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Tag: IDML

IDML import in use: why this is huge

January 22, 2018January 22, 2018Commentary, QuarkXPress 2017No Comments

Quark Inc is introducing IDML import as a beta feature in the January free upgrade to QuarkXPress 2017. It doesn’t import .INDD files, and it doesn’t import every feature — table structure comes across but not contents. Footnotes, indexes and other internal references don’t import. Nonetheless, there are three reasons why this is absolutely huge.

First off, what is IDML? Since CS4, InDesign has been able to save its files as InDesign Markup Language, an XML format which can be written and read by external applications, as well as by different versions of InDesign. It is not the same as InDesign’s native .INDD format, which is proprietary. Markzware can convert Quark’s .QXP files to .INDD and .INDD to .QXP, but other software cannot. However, given that there are many different versions of InDesign still in use, templates available from print vendors and template suppliers often come as .IDML rather than .INDD, and the ability of external applications to write them means that formatting a database can be achieved before InDesign is opened, saving time and minimising error.

Reason 1: Templates

Let’s look at a template downloaded from a site called StockInDesign. You could find lots of other templates out on the web, as InDesign has always been promoted as a strongly templated application.

IDML template example

This is a straight import. To do so, go to File—New—Project from IDML. You’ll be asked if you want to continue with the beta. Click yes. There really is no danger to you at all in doing so, it’s just that Quark likes to preserve a high degree of finish with its production features. In all my tests, I’ve never seen this actually go wrong. However, some features in ID will not be imported, as noted at the top. In a very few seconds, the conversion is complete and the document appears.

Now, you may have already used QX2017 or QX2016 to import a PDF file and convert it to native objects, as the basis for a template. You can still do this, but the IDML import does much more. As you can see from the screen shot, all of the guidelines are imported. Master pages with their objects come in as well, and so do stylesheets, although the character styles will be implicit in the paragraph styles (you can easily save them out if you want to). In terms of taking a published template, your job is pretty much done.

Why would you want to do this? It’s fair to say that the world could use a lot less templated documents in general. I groan inwardly whenever I see a PowerPoint presentation done from one of Microsoft’s standard templates without any thought for how it matches an organisation’s brand. Microsoft’s formatted letter templates are ridiculously complicated, and they give an impression of a different kind of company from the one actually sending the letter. When people start mixing different Office templates, the results are just higgledy-piggledy.

But, many print companies now provide templates in IDML format. One of my favourites, Zwartopwit print  in Belgium offers IDML and PDF templates for all of its different formats, complete with the correct number of pages and instructions. For an A4 magazine you might find this a little obvious, but when it comes to unusual sizes and folds, it can save you a lot of work and ensure that you’re not introducing mistakes. IDML templates are much richer than PDF templates, and you can get a lot out of this.

Likewise, although I would want to warn everyone against blindly accepting templates (look at all the identikit WordPress sites out there), the IDML templates you can download from template companies like StockInDesign tend to be more sensible than the Word templates, and it’s also a lot easier to conform them to your brand using QuarkXPress’s features.

Quark’s IDML import is not yet production ready to save all your ID files as IDML, cancel your Adobe subscription and then carry on seamlessly—it needs to import table content, cross references, lists and indexes first—which is why it’s a Beta feature. But it does support pretty much everything a decent template will support. Whether you are trying to get rapidly to a polished result from nothing, quickly mocking up a document for a client, or simply trying to ensure you work to the printer’s exact specifications, the new feature is golden.

Reason 2: Direction

I should say at this point that I don’t work for Quark, and I don’t have confidential access to their roadmap, so what I’m going to say here is an outsider’s observation. The second reason why IDML import is huge is because what it says about Quark Inc’s intentions. When InDesign was first released, it was aggressively promoted with free versions, and the promise was very clearly made: “InDesign can import your QuarkXPress files”. Now, this was never entirely true. InDesign could import up to QuarkXPress 4.1 files, but InDesign 2.0, which was the first production-ready version, came out only a few days before QuarkXPress 5, and InDesign has never been able to import Quark version 5 files or above. This is therefore the first point since 2002 that QuarkXPress or InDesign could read each other’s files. Native import of PDF files, introduced in QuarkXPress 2016, was an enormous step forward, because it meant that Quark was now the first (and still only) DTP application capable of natively editing ‘foreign’ layout outputs reliably. IDML import takes this a massive step forwards.

Reason 3: upgrade versus subscription software

Over the last years, Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative applications have moved from a pay-to-own, pay-to-upgrade (PTOPTU) model to one of continuous upgrades via subscription (CUS). Other software is attempting to go the same way, such as Strata 3d, Type DNA and Ortelius. The upside of PTOPTU is that you own the software, and you only spend money when compelling new features or operating system upgrades persuade you or force you to. The promise of CUS is that you get all of the latest upgrades straight away, for a lower initial capital cost. One of the crucial arguments for CUS is that software houses are increasingly reluctant to introduce free, intermediate upgrades offering new features, so that PTOPTU is no more than CUS under another name.

