You can convert QuarkXPress to IDML and auto open that file in Adobe InDesign, by using the QXPMarkz app by Markzware. Set preferences and open the QuarkXPress file in QXPMarkz and it will automatically open the file in InDesign. This article provides the steps and a video, to further explain how:
Markzware develops software for printers, publishers, graphic arts, and similar industry professionals. Markzware’s QXPMarkz stand-alone macOS application enables users to preview QuarkXPress files and convert them to many app and file formats.
QXPMarkz can help you to get your QuarkXPress content into InDesign and other file types. Learn more about this QuarkXPress-document-processing application, by watching this video:
Video: QXPMarkz – Quark to Affinity Publisher and more – NEW PRODUCT
QXPMarkz Automation Preferences
The automation section lets you manually set up certain actions to occur, when you open a file in QXPMarkz. When you next use QXPMarkz, you may want to check on how the Preferences were set, before using it for a different purpose.
On Document Open: Export
You can select one or multiple formats to export at one time.
• IDML
• PDF
• TIFF
• PNG
• JPEG
• GIF
Export Path
• Relative to input path – If you have a file format enabled in the On Document Open/Export Section, these files will be stored in the same location as the original file
• Absolute Path – If you have a file format enabled in the On Document Open/Export Section, and you select the Absolute Path Radio button, you can then specify a custom path by clicking in the Choose an Export Path dialog box. This will bring up a standard Finder window where you can select a custom path to have your files saved upon export.
Rename to avoid overwriting
If this is enabled, QXPMarkz will rename exported folders that contain the exported files. The exported files will always have the same name as the original Quark document with a file extension of the exported file type.
To avoid overwriting, QXPMarkz will append a number to the end of the folder name the exported file is saved in. Thus if you run the same file through QXPMarkz several times and the file is named File.qxp and you export the file as a PNG, the second time you run this file through QXPMarkz and have the output path set to the same output path as the first time you exported, you will now have two folders, one named File_png and a second folder named File_png_1. Both folders will contain a file named File.png.
Suppress dialogs when possible
When this box is selected, warning and error dialogs in applications the IDML is sent to are suppressed, if possible. These dialogs would typically be things like missing fonts and missing images.
When opening files in other applications, many times they pop up alert dialogs that require you to click on something to continue. This can cause unwanted interference or halt, in a workflow. The downside of suppressing these dialogs is you do not know if fonts or images may be missing.
Always open IDML in
If you have selected IDML as one of the Automation Preference “Export” options, and you enable this Preference, you have the option to Open that IDML in a specific version of an application that can handle IDML files.
If you select InDesign as the application to handle IDML files, this requires InDesign CS4 or later, as CS4 was the first version of InDesign to support IDML. If you select Affinity Publisher, this requires at least version 1.8 of Affinity Publisher.
If you select Quark, this requires at least QuarkXPress 2017 for IDML files to work (with Quark 2017 you need to make sure you have the IDML Import XTension loaded. Quark 2018 and 2019 ship with this XT by default)
Show in Finder
If this in enabled, your exported file will be shown in a Finder Window so you can directly access it upon Export. At least one file format must be enabled, to auto export for this to work.
Close Document
If Close Document is enabled, QXPMarkz will close the Preview of the document it creates after a specified period of time (typically five seconds or less). This may help keep screen clutter to a minimum depending on your personal preferences. This does not work on its own, at least one file format must be enabled to auto export for this to work.
QXPMarkz IDML Preferences
IDML files do not contain preview data, by default. QXPMarkz allows you to “Create Lo-Res Previews,” low-resolution previews of images for your IDML file. Thus, instead of seeing a gray box where an image is, this feature allows you to get a lo-res placeholder image as a preview. This makes it easier to see what the document actually looks like, without having to relink images. You can later replace the lo-res previews with high-resolution images.
Create Lo-Res Previews
QXPMarkz gives you three choices for creating lo-res previews for your exported IDML files:
• Never
• For missing images
• For all images
Link to Lo-Res (Checkbox)
When this preference is enabled and you have selected either “Create Lo-Res Previews” for missing images or for all images, QXPMarkz will attempt to link to the previews it creates. Note: If you are mostly using QXPMarkz for files that have locally linked images, you may want to consider setting the “Create Lo-Res Previews” to “Never“.
By doing this, QXPMarkz will find your original images at their original locations, instead of trying to create low-resolution previews. (This saves you time, as the original full-resolution images should be linked to the document.)
“Now, you can export this QuarkXPress document to many different file formats, for instance, to IDML. Very handy, as you know, in this world, where many other DTP applications will import IDML files.”
– David D., QXPMarkz reviewer
Always use system default
By default, the macOS system always uses the latest install of Quark as its Default Version of QuarkXPress. If you have both QuarkXPress 2018 and QuarkXPress 2019 loaded on your computer, the macOS system default will be QuarkXPress 2019. Selecting this Preference is like double-clicking the .qxp file, in the Finder. This will cause QXPMarkz to attempt no IDML conversion.
Always use a specific install
Selecting this radio button allows you to force a specific version of QuarkXPress to always be used to open files. This is like Right-Clicking on your QuarkXPress file, in the Finder, and selecting an application to open it. Selecting this Preference causes no IDML conversion to be attempted.
Auto Open IDML in Adobe InDesign
Following is a sample page layout workflow for desktop publishing (DTP), using QXPMarkz to Auto Open IDML in InDesign. A valid version of InDesign must be loaded on your computer, for proper processing.
This workflow is for QuarkXPress to InDesign file conversion, such as many customers have successfully accomplished with Markzware’s popular Q2ID (Quark to InDesign) plugin. Using this workflow, when you open a file in Markzware’s QXPMarkz app, it will automatically open your file within Adobe InDesign.
Open the QXPMarkz Preferences window and click on “Automation”.
1. Under the “On Document Open: Export” area, select “IDML,” and
choose a path to which you want to save the IDML file.
2. Under the “On Export” section, select “Open in Default Application,”
select “Always open IDML in,” and
select your version of InDesign (CS4 or newer).
(For InDesign 2020, manually select InDesign 2020.)
3. Uncheck the “Show in Finder” checkbox and select “Close Document.”
Once you have completed these steps, you have created an automated workflow. (Congratulations!) So, when you open your next QuarkXPress file in QXPMarkz, the app will automatically convert the file to IDML and open it in InDesign.
QXPMarkz Benefits
• quickly processes QuarkXPress files on a Mac
• offers ease-of-use in a versatile, multi-purpose app
• saves money on page layout application subscriptions
QXPMarkz Features include
• Open QuarkXPress files in Affinity Publisher, InDesign, Acrobat, Illustrator, and other applications, via Markzware‘s IDMarkz app.
• Open InDesign files in Acrobat and Annotate the PDF
• Preview QuarkXPress files & export .qxp files as IDML, PDF, TIFF, PNG, JPEG, or GIF
Buy QXPMarkz
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Do you use Adobe InDesign? Have you tried to open QuarkXPress in InDesign? Please share your DTP file experiences with Markzware’s audience on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and other websites.
QuarkXPress to IDML, Auto Open IDML in Adobe InDesign: QXPMarkz macOS
