Tag: iPad

Create grid-based layouts directly from your iPad

NewsNo Comments

Quark has just released the new 2018 version of DesignPad.

Design on the Go with Quark DesignPad

Design on your iPad wherever you are with DesignPad, the iPad app that puts grid-based design control in the palm of your hand. No need to own InDesign or QuarkXPress.

Using an entirely new approach to design, you can quickly experiment with different layouts concepts and create anything such as a poster, postcard, advertisement, invitation, brochure, business card or newsletter right on your iPad — then share it on Twitter, Facebook, by email, print it or – if you have it available – further develop it in QuarkXPress.

With DesignPad you can:

• Create stunning designs in minutes, in a meeting or on the go, directly on your iPad
• Develop concepts interactively and share them instantly with your colleagues, clients and friends
• For ultimate control, turn your DesignPad layout into a completed design by opening it in QuarkXPress* — our award-winning premier professional design and layout software

Pro Feature Pack

Unlock the new Pro Feature Pack and gain access to professional output and new sharing capabilities. Save and share print-quality PDFs or save PNG and PDF versions to DropBox for immediate access anywhere or directly print out your design via the new AirPrint support.

Bring your creativity to life!

https://itunes.apple.com/app/quark-designpad/id551786067?mt=8

Version History

3.0.0

—Layout Painter
—Snap to Guides
—Line shapes with dash
—Various improvements
—UI Update
—Dropbox Update

2.5.1

Version 2.5.1 now supports iOS7, iOS8 and iOS9.
This version fixes a problem in which the help window could not be closed and a crash issue.

2.5.0

Thank you all for your positive feedback. This new version focuses mostly on stability, so that certain crashes that you have reported do not happen anymore. Sorry about that and thanks for your great feedback! Keep it coming.

We also added a couple enhancements that you’ll enjoy:
• Added a new “Copy Item” feature
• “Move Forward” and “Move Backward” buttons now work with ALL items, so any box can be in front or in the back now

2.3.1

In 2.3.1 we fixed a under iOS 7 that occurred when using the Revert function. For users on iOS 8 there are no changes.

2.3.0

Due to requests in the reviews we implemented the following features that you asked for:
• Bug fixes
• New item lock feature
• Hides home page banner for Pro Pack owners again (sorry, bug)

2.2.0

Added a “Revert” feature which returns you to the home screen without saving your work.

2.1.3

Fixed an issue that the export popup sometimes wouldn’t open after initial export.

2.1.2

What’s new in Version 2.1.2:
———————————
•Invalid Zoom issue fixed
•On iOS8 all color pickers would not show correctly
•Hidden text editing in landscape mode

2.1.1

What’s new in Version 2.1.1:
———————————
• Fixed a bug that occasionally caused the title bar to obscure a dialog
• Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented exporting after the first export
• Fixed a bug that prevented setting color attributes for text and shapes
• Now remembers the last Unit of measure you choose
• Few localization bugs fixed

2.1.0

What’s new in Version 2.1:
•Updated for iOS 7-8 (iOS6 no longer supported)
•Fixed Style Sheet bugs
•Improved default styles
•Fixed possible hangs while opening documents

2.0.1

• Various bug fixes

2.0.0

• Redesigned for iOS 7
• Support for creating multi-page documents as PDFs and QuarkXPress files
• Save and share designs as images and PDFs directly to Box (in addition to DropBox)
• Collect designs to Dropbox or Box (layout and images)
• Text style sheets
• Text patterns—a new, easy way to format text with multiple styles
• Picture Sketcher tool lets you draw your own images within picture boxes
• RGB Color picker option using sliders or text entry
• New right-angle box shapes
• Text overflow indicator including ‘tap to fit’ feature

1.5.2

• Minor bug fixes

1.5.1

• Minor bug fixes
• Improved help
• Added retina images

1.5.0

• PDF output (Pro Feature Pack only)
• Dropbox support (Pro Feature Pack only)
• AirPrint support (Pro Feature Pack only)
• Shadow colors
• New wave shapes for boxes opens up thousands of possibilities (Pro Feature Pack only)
• Blank document button
• Undo/Redo
• Remove watermarks (Pro Feature Pack only)
• Nudge controls for precise placement
• Slider stabilization technology
• Dynamic grids that let you change grid parameters on live documents (fluid layouts) (Pro Feature Pack only)
• Ability to remove all unwanted boxes
• Ability to move boxes off the grid and reset them
• Improved performance
• Improved image placement
• Better text controls including stroked text

