Quark 8 - 8.12 Impression

[Tech]

We are still running Quark 7.5 since InDesign CS3 has been reliable for our designers, I doubt we'll jump to version 8 at all.

I tested beta on 8, and the whole thing feels like a Indy copycat. That said, does anyone out there running 8, actually like it for any reason?

 

[Hopkins Printing]

Hi Tech,

We upgraded to 8 only because some our Quark customers upgraded to 8.

We like Quark 8 for one reason...native transparency support when making a PDF has FINALLY been added with the Quark 8.1 update...flattening is no longer required. In my humble opinion, this should have been done in Quark 7.0.

Cheers,
Jon Morgan
Hopkins Printing

 

[Tech]

Ahhh, I read about that in the recent update info but wasn't sure if it's actually true. Well, good to know Quark finally caught up on PDF support.

 

[buckeye]

I heard that if you import a pdf w/transparency into Quark 8.1 that it can't export it back out w/transparency - only transparency created in Quark. Guess you have to crawl before you can walk.

 

[John W]

Export box has an option button that allows layered transp to be honored.

 

[Hopkins Printing]

I heard that if you import a pdf w/transparency into Quark 8.1 that it can't export it back out w/transparency - only transparency created in Quark. Guess you have to crawl before you can walk.

Unfortunately, that is correct. Only Quark-generated transparent items can be exported natively. Any kind of placed content containing transparency will require flattening.

Quark is definitely crawling along...

Jon

 

[buckeye]

John W,

That Export Option is for transparency created in Quark. Below that option is one for "Transparent Objects In Imported PDF & Ai Files" that requires a "Flattening Resolution".

 

[oxburger]

Hate the toolbar. Should have left it more like the older versions. Will take some time getting used to I suppose.

 

[Glenn McDowall]

Flattening of the placed PDFs gets handled by JAWS on import, I don't think the flattening resolution for Export would make any difference to the quality. Quark specifically said NOT to re-place a native transparent PDF that it generated back into a quark layout but rather flatten it first.

 

[prepressguru]

Is there much demand for Quark 8? Most of our clients are sticking with 7.x or have InDesgin.

Thx

 

[Lorem_ipsum]

I downloaded a trial version of Quark 8. Not really impressed. Personally, I don't like the GUI. And, it still has the same problems as always. You cannot open an earlier Quark file made from another computer without encountering possible font and reflow issues.

I miss Quark 3.3. Simple, direct and never crashed.