QuarkXpress

The simplicity of the user interface. Which makes the program easy to use.

Limitations that I encounter when exporting documents from the program such as issues that present themselves when applying certain design features such as gradients to a document.

Great alternative to InDesign. You will need other photo editing software however.

Different designs and layouts. Quark is a great alternative to InDesign and works well at accomplishing what we need.

I like the automation features such as master pages and content variables. Edit once, update everywhere.

Crash, crash, crash. When I pay $800 for software in 2018, I expect it to run. Quark doesn't. Simple operations like pressing Ctrl+Z or switching focus to another program frequently trigger crashes. This is all on a modern PC purchased in the last year which runs InDesign just fine. The user interface has odd behavior when switching between desktop programs, and the interface flashes as you move things around. A simple page with maybe 30 elements on in will scroll slowly, while InDesign scrolls smooth on the same conditions. No simple way to send Quark feedback (hence me coming to this random review site to give my feedback.)

If you decide to go this way, back up all your stuff. Skim the guide on their web site to make sure you catch all the cool features. Quark's flashing interface and constant crashing will make you pull your hair out, so consider working with a friend by your side so you don't feel like you're losing your mind..

Creating technical user manuals for food processing equipment. Automatic section and subsection titles at the top of the page are easy to create. Powerful tools for paragraph style sheets let us achieve a manual that looks up to par with industry standards.

Typography has always been easier to control in Quarkxpress. Also being able to import pdfs and vectors and editing them within Quark is a massive timesaver. I find I'm not jumping back and forth from Quark to Illustrator since the introduction of editing vectors within Quark, it's a massive timesaver. I generally find it more intuitive than Indesign (I also have to use Indesign as some of our bigger clients insist) and it's all round general performance is better and faster than Indesign. I personally wouldn't use anything else if I wasn't made to.

The updater kicking you out of whatever app you are working in. The lack of background outputting/printing. I think that tables could still be improved and setting application default preferences has taken a big step backward for objects and type boxes although I can see why they have done what they have. Just need to be able to set runaround preferences in the default preferences pane. These are all small niggles though and general performance is greatly improved over previous versions.

Sign up to the Facebook group for insider tips and help when support has run out.

We personally find it speeds up our workflow compared to doing the same jobs in Indesign. We design all of our clients printed material in QuarkXpress unless told otherwise. We're are currently learning the digital side of Quarkxpress.

Its familiar for me. short cuts are embeded in my flow, so its tough to switch to InDesign. They basically do the same things as a solo designer.

Used it since its inception, but do to cost of the software and constant updates requiring new purchases, much more cost effective to use Adobe.

Most of the world is using InDesign these days, so if you work with outside sources for files or are required to edit others work, you might want to consider the alternative.

Quarkexpress lets me design and layout print advertising for all sorts of media.

Discovering Quark Xpress 2018 has been like opening a beautiful Pandora’s Box of hidden treasures. Transformative and revelatory in equal measure. Thank you Quark.

Kind regards, Mike Lethby

The (now long forgotten) years of Quark losing its former No 1 position to competitors. But now it's back, it's beautiful and it's intuitively refreshing.

Forget the old clichés about Quark being slow at responding to design trends. It may have been true once, but the company shows a refreshing attitude these days that is re-orienting its market leadership.

A seamless integration of multi-platform media, with the power of content automation, that allows much more advanced and logical solutions to a host of design problems. The benefits come in terms of time saved, and thoughts focused, for everyone on a team with responsibility for the productivity and effectiveness of the chosen route/s of communication.