1.1.0

• Fixed: Bug where users couldn’t type in text fields for Layout Sliders
• Fixed: Some interface glitches, including active disabling of non-relavant controls
• Fixed: Auto-hide of guides on export, with option to show if desired
• Added: Guide for beginners through interface with animated arrows
• Added: Retina interface update
• Added: Save to Photo Library
• Added: Post to Facebook (iOS 6 Native)
• Added: Duplicate layout (Save As…)
• Added: Change any box shape to : beveled rect, inset rect, rounded rect, polygon, star, oval, speech bubble, thought bubble
• Added: Additional Shape controls: Change speech/thought bubble angle, change polygon/star orientation relative to content, change star inner radius, toggle corners on rounded rectangle
• Added: Control box angle
• Added: Drop shadow toggle and special shadow controller
• Added: Line spacing on text
• Added: Justified text control
• Added: Expose full font list, including bolds, italics, lights and condensed (Well OVER 100 font choices added)

1.0

Initial Version
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

Create as many apps as you want – for free, from your Desktop?

Digital Publishing, How-to, Learn, QuarkXPress 20173 Comments

As you might have seen, Quark has introduced QuarkXPress 2017 with the ability to create and export “unlimited”* iOS Single Apps directly out of QuarkXPress.

The advantages of this are:

  •  No need to create a log-in or use a system or portal
  • You create the apps directly from your Desktop out of QuarkXPress
  • You can create the design within your app with the same tool – QuarkXPress – that  you use for print
  • You can even convert Print layouts to digital and show them in your app
  • You can add stunning interactivity
  • All content is 100% HTML5
  • You get the apps delivered to your Desktop as a single delivery, your content is “backed in”
  • You can transfer your app to your test iPad or iPhone
  • You can hand in your app to Apple and – once approved – have it being delivered to your customers via the Apple’s App Store

All you need is QuarkXPress 2017 and an Apple Developer Account. Don’t worry, you won’t have to develop anything, it is Apple’s prerequisite to submit apps to the App Store.

So yes, you can create single apps for iOS directly from your Desktop.

How does it work?

A detailed documentation and video tutorials will be available once QuarkXPress 2017 has been released (in second quarter of 2017).

Here are the steps in a nutshell:

1) Prerequisites

  1. Get a developer account with Apple, which is $99 per year.
  2. Go to Apple’s developer portal and create 4 things, a development & distribution certificate and a development & distribution provisioning profile.
    (On Mac oyu can do that using Keychain, on Windows you will need to install the free OpenSSL)
  3. Go to iTunes Connect, basically the marketing portal for submitting apps to the App Store, and create marketing descriptions etc.
  4. Create an app icon and splash screens for your app

2) Create your app

  1. Create a digital layout in QuarkXPress 2017 (or convert an existing Print layout to a digital one). Optionally add a second layout for the other (vertical/horizontal) orientation.
  2. If you want, add interactivity like animations, audio, video, slideshows (using the HTML5 palette)
  3. Choose File > Export As > iOS App
  4. In the dialog appearing, add the two certificates and the two provisioning profiles. Add all meta data needed, like the app ID provided by Apple in iTunes Connect, the icon and the splash screens you created.
  5. Export your app ( so you need an internet connection then, however no log-in into any system).

3) Test and submit your app

  1. Either wait until the progress bar finishes or let it run in the background. After a while QuarkXPress 2017 will save two apps to your Desktop (or the folder that you specified), a test app and a production app.
  2. On Mac, transfer your test app to your iPad/iPhone, e.g. using iTunes or – my recommendation – “Apple Configurator 2“. On Windows use iTunes please.
  3. Test thoroughly.
  4. If fine, submit your production app to Apple. On Mac, you do that using Application Loader by Apple.
    From Windows you cannot do that, as Apple requires you to use Application Loader, which is only available on MacOS. So you either need to find somebody with a Mac to do that for you or rent a Mac. Here’s an example of a services in the cloud that allow you to rent a Mac for an hour: http://www.macincloud.com/
  5. Wait until Apple approves your app.

