Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Gouges the Consumer Plus Frustrating as all get out
I made up my mind a year ago to learn 4 computer art/graphics based programs, the industry leaders. These were Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Quark. Of the four, my worst experience has been with Quark. I find myself fighting it every step of the way and that there is no intuitive sense to its interface. To add insult to injury, it is by far the more expensive of the 4 programs. To think that this program is ... more than Photoshop, an absolute masterpiece of a program, boggles my mind! I also find the educational support materials and online assistance for this product way below what is available for the other three. Adobe's website is a consumer/educational paradise in comparison to Quark's idea of consumer/educational support. I've just seen Adobe's In Design, the competitor for this product, demonstrated live in the classroom and I am eager to try it instead, especially since it was designed to work hand in hand with Photoshop and Illustrator. My design work uses a lot of visuals so Photoshop-friendly is very important to me. I'd try this product and Adobe's In Design out at your local community college first before spending this kind of money on this program. I also saw in the classroom demo that you can pull any of your existing Quark files right into Adobe's In Design so no one should have trouble switching over to it.
Rating:  - QUITE SIMPLY: QUARK ....
We have been using Quark in our design office for three years, and are extremely glad to have finally purchased InDesign to replace it. For too long now, we tolerated Quark's limitations and non-user friendly interface. When we purchased it, we were sold on the program's multi-page layout "strengths" (smirk). But printing a 170 page book, three times a year, has proven to be a feat/ritual, each time we need to proof, then more problems when we pdf files to press. Maps I placed as .eps files 4 months ago have to be replaced because otherwise they print blurry. As soon as I REPLACE the map with the same .eps map file, it prints fine. Why do I only have this problem with "Quirk? " What a hassle. It's not our printer network folks, it's not us, and it's certainly not our G4 Firewire 800s. It's the quirky make-up of Quark. Bugs continue to shoot out of it to this day. I have more bad examples but I won't go on. If you don't take my word for it, fine. Call any design/print shop in the city you live in and ask when & why they switched to Indesign. You will be shocked. Quark is a rapidly burning and sinking ship. You can't say I didn't warn you.
Rating:  - Long-time Quark user
I've been using this program since it first came out and was compatible with pre-press, what a great thing that was!!!! I was using PageMaker, but at the time, Quark was pre-press capable & PageMaker was NOT. Once you know it...it is great. It is for the serious graphic designer for page layout, brochures, etc. That is why ALL good printing companies use Quark. If you plan on going to press...Quark has been there from the start...PageMaker is finally catching up.
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