Filed under: Software, Graphic Design
Quark releases QuarkXPress 8
Love it or hate it (with the burning fire of a million angry suns), Quark yesterday released QuarkXPress 8, which features new tools for developing for the web, workspace enhancements, and refinements to tools to finally bring it into the 20th century. Steve Sande mentioned back in May that it was coming, and now it's finally here.
Quark 8, the William Shatner of page layout software (old, bloated, sweaty, and desperate to stay relevant), allows you to create content for the web using HTML and Flash without writing any code. This has been a feature of Quark since QuarkImmedia and Quark Interactive Designer, but now appears to be fully rolled into QuarkXPress, to the abject horror of web designers everywhere.
Also, a new feature: A measurements palette. That's right, it's 2008, and they're adding a measurements palette. Also: east-Asian language support and hanging punctuation. Wow. Well done, Quark.
I've been using QuarkXPress since version 3, and having very briefly tried the new version, it's a little depressing to see them keep trying to reclaim their glory years. Small design shops, freelancers, and many printers have largely moved to InDesign for their page layout software. Yes, Quark 8 is light-years ahead of where they were, but still light-years behind where they need to be.
Quark makes its money on giant-scale installations at newspapers and magazines, so we'll see how quickly their enterprise customers adopt this new version. My guess: not very, as many printers I've dealt with overseas, especially in Asia, are still using QuarkXPress 6.
A 60-day trial is available, and is a whopping 517MB to download. It requires Mac OS X 10.4 and a G5 processor or higher. New licenses are $800, and upgrades are a scant $300. Discounts are available for education and non-profit customers, too.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
brian said 1:18PM on 8-01-2008
Hey... Shatner is awesome in Boston Legal.
Back on topic, I honestly wonder why Quark even bothers to continue existing. I was a local launch event for 6, I think, and the rep took the stage and literally the first thing she said was "Our biggest new feature: unlimited (or 99, or 30?) undos!" I'm not kidding. It was so totally pathetic.
3.3 was great back in its day. When 4.0 came out, it didn't do a whole lot that was new or exciting. They made the overset [x] red instead of black, which was nice, but I can't remember much else. Then 5.0 came out and had layers, but we were using an XTension with 4 to create layers, and of course they were incompatible with Quark's implementation, and since 5.0 had native layers, the XTension company didn't make a plugin for 5, so we were pretty much screwed. Luckily InDesign was coming out, and with features large and small (awesome text engine, native handling of PSDs and Ai files) we knew the future would be with Adobe and that it would be awesome.
I'm sure some people buy Quark for compatibility reasons, but other than that, I really don't know why ANYONE on the planet would buy Quark. 6 was worth buying (if you needed it) since it (finally!) ran in OS X, but I'm honestly amazed that they made enough money on 7 to remain in business long enough to release 8.
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phunkidude said 1:20PM on 8-01-2008
Jeez, they still make this thing?!
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SSteve said 1:22PM on 8-01-2008
Hey, give Bill Shatner a break. His "Has Been" album was really good. And "How William Shatner Changed the World" was great.
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atuck said 3:57PM on 8-01-2008
The Has Been album was PHENOMENAL!
Christina Warren said 11:30PM on 8-01-2008
Agreed! His first collaboration with Ben Folds (the song "In Love") was awesome too. I mean, I loled at the reference, but as I said to my boyfriend, "I would have laughed a lot harder had "Has Been" not been one of the best albums of 2004 [and still something I listen to with shocking regularity] and if Boston Legal wasn't the most legitimate post-Star Trek career move of any ST actor."
But Quark still sucks :-)
pslatt said 1:32PM on 8-01-2008
Thx SSteve. Was just about to say that. Bill pwned "Common People" as Cash pwnd "Hurt".
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Silo said 1:33PM on 8-01-2008
I think Shatner's pitches for Priceline are some of his finest work. :) At least he has a sense of humor and knows what he is. Unfortunately, there's not much ad work to be had for silly, over-the-hill $800 pieces of software. It's really pretty sad that they keep spit-polishing the same old turd and don't come out with anything truly worthwhile.
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macxprt said 3:48PM on 8-01-2008
Now if Quark allowed us to name our own price like Priceline does, they would sell a million copies..... at $5.00 each!
twoeightnine said 1:35PM on 8-01-2008
Discounts are available for education and non-profit customers, too.
Would non-profit include anyone who still uses Quark?
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mentalsticks said 1:36PM on 8-01-2008
do you really have to be so insulting?
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obo said 9:43PM on 8-01-2008
It's a blog. Snark is mandatory. If you want snarkless news, try a newspaper.
mjharper said 1:47PM on 8-01-2008
I think 'Has Been' was a great album. Give Shatner a break. If the song 'You'll Have Time' can't put a smile on your face, you're beyond redemption.
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Christian said 1:48PM on 8-01-2008
That sound you hear is a million satisfied InDesign users not caring .
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Todd said 1:52PM on 8-01-2008
I wish I didn't have to use it, but I do. We have 3-4 licenses, so upgrading is always deemed the way to go. That, and all of our collateral and our textbooks are prepared in Quark.
I will say that the Mac version is better than the Windows version :)
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Luigi193 said 1:56PM on 8-01-2008
He is awesome as the Negotiator!!!!
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gerdozain said 1:58PM on 8-01-2008
Yes, they brought it to the 20th century, too bad we are on the 21st century now. Quark, too little, one century too late.
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Jeremy said 2:11PM on 8-01-2008
Just to chime in with the others...
Really low blow on the Shatner comment. Not funny, and not true. Why include an insult to a random person (who has done far more than any TUAW blogger), in an article about something else entirely?
Shame on you.
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Argent said 2:19PM on 8-01-2008
Jeez, lighten up!
Billy K said 4:12PM on 8-01-2008
srsly....get a sense of humor. Shatner refers to himself as a "has-been" with a wink and a nod.
Chopper9 said 2:23PM on 8-01-2008
Quark is dead.
Long live the king!!!!
Hail InDESIGN!!!!
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