Create Crop marks instantly in Quark and InDesign

Creating crop marks can be a time consuming operation. Luckily both Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress for the mac have scripts built in that can automate this process.

In QuarkXPress, select your object and go to the applescript menu and choose box tools > Add Crop Marks. After a few seconds the crop marks will be complete.

(click on image to see animation)

Inside InDesign, select your object and go to window > automation > scripts. Now in this panel choose application> samples > applescript or javascript > crop marks. Follow the onscreen directions and you are done!

(click on image to see animation)

Tracking in Adobe and Quark

Tracking is the process of changing the space between a selection of letters. In QuarkXPress people are used to tightening up the space by changing the amount to -1, -2, or -3 and most people are comfortable with these amounts. If you have been using Quark for awhile and then jump into InDesign, Illustrator or Photoshop and try to use tracking, you may run into some issues. Quark and Adobe measure tracking differently.

In QuarkXPress tracking is measured in units 1/200th of an em. In Adobe applications this is measured in units 1/000th of an em. This means that you are using to measuring -1, -2, or -3, you will need to multiply that number by 3 to get the same results in any Adobe application. Therefore you new numbers to type in for tracking are -5, -10, and -15.

Paste in Place

A commonly overlooked function of Adobe InDesign and QuarkXPress is paste in place. If you copy something to the clipboard, and then go to another page and just paste, it will go in the center of the screen. But, if you choose paste in place from the edit menu it will be pasted in the same XY coordinates that you copied it from.

Save a Quark 7 file as a Quark 6 file

If you have a QuarkXPress 7 file and want to save it as a Quark 6 file it can be tricky if you don't know where to look. Instead of doing a save as, you need to choose file > Export > layout. Now you can choose version 6 and you are done!

Use up that training budget!

We're just weeks away from the end of 2007! Still have some of your training budget left over? Help get your team up to speed - whether it's upgrading to CS3, intense instruction on certain applications, or a general overview of certain programs. We'll design a specific training course just for you.

By booking your classes by the end of next week we'll help you use up your budget before the end of the year and save money by honoring 2007 rates for all classes booked in the first quarter of 2008.

We'll even come to you! Our instruction for up to 4 hours of on-site training for up to 6 people is only $850.00* and for up to 9 hours of instruction is only $1400.00*. What if you don't have a training room? You can also rent machines from us and we'll set them up for your staff's use during the training! (*plus travel if you're more than 30 minutes away).

And don't forget, all of our instruction comes with a reference textbook & follow up support from our Certified Instructors.

We currently have the following days open for your on-site, custom training - just contact Tiffany (that would be me) to arrange your class!

Photoshop/Illustrator Instruction:
December 17 December 19 December 27 December 28
January 2 January 3 January 4 January 9
January 10 January 16 January 17 January 23
January 23 January 24 January 30 January 31

Quark/InDesign Instruction:
December 17 December 20 December 28 January 2
January 3 January 4 January 8 January 11
January 14 January 15

Flash/Dreamweaver Instruction (including Actionscripting 3.0!):
December 28 January 9 January 11 January 18
January 23 January 24 January 28 January 29
January 30 January 31

Video Instruction:
December 19 December 20 January 2 January 3
January 4 January 14 January 15 January 16
January 18

And don't forget about $5.00 Fridays! January 18, in conjunction with Studio Two, we'll go over tips & tricks in deciding whether or not to use stock photography vs. original and we'll show you time-saving trips for color correction & retouching. Get more information.

Did you miss the How to WOW with Direct Mail $5.00 Friday in October? We're having round two on February 22. We ran out of space last time, so get your seat early.

Indent to here

Here is a little pointer that will really make your day in case you have never heard of it. If you are trying to make a bulleted list in any version of Quark or InDesign, simply type your bullet (option-8 or ALT-8) and put a few spaces in. Now if you want your text to hang flush, place your cursor where you want everything to hang and type "CMD \" or "CTRL \". This will type the indent to here character and the rest of your paragraph will indent to the space specified. No tabs needed!

Quark 7 Leopard Update Coming

I just got back from the Quark symposium in Chicago today and here is what I learned about Quark and Leopard Compatibility.

Quark 6 is not supported on Leopard, and never will be. Use it at your own risk. I will be playing with it to find out if I can run into any problems. Stay tuned for updates.

Quark 7 (current version 7.3) works under Leopard, but there is an apparent issue relating to exporting PDF's. There is a patch in the works (7.3.1) that should under way in the next few weeks.

Quark Interactive design will not let you export to swf, which basically renders it useless until it gets patched. If this program is vital to your livelihood, please hold off updating.