The first thing to get straight when evaluating QuarkXPress 7 is that with three million registered users worldwide, Quark is more focused on keeping existing customers happy than on converting Adobe InDesign users to QuarkXPress. While many people have switched to InDesign, many more have stayed with QuarkXPress, just biding their time. The newly released QuarkXPress 7 is what they’ve been waiting for.

QuarkXPress 7 fulfills two fundamental objectives: Its design-related features are improved enough to keep QuarkXPress interesting and vital; and it solves deep-seated workflow problems. I believe it will turn the page-layout market on its head.
There are scores of significant new features in QuarkXPress 7. Some make XPress more efficient to use, such as moving 95% of the controls once available only in modal dialog boxes to the Measurements palette for instant visual feedback. Others are new design features, such as implementation of transparency and drop shadows that are markedly superior to InDesign. Coupled with a dramatically improved on-screen display of text and graphics, the designer’s world takes a great leap forward.
But the most profound changes involve collaboration and workflow. For the first time in the page-layout world, the artificial barrier of “one user per document” is gone — without the need for a server. Instead, anyone with a copy of XPress can work on a document at the same time as other users, and changes can appear in real time.
Another big change, which is actually required for the most successful collaboration, is a technology that ensures that everyone working on a project uses the same color management settings, output goals, and mechanical specifications. With the new Quark Job Jackets technology, Quark has tapped into the JDF (Job Description Format) standard and brought it upstream to the original content creator. Bonus: The designer doesn’t need to know anything about how Job Jackets work.
As you can see, there’s a lot of ground to cover. To help you zero in on the changes that interest you the most, I’ve divided the rest of this review into sections on Design, Efficiency, Collaboration, and Workflow. I’ll end with my overall impressions.
But first, let’s go over two boring basics: OS availability and price. The initial release of XPress is available for PowerPC Macintosh (OS X 10.4 or above) and Windows. Quark says that a Universal Binary version for Intel-based Macs will be available this summer as a free upgrade for registered users of the Macintosh version.

Buy QuarkXPress 7 Passport Multilanguage for MAC – 119$