Quark integrated into its software, allowing it to run in the background. When the user chooses to export a file in PDF/X format, QuarkXPress allows them to select from PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3 or PDF/X-4. If they choose PDF/X-4, pdfToolbox then checks to ensure the new PDF/X-4 file meets the ISO standard. If it fails the test, perhaps because of specific elements within the file, the user will receive a notification to this effect. Otherwise, the result is a valid PDF/X-4 file, with all the advantages for further processing which this format brings.
In addition to all the properties of PDF/X-3, PDF/X-4 offers features such as un-flattened transparency, media-independent colours and layering. This means it’s no longer necessary to reduce transparent sections at the point of PDF creation. Instead, they can be processed in the print shop itself once the final printing colour space is known. Media-independent colours are preserved. “This makes QuarkXPress 2015 perfect for integrated, media-independent workflows,” added Günther. “Users also benefit from fast PDF export, smaller files and higher quality when printing.”