ID2Q is Markzware‘s Quark XTension for document conversion to convert InDesign to QuarkXPress. This XTension was written about in X-Ray Magazine by Tami Stodghill, Press Relations, XChange UK:

With Markware’s ID2Q, get from there to here in under five clicks; and now with full support for … InDesign CS3/CS4 and QuarkXPress 7/8, moving from one to other couldn’t be simpler.

You know the story, as many of you are living it — day in and day out. Your client presents you with their document, and it’s up to you to replicate it within the application of their choice — or your choice. It sounds simple, but in reality it’s generally a nightmare of tedious reformatting, and after hours of that, your next client’s project arrives. Often enough to make you reconsider your choice of applications on some days, but before you hang up your mouse, take a minute to look at what might become the most important tools in your design tool chest.

ID2Q (Adobe® InDesign® to QuarkXPress®) is an XTensions module for QuarkXPress that provides a swift and efficient way to transform InDesign elements into QuarkXPress elements. That’s right…an entirely new document in a snap!

ID2Q is effortless to install and equally as easy to use. The return on investment is realized, in most cases, within your first use or two. Not to mention the frustration and redundant formatting it saves. Simply stated, ID2Q enables nearly painless data migration, reduce costs, and give you unprecedented liberation to use the desktop-publishing system of your choice.

“Being able to convert an InDesign document into a QuarkXPress project makes it possible to easily use documents created in the ‘other’ application,” states Markzware.

Figure 2 The conversion process is very easy.
Choose Markzware > ID2Q > Convert InDesign document.

Figure 3 Before the conversion can begin, you need to
define the settings parameters. If you extract the images,
be sure the document you are converting is contained within
a folder to where the images will be extracted.

Components of the content within the InDesign document are automatically re-created within QuarkXPress and include: page positioning, fonts and styles, images, and text attributes as well as tables, layers, blends, runarounds, linked text boxes and anchored boxes, and PANTONE® colors and other color models.

Figure 4 In many cases, when you open a document
created by someone else, you’re going to need to
chase down the fonts.

Figure 5 Starting with an InDesign document from
the Adobe samples folder of InDesign CS, I first
opened the document in InDesign CS3 (it does
support CS4, but I’ve not yet upgraded) and saved it.
Click here or the graphic for a close-up view.

Figure 6 Using ID2Q, I converted the document to
a QuarkXPress 8 project. Text converted quite well,
and I was happy with those results, but as you can
see, I’ve lost some of my graphics. Overall,
however, I won’t need to recreate from scratch.
Click the graphic for a close-up view.

ID2Q’s conversion technology saves innumerable hours of scanning, re-keying, and formatting and it will convert and transform files created from within InDesign on either the Windows or Macintosh platforms. The resulting QuarkXPress project can then can be opened on both platforms and can be an instant money maker for those of you in service bureaus, printshops, and design firms.

“ID2Q is an amazing little piece of software that installs into the XTensions folder in QuarkXPress. How well it does what it does is so brilliant that it borders on magic. It is the best XTensions module for QuarkXPress I have ever used or heard of and the speed and thoroughness with which it creates new QuarkXPress documents out of InDesign documents is simply incredible,” states Mause’s review.

While Markzware does state that it is important to note that even though ID2Q provides many benefits, conversion is not perfect — the majority of users find the product invaluable nonetheless. Any minor variations between the original document and the new file are generally because each of these manufacturers’ professional layout applications have their own unique methods of text rendering.

Here’s a few more examples; click the graphics to display a larger view.

Original InDesign Document		Converted QuarkXPress 8 Project

“Working with conversion utilities requires that you have reasonable expections,” says Cyndie Shaffstall, owner of ThePowerXChange. “No conversion utility will be fault free, but the results may suffice for most of what you’re doing. If, however, what you want is to convert these documents to a QuarkXPress 8 format and press print, you need to be aware that the results often will fall short of perfect. If on the other hand, you’re looking for a jump start — somewhere further along than full document recreation, ID2Q is the perfect tool.”

So, strap on a new outlook, and gleefully accept those client files. You’re armed now…. Source

Convert Adobe InDesign to Quark with Markzware’s ID2Q QuarkXPress XTension. Eliminate the time it would take to create QXP documents and cut costs to convert InDesign for fast return on investment. ID2Q for both Mac and Windows is available via the ID2Q page.

Desktop Publishing (DTP) with Quark-Adobe InDesign Document Conversion