Mirror Paths in QuarkXPress
There is no tool or command in QuarkXPress to mirror an item, so here’s a trick to flip a Bezier path vertically (from top to bottom):
If you want to mirror a COPY of the original path, first select it and press Command-C to copy it, then choose Edit> Paste In Place. This places a copy directly on top of the original.
Then, copy the Height of the item from the Measurements palette (just select the number and press Command-C).
To flip the object over, quickly Command-drag the object’s top center handle down over the object and past the bottom. Let go anywhere. It’s important to be quick — you may have to try it a few times to get the speed right.
Finally, paste the Height measurement back into the Measurements palette (just select the Height number again and press Command-V).
(Windows users: replace Command with Ctrl.)
To mirror the path horizontally, just use the item’s side center handle and copy/paste the Width measurement.
UPDATE:
Quark reminded us of this potential “gotcha”:
“It is important that in step two you are quicker than the value for the Delay Before Live Refresh Drag. Since this is 0.1 seconds by default, the recommendation is to increase it to 1 or 2 seconds. This default setting is found in Preferences> Input Settings.”
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.
Good help! Thanks!
Dang, that only works on a Bezier path. Won’t flip my boxes over. Why wouldn’t they have that function. What a joke!
Bri: the “flip” you’re looking for is in the Measurements palette. Just click one of those little boxed arrows next to the X and Y percentage fields. The trick above was written to allow flipping of Bezier paths, which can’t be flipped using those little arrows. Joke averted. ;-)
Jay: Thanks for your solution. It worked great. Can we leave the live refresh setting to 2 seconds or is it best to change it back to 0.1s?
Arjun: I would just work with it and see whether the Live Refresh setting suits your style. If not, give it a tweak. :-)
There are no X or Y arrows in my Q9 measurement box. Only rotation arrows.
Tory: if you have a Bezier path selected, then the arrows won’t be there. You have to use the technique described in the article above.
If you select a box containing a picture, the little arrows should appear to the left of the “X%” and “Y%”.
Does that help?
This is all very clever. But, what other reason would you have to grab the centre handle and pull the item over itself??
And button saying Flip is too much to ask obviously – what is that Retro?
QuarkXPress 10 will have a Flip Object command. :-)
Great tip Jay!! Thanks a lot, you saved me!!!! :)
how to get a mirror print in quark 5 (to take a master copy of print in reverse)