Prepress Question: How Do I Convert My Legacy Quark Files?

Markzware recently chatted about Q2ID with freelancer Jeff Kew of Fireboy Creative Inc., in Vancouver, BC. Canada, where he establishes workflow and prepress of files. Kew is also the founder and chapter representative of the Vancouver InDesign Group.

We discussed design layout file conversion tools and what has been happening in the world of prepress. With so many customers working in Adobe InDesign files, what do you do with all the legacy files to convert Quark to InDesign? Here is what Jeff had to say about using Markzware products to convert Quark and InDesign and his experience with Markzware’s Q2ID converter for Quark to InDesign conversion.  Also enjoy Jeff’s informative blog in which  you can discover resources of interest  within the advertising and design community.  In addition, read about book reviews, conference reviews, websites and blog reviews.

Convert Quark Legacy Files to Adobe InDesign with Markzware Q2ID

Markzware: What are some of your day-to-day responsibilities at Fireboy Creative Inc.

Kew: My day-to-day role is rebuilding or prepress the art directors files and prepping them for print. I have a lot of clients ranging from advertising agencies to freelance art directors and creative directors. They send me everything from hand drawn comps to roughed in files that need to be rebuilt.

Markzware: Do you provide customers with any guidelines on preferred file  formats and instructions on how to set up their content files so that they’re easier to process through prepress – and ultimately to print?

Kew: I recommend that  my clients that they work in InDesign CS4. But it doesn’t generally work that way. I receive files that are pdf’s from Corel Draw, hand drawn comps, Quark files, and sometimes InDesign, and even recently Microsoft Publisher. So I always expect to rebuild or repair.

Markzware: How did you learn about Markzware’s Q2ID application? And what piqued your interest in this plug-in?

Kew: Because of my prepress background I’d always been aware of FlightCheck for at least the last decade or so. But it was actually thru InDesign Magazine that I found out about Q2ID. It’s ability to convert my legacy Quark 6.5 files really caught my eye.

Markzware: Have you personally used the tool to convert Quark files (that originated in QuarkXPress) to workable Adobe InDesign documents? And if so, what are your impressions of the plug-in? Did you find it reliable, useful, seamless, easy to use?

Kew: Yes I have and numerous times. Just recently I had a project that I needed to redo in Adobe InDesign from Quark 6.5 as the client had switched to an InDesign workflow based on my recommendation. They were comfortable with the transition because I was able to show them how smoothly Q2ID would convert their legacy Quark files and they wouldn’t be losing money rebuilding old assets. It was a no brainer for them.

Markzware: Have you encountered any problems with the document conversion? And if so, what types of issues have you run into, in order to convert Quark?

Kew:  Very few issues, except where paragraph composer gets activated, and generally I just have to pull open the text box a little to reveal whatever became over-set. Honestly, the plug-in behaves better than I expected, there are very few problems I’ve encountered.

Markzware: Generally speaking, would you say that the investment in Q2ID is worthwhile? Do you feel as though it’s a technology that you’d recommend?

Kew: Yes, it’s worthwhile for any company with any library of legacy Quark files in Quark 5 format and above. The ROI is probably taken care of in just the first couple of ads that any studio would need to convert instead of having to rebuild.

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