Q2ID – InDesign plugin

Tool for converting QuarkXpress documents into InDesign format.

QuarkXpress has fallen from grace amongst many designers. And with the continual rise of Adobe's InDesign in the features war, creatives and prepress workers now have a strong alternative to, what was once, a one Quark race.

But this still leaves the problem of what to do with all of those old Quark project files. InDesign CS is able to open older QuarkXpress documents with some degree of success. But for later versions of Quark, this is more of an issue.

The latest version of Q2ID (QuarkXpress to InDesign), from Markzware, is an InDesign plugin that enables QuarkXpress files, of any version, to be converted for use with InDesign CS or CS2. Q2ID is especially of use to smaller design companies, or freelance designers, where budgets may be too tight to keep upgrading QuarkXpress to the latest version.

Q2ID is a one stop shop solution, using the InDesign File -> Open dialog box. The QuarkXpress files are simply imported into a new InDesign document with the majority of the original QuarkXpress features and settings intact.

Q2ID will convert QuarkXpress documents that were created on either the Mac or Windows platforms, although currently the plugin only runs on Mac versions of InDesign.

Items from QuarkXpress documents that Q2ID will convert into InDesign formatted documents include page positioning; color settings such as CMYK specifications, Pantone selections and other color models; fonts and style sheets; linked images and graphics, text attributes and tables, layers, color blends, runaround settings, linked and anchored text boxes.

We found Q2ID to be an invaluable tool in an Adobe InDesign-based creative environment - especially those that are used to receiving many different versions of QuarkXpress documents, from different sources. It is simple to use and the conversion is nicely handled.

Those with a larger budget may well argue that the best solution would be to open a Quark document in its native format. And it is a valid argument. But, if you have chosen to go the InDesign route - and repurposing QuarkXpress files to InDesign is your goal - then Q2ID is a worthy choice.

Q2ID costs US$199, EUR€199, £139 and is available from plugins distributor Markzware. It is now available for Windows users, after originally being released for the Mac OS X market only.

QuarkXpress 8 released with new import and export features.

WIN one of FOUR copies of Q2ID! (Competition now finished)

The publishers of Q2ID Markzware have given us four copies of Q2ID to give away to four lucky members of the Design Talkboard forums. To enter the design competition and win one of these copies of Q2ID, all you need to do is follow the link below and let us know your opinions on a very simple question, which is posted here!

To post messages on the design forums, you need to be registered as a member. Or if you are already a member, then simply go to the design forums and post your comments.

About Markzware

Markzware is a Santa Ana, California-based software publishing company, catering to the graphic arts, printing and publishing industries. They are best known for producing QuarkXpress Xtras and Adobe plugins for a number of DTP, design and prepress tools, including Flightcheck and Pasteboard XT.