Quark Software Inc. has just announced the official availability of QuarkXpress 2015, the new major release of Quark’s graphic design and page layout software. It now includes fast 64-bit architecture, industry-verified PDF/X-4 output, fixed layout interactive (app-like) eBook production, as well as an array of the most user-requested features. Unlike other design software, QuarkXPress is sold as a perpetual license, which means users make a single purchase and aren’t locked into an ongoing subscription. Quark surveyed thousands of QuarkXPress users around the world to discover which features would be most valuable to include. The survey, plus a focus on increasing performance, quality and stability, helped Quark develop this new version that features:
64-bit Architecture. QuarkXPress 2015 can now utilize all the RAM available on a user’s computer to deliver performance improvements across the board – from file handling and layout rendering to PDF export. Quark has also added multi-threading to its text engine to further increase performance.- PDF/X-4 Output. By using this latest standard, designers can maintain transparency to enable smaller files, faster output and higher quality print output. The exported PDF/X-4 files are certified by the same technology used inside Adobe Acrobat.
- Designer-controlled Automation. QuarkXPress 2015 builds on its history of focusing on automation with automatic footnotes and endnotes, and a new and faster table tool for Excel integration with table styles and text variables for automatically populating repeating fields – such as running headers.
- Fixed Layout eBooks with App-like Interactivity. QuarkXPress 2015 combines reflowable eBooks (ePub) with interactive apps for a new digital output format. Users can create HTML5 fixed layout eBooks without any additional software or costs. The fixed layout eBook format (ePub3 or Amazon’s KF8) displays “pixel-perfect layouts” without the complexity and cost of creating native apps.
Other features include:
- Orthogonal Line Tool
- Custom Page Sizes
- Relink Any Picture in the Usage Dialog
- User-definable Shortcut Keys (Mac only)
- Collect for Output and Usage for Complete Project
- Table Styles
- Format Painter
- Drag Installer for fast and easy activation (Mac only)
- Yosemite OS X Support
- Tool Palette, Measurement Palette, and Palette Group docking on Windows
- Open PDF after Export
Test drive and training resources
QuarkXPress 2015 is available as a free test drive. Anyone who test drives the new version will receive a free design template to help them get started. Quark is also now allowing upgrades from versions of QuarkXPress dating back to the 1990s (versions 3 – 10). In addition to upgrades and new licenses, Quark now has new support options for 6-month and 12-month technical support, plus new 12-month and 24-month upgrade plans that include upgrades to new versions during the course of a user’s plan.
QuarkXPress 2015 offers features for automation and for fast publishing. If you have Adobe InDesign files, you can convert them to QuarkXPress 2015 with Markzware’s ID2Q for QuarkXPress 2015 XTensions. Then, you could use the latest QuarkXPress features.