Now, Quark has been aggressive in fixing bugs and in issuing new releases to make it compatible with operating system changes and upgrades, but this intermediate upgrade with a flagship new feature, albeit in beta, should push users to re-evaluate the benefits of the CUS model.

Subscription software has sometimes lagged when it came to operating system compatibility, famously in the case of Mac OS X High Sierra, which left some CUS users floundering to restore their systems to Sierra in order to work at all. In this sense, the subscription model has not fulfilled its promise.

IDML import as a free, intermediate upgrade, takes us into new territory. Between Word for Mac 2011 and the current 2018 Office 365 subscription version of Word for Mac 2016, there were only six new features, all of them interface related, and four enhanced features. QuarkXPress introduced 16 major new features and 16 enhanced features in its 2016-2017 upgrade alone. Annual upgrading in QuarkXPress already costs less than paying a subscription for its competitor.

If Quark is trying to demonstrate that PTOPTU offers better value for money than CUS, then the inclusion of IDML import as a free intermediate upgrade is a very strong argument in its favour.

 

Martin Turner

Martin Turner is the author of Desk Top Publishing with QuarkXPress 2016, Desk Top Publishing with QuarkXPress 2017, and presenter on the video series Desk Top Publishing with QuarkXPress.

http://www.martinturner.org.uk

IDML Import (InDesign Import) in QuarkXPress 2017

January 19, 2018January 23, 2018QuarkXPress 2017No Comments

When you need to import layouts from Adobe InDesign into QuarkXPress 2016/2017, you had two possibilities:

  1. When you InDesign installed on the same machine as QuarkXPress 2016/2017, then you can copy objects in InDesign and “Paste as Native Objects” in QuarkXPress.
    This will make objects editable, bezier elements will be bezier elements, text stays text, boxes in QuarkXPress are the same as in InDesign.
  2. You can always import a PDF created from InDesign in QuarkXPress 2016/2017 and convert it to native objects. For that just create a picture box in QuarkXPress, import the PDF page you need to be converted, and right mouse click it. Choose “Convert to Native Objects”.
    This will make objects editable, bezier elements will be bezier elements, text stays text, boxes in QuarkXPress are the same as in InDesign.

Though both methods work well, on Macs and Windows PC, and make all objects editable, there are two disadvantages: Conversion is limited to one spread at a time and certain elements do not carry over, like master pages and style sheet names.

So since January 23, 2018, you have a third method in QuarkXPress 2017:

NEW: Native IDML Import in QuarkXPress 2017

Besides bug fixes, the free “January 2018 Update” to QuarkXPress 2017 adds a new feature:
IDML Import (beta).

If you are using QuarkXPress 2016, on MacOS or Windows, please run “Check for updates” to first install the free “January 2018 Update” for QuarkXPress 2017 (internal version number 13.2).

Steps to import an InDesign file into QuarkXPress

Step 1: In InDesign save the layout as IDML (File > Save As…, Format IDML):

Save as IDML (in InDesign)

If you are getting the file from a colleague or client, please ask them to do this for you. This works in InDesign CS4, CS5.x, CS6 and all InDesign CC versions.

Step 2: In QuarkXPress choose File > New > Project from IDML…

IDML Import in QuarkXPress 2017
IDML Import in QuarkXPress 2017

 

Step 3: Choose the IDML file.

And you are done! InDesign objects, text, style sheets, master pages etc. are all being converted as a new QuarkXPress layout.

What does “beta quality” mean?

Beta quality means that there are certain limitations and not all features are being converted. Most notable right now are probably tables (they just get removed) and drop shadows (they do not appear) and text that is tagged (it is removed). Read about all restrictions here: http://forums.quark.com/viewforum.php?f=62

Quark is asking you for feedback to further improve the quality of the IDML Import filter.

Video Demo

See a short demo video here:

https://youtu.be/pPdXrrtl1Ag

IDML Import available in Trial Version of QuarkXPress 2017

Even if you do not own QuarkXPress 2017 yet, you can try IDML Import (beta) in the trial version of QuarkXPress 2017:

http://www.quark.com/Products/QuarkXPress/Test_Drive.aspx

Feedback?

Please leave feedback here:
http://forums.quark.com/viewforum.php?f=62
or here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/quarkxpress/

 

Matthias Guenther

Both an engineer and a layout artist, Matthias bridges the gap between technology and people.

Before joining Quark, Matthias pioneered print, Web, and multimedia products for multiple German publishing companies. Since 1997 he has played a central role in shaping Quark’s desktop and enterprise software.
Starting 2003 Matthias has focused on Quark’s interactive and digital publishing solutions. He is an active participant in design and publishing communities and represents Quark in the Ghent PDF Workgroup.