Done. And now create the next one.

A video of this can be seen here:

 

 

*Quark’s EULA specifies what “unlimited” means. Basically it is a “fair use” policy, so you can create as many apps as you need for your own use or to create for your customers. Quark e.g. doesn’t allow you to build a system around it, so a service that you pass on to other customers. Also the use is possible as long as QuarkXPress 2017 is the most recent version or the version before the most recent version of QuarkXPress. Afterwards you need to upgrade to a newer version to be able to use app export. All other functionality of QuarkXPress 2017 of course doesn’t have any timed restriction. You need an Apple Developer Account, which costs you an additional fee. And to submit an app to Apple, Apple requires you to use a Mac.

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

The Best Hidden Features in iOS 7

Digital Publishing, LearnNo Comments

Verge-iOS7

At The Verge website, Aaron Souppouris wrote a useful and technologically inspiring article: “The best hidden features in iOS 7“.

Besides pointing out some fantastic new features, they’re displayed in a creative, interactive way. Have a look:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/18/4741412/the-best-hidden-features-in-ios-7

Jeff Gamet

Jeff Gamet is a contributing editor for Design Tools Monthly, the executive summary of graphic design news. He is also the morning editor and reviews editor for The Mac Observer and iPodObserver.com, and contributing writer for Layers Magazine and Photoshop User. He writes the InBrief column for InDesign Magazine, and is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X,” from Peachpit Press

When Jeff isn’t writing about the graphic design world, he’s talking about it on the Design Tools Weekly podcast with co-host Jay Nelson. He also talks about Apple and the Mac world every week on The Mac Observer’s Apple Weekly Report.

Jeff studies, tests and reviews new software and technologies for the Macintosh community as well as the design and print industries. He is a former Pre-press specialist, and has nearly 25 years experience with computer technology. Jeff trains, lectures and consults on techniques for more efficiently using Mac OS X in creative environments throughout the country.

In the rare moments when he can get away from his MacBook Pro, Jeff spends his time climbing and biking in the Colorado mountains.

Which fonts are pre-installed on the iPad (and iPhone)?

Digital PublishingNo Comments

When creating digital media based on web technology, e.g. HTML5 websites, web apps or ePub3, and which do not have any webfonts embedded or linked, then you rely on the fonts that are pre-installed on devices.

Apple’s iPad (and iPhone) actually have quite an impressive list of fonts pre-installed, for example

  • Arial
  • Avenir (in many faces)
  • Baskerville
  • Futura
  • Gill Sans
  • Helvetica
  • Palatino
  • Snell Roundhand
  • Times New Roman
  • Trebuchet
  • Verdana
  • Zapfino
  • and others

The website iosfonts.com lists all of them and also shows you which version of iOS added them on the iPhone and which on the iPad.

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

App Store Ranking

Digital PublishingNo Comments

When Quark released the technology study of the new DesignPad app, we were absolutely flabbergasted when we saw the App Store Ratings the next day:

#1 in its category in France and Germany, in France even #2 for all free apps.
So before the popular apps of the large social networks, shopping & auction apps and news apps.
And similar results in many other countries for that day.

Of course I (naively?) thought the download rank is just ranking the daily absolute downloads per app.
Sure, for search ranking Apple (like all search engine providers) must use an ingenious formula that Apple – like Google – changes over time:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/29/looks-like-apple-has-changed-its-app-store-algorithm-again/

But for download ranks? (which has an obvious effect on the success of your app)

When after the first hype the ranking slowly dropped again and by looking on the absolute numbers I saw some discrepancies of this theory:

(App Store Ranking France for DesignPad)

So I began to wonder how Apple might calculate this, maybe taking absolute numbers or a weighted history into consideration?

Of course and totally understandable there is no public information available for their algorithm, as otherwise it would be open to manipulation. However when searching the web, I came across an interesting study that claims that they have cracked the code for ranking (not Search Optimization). I can’t be sure whether this is the right code and personally I have no insight into Apple’s algorithm, however I thought it is interesting to share this theory:


(Theory of weighted algorithm for Apple’s App Store download ranking)

So the theory is that the downloads of the day is the most influential factors, however the downloads of the past three days are also factored in. You can find the original slide-deck here: http://www.slideshare.net/misteroo/how-to-market-your-app (slide 25)

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