Quark Comes To PC Quark visited Portfolio Center at the end of our winter quarter. Presenting itself as the affordable software solution for students, reps came bearing pens, shirts, hats, and free QuarkXPress 7 software.
Best of all, they informed us that every PC computer lab will be outfitted with this brand new software and updated for the next two years. They are trying their best to speak with customers directly as a way to improve customer service, along with many other changes.
I spoke with Scott Devore, a Business Development Specialist, and Devina Hicks, a Technical Service Engineer who has been with the company for over 8 years. They answered some questions regarding the company, its products, and its customer service.
What is QuarkXPress 7? Desktop publishing software for multi-channel publishing output.
Why should I use it? So you can have the most skills to take to the market place and make yourself the most money.
What are the main features of QuarkXPress 7? QuarkXPress Transparencies (the difference between color base and object base), Composition Zone (which no one else is doing it that way) Job Jackets (which no one has directly incorporated into their desktop publishing solution), Drop Shadow Support and a tighter Photoshop integration rather than our competitors.
How much is it for students? $99.98-originally over $700
What would be its best feature(s) over InDesign? Object Base Transparencies and Composition Zone.
Explain? Composition Zone is a feature that allows you to break apart a document into multiple different sizes, whether it’s a text box, image box, an entire layout spread, or an entire page. You can send it out to multiple people in your environment so that you are able to collaborate and work on a piece at the same time. Object Base Transparencies are precise controls to set the transparency of a frame, background, or a single character at the color level with complete creative freedom and without time-consuming item-based workarounds or depending on third-party applications.
If I created something in Quark 6, is it compatible with QuarkXPress 7? Absolutely. However if you are using an old build such as 4.0 or 332, there may be some inconsistencies (if the page looks the same way as it did in the prior version then continue working on it). There’s a new text engine and a new image engine, which is a 10-year change from what we were running in 4.0 and 332. There are going to be some variances, so you would want to take that into account when opening it up in the newer version.
What should I do about upgrades and cross grades? Contact your sales rep or go to the web address for Portfolio Centers portal, which is www.JourneyED.com/SELECT.
Overall, what would be your main message? That Quark is still alive and very viable. We had a couple people mention that they thought that Quark had gone out of business. That was because we hadn’t been as vocal and outwardly available to our customers in the field, like we have been in the past two years. We are now available as a resource; we are strategically placed in different verticals and different markets to make sure that we are addressing the issues and working as a liaison with our customers. We are the Industry Leader in Desktop Publishing.
Portfolio Center students share a strong desire to communicate ideas, the willingness to let go of preconceived notions, and the compulsion to learn new ways of thinking. These qualities are fostered by the school’s constant stream of industry bigwigs, who bring their varied and colorful perspectives from all over the country. These creatives, who are always generous with their time and energy, tend to hang out with students, conducting informal workshops and continuing the day’s discussions over dinner. Often, what results are provocative interviews—written, shot, and designed by PC students.