Since February 2014 Matthias heads Quark’s Desktop Publishing business unit and is therefore responsible for QuarkXPress.

https://twitter.com/HamburQ

What is QXML?

August 2, 2011January 10, 2018Quark2 Comments

Several people have asked, what QXML is.

QXML stands for QuarkXPress Markup Language and has been announced by Quark on Jan 12, 2005:
http://www.quark.com/about/presscenter/prview.jsp?idx=514

It was first privately introduced in QuarkXPress 6.5 (2004) and has been further extended in QuarkXPress 7 (2006). Though vital part of QuarkXPress (Desktop), it is currently solely accessible through QuarkXPress Server.

What does QXML solve?

Most document formats are proprietary, meaning it is hard to reuse their content. Also, nowadays we see a trend towards open standards and many programmers know “web-friendly” programming languages such as JavaScript.

QXML provides the structure, the content and its formatting of a QuarkXPress document as a DOM.

The Document Object Model (DOM) is a W3C standard that provides a language-neutral interface for applications and scripts to dynamically access and update content, structure and styling of documents.

So XTension developers can access a QuarkXPress document and manipulate it in real time using open standards.

It’s more powerful than a proprietary API and makes QuarkXPress document accessible to web technology, using open standards.

Where is QXML used?

QXML is mostly used in automation workflows, e.g. for database publishing or where documents are created based on rules. Quark’s Enterprise solutions make heavy use of QXML. QuarkXPress Server is manipulating existing documents, creating new documents, filling data into dynamic templates created by designers in QuarkXPress, all using QXML.

It’s currently solely available in QuarkXPress Server, as Quark believes that automation requires a robust engine like QuarkXPress Server, which offers multi-threading, load-balancing and other high performance features.

Development partners of Quark’s Enterprise solutions are also actively using QXML to create and manipulate QuarkXPress documents via QuarkXPress Server.

Internally Quark calls QXML “Modifier XML”, as it pretty much describes what it does: It modifies QuarkXPress documents.

What about the competition?

In April 2005 Adobe introduced INX in InDesign CS2, which was a simple, XML-based exchange format between InDesign versions.

In 2008 Adobe replaced INX with IDML (InDesign Markup Language), which seems to be the analogy in InDesign CS4 to what QXML is in QuarkXPress (Server).

More info

Please also see here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20050112005762/en/Quark-Commits-Open-Standards-Opening-QuarkXPress-File (English) and here: http://www.quarkvsindesign.com/quarkxpresss-file-format-goes-open-standard-with-xml

Sample QXML

X-Ray Magazine March/April 2005 listed some examples of QXML. I have uploaded screenshots of the pages here:

http://forums.quark.com/download/file.php?id=510

http://forums.quark.com/download/file.php?id=511

http://forums.quark.com/download/file.php?id=512

http://forums.quark.com/download/file.php?id=513

http://forums.quark.com/download/file.php?id=514

Matthias Guenther

Both an engineer and a layout artist, Matthias bridges the gap between technology and people.

Before joining Quark, Matthias pioneered print, Web, and multimedia products for multiple German publishing companies. Since 1997 he has played a central role in shaping Quark’s desktop and enterprise software.
Starting 2003 Matthias has focused on Quark’s interactive and digital publishing solutions. He is an active participant in design and publishing communities and represents Quark in the Ghent PDF Workgroup.

Since February 2014 Matthias heads Quark’s Desktop Publishing business unit and is therefore responsible for QuarkXPress.

https://twitter.com/HamburQ

Free Templates for QuarkXPress

November 19, 2007March 14, 2018Tip5 Comments

It’s that time of year when special projects come up: calendars, recipe cards, CD inserts… and it’s a whole lot easier to start with something that’s already the right size and shape than to create it from scratch.

You’re not alone, and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Instead, I hope you’ll make use of our collection of sources for free QuarkXPress templates. They include the projects above and as well as other projects that are useful year-round: envelopes, labels, video labels, postcards, or even various newsletter layouts and folded brochures. Here are some well-stocked sources:

  • DesktopPublishing.com
  • The Paper Mill Store
  • Imagers.com
  • ColorIt Printing
  • 48 Hour Print
  • 4over4
  • About.com

If you don’t mind paying a little bit for extremely high quality stock layouts, check out these:

  • Chuck Green’s IdeaBook
  • StockLayouts

Use InDesign templates in QuarkXPress 2017/2018

And since QuarkXPress 2017/2018 can import InDesign layouts in IDML format, you could also use templates provided in the IDML format and import these:

Jay Nelson

Jay Nelson is the editorial director of PlanetQuark.com, and the editor and publisher of Design Tools Monthly. He’s also the author of the QuarkXPress 8 and QuarkXPress 7 training titles at Lynda.com, as well as the training videos Quark includes in the box with QuarkXPress 7 . In addition, Jay writes regularly for Macworld and Photoshop User magazines and speaks at industry events.

http://www.design-tools.com

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