InDesign and InCopy solution provider SoftCare announced K4 Publishing System version 5.5, fully compatible with Adobe Creative Suite 2.

K4, a standard editorial system for magazines and creative agencies, combines layout and design software Adobe InDesign CS2 with Adobe InCopy CS2, a professional writing and editing program that tightly integrates with InDesign. As one of the first InDesign plug-in developers, SoftCare supports as usual promptly and entirely the new versions of Adobe InDesign and InCopy software with the K4 Publishing System. Additionally, K4 remains compatible with InDesign CS and InCopy CS. This combination offers publishing houses, creative agencies and corporations the possibility to benefit from Adobe Creative Suite 2 right after its release or to continue using Adobe Creative Suite with the new version of K4.

One of the new features in InCopy CS2 allows editors to place and scale images directly in InCopy. Other features, which are supported both for InDesign CS2 and InCopy CS2, include dynamic footnote support with preferred numbering and layout options. Editors can also link to multiple user dictionaries and import and export word lists for easy exchange with colleagues. These features in combination with K4 help further improve the editorial workflow and keep users on the cutting edge of technological enhancements. 

An optional add-on production tool in K4 version 5.5 that helps increase efficiency is the new K4 XML-Exporter. This K4 module exports all K4 objects to a standardized output format. Data can be re-used automatically for archiving, syndication, Web publishing or transferred to asset management systems. K4 XML-Exporter transforms all data into an open XML format defined by SoftCare.

This intermediate format is designed to provide everything that may be needed for a later XSL transformation into a final XML format for a publisher’s individual needs. K4 XML-Exporter represents a cost-effective means to re-use issue-related data and to archive the data for later re-use. Furthermore, InDesign and InCopy users can create and save text elements that will not appear on the printed page. Editors are now able to prepare both the print issue and the online issue at the same time, including items such as hyperlinks or Web teasers.

“InDesign CS2 and InCopy CS2 increase the efficiency of collaborative publishing processes without sacrificing the quality of individuals,” said Chad Siegel, Product manager, Professional Publishing Solutions at Adobe. “Medium-to-large sized publishers can significantly benefit from the advanced collaboration features found in SoftCare’s editorial solutions.”