How to Move From QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign
QuarkXPress was once the only page-layout graphics program that most serious designers would even consider using. PageMaker was in a far distant second place, and few designers really liked that program. However, Adobe has since produced InDesign. While moving from QuarkXPress to InDesign may be a bit cumbersome at first, the extra features you get and its seamless integration with programs like Photoshop and Illustrator make the switch worthwhile.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Get a copy of the book "Moving to InDesign" by David Blatner, Christopher
Smith and Steve Werner. This book specifically addresses the similarities and differences between QuarkXPress and InDesign, including what imports well and what doesn't. It's a great reference for those making the big switch. -
2
Back up your Quark files. Before you try any importing, editing or messing around, make sure you have those original files burned to a CD or DVD so that you can go back to them if you need to. Anytime you want to make a change on one of the files, copy the file off your disk (don't touch the original).
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3
Open the QuarkXPress file in Quark to make sure all of the fonts and images are ok. Then "Save As" a new document.
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4
Try importing the Quark file into InDesign to see how the new program handles the old file. Open up InDesign and use "File>Open" to open the file, or drag the icon of the file onto the icon of the InDesign application (or its alias). When the file opens, check to see if images, fonts, styles, and other graphical elements are where they should be and functioning as they should be. In most cases, InDesign should be able to open QuarkXPress files pretty easily without too much moving around.
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5
Consider buying the Q2ID program (see Resources) if you are having trouble. Q2ID is a little pricey, but it's a good return on investment if you are struggling with getting your Quark files to move to InDesign. In the long run, it will be cheaper the wasting the man-hours on recreating documents.
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