Quark announced that Quark XPert Tools Pro for QuarkXPress 7 will be posted on the Quark Web site the week of April 2 as a free download for all QuarkXPress 7 users. By delivering the set of XTensions for free, Quark is effectively making QuarkXPress 7 a better product than InDesign CS2, with more and more powerful features. It looks like Quark is determined to once again become the absolute market leader in content publishing --this time by merit only-- by delivering more in terms of efficiency and time-saving features for the money.

“This suite of tools directly answers customers’ needs and enables simply better design,” said Terry Welty, Quark senior vice president of Corporate Marketing.  “There’s tremendous value in these XTensions, especially when they’re combined with the powerful features in QuarkXPress 7.” There are screenshots with this article, so you can see for yourself what the XPert Tools Pro look like and what they will allow you to do. 

Quark says many designers rely on these powerful XTensions modules (formerly known as Quark ALAP XPert Tools Pro) in their workflows.  Making them compatible with QuarkXPress 7 greatly expands the possibilities of what designers can do.  Specifically, designers will be able to achieve their visions with greater consistency through better scaling, improved guides, and powerful text-linking. 

Quark XPert Tools Pro will help designers excel through the use of features such as XPert FindChange that allows them to transform not just text but entire documents in seconds.  XPert ItemStyles will enable them to quickly create attractive pages while keeping design consistent, and the XPert Pilot feature will let them go beyond tiny thumbnails to see large, graphically rich overviews of their projects.

List of XPert Tools

Other popular XTensions in Quark XPert Tools Pro designers will look forward to include:

- XPert Guides: Create and edit on-screen guides with precise control

- XPert Scale: Scale multiple objects and their contents in a layout quickly and easily

- XPert BoxTools: Ease the process of adjusting the size and placement of items, text, and graphics

- XPert ImageInfo: Access information about pictures and the capabilities for modifying pictures placed in layouts

- XPert PageSets: Save frequently used settings in the New Project dialog box as a style

- XPert Toolbars: Create custom palettes for quick access to any QuarkXPress function

- XPert TextLink: Provides an intuitive palette for linking and unlinking text boxes and text paths

- XPert Print: Print or export pages or spreads as EPS files

- XPert Type: Access and apply common text-formatting options quickly and easily.

With XPert Tools Pro, Quark now surpasses InDesign CS2 in terms of functionality. It’s an exciting time: in a couple of months Adobe will release InDesign CS3. It remains to be seen whether Adobe will be able to beat Quark in this area.