Frequently Asked Questions

 

Quark and Dynamic Publishing

What is Quark® Dynamic Publishing Solution (DPS)?

Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution (DPS) is publishing software. It consists of multiple software components, some from Quark and some from third parties, including:

  • Optional desktop products for creating content: QuarkXPress, QuarkCopyDesk®, Xpress™ Author for Microsoft® Word, Adobe® InCopy® and InDesign®
  • Standard server-based publishing software: QuarkXPress Server and Quark Transformation Engine, for publishing to print and electronic media
  • Standard server-based product for automating workflow: Quark Publishing System
  • Optional browser-based product for content creation, final document edits and reviewing
  • Integration with server-based products for content management partners such as Alfresco®
Why is Quark offering a dynamic publishing solution?

When we took a fresh look at how we could best serve our customers, we saw that although they still needed help producing high-quality designs, they had an even stronger need to control costs while improving their information quality and enhancing their ability to serve both new markets and new requirements for existing markets. In particular, we want to help our customers collect information from all types of content and data sources, and publish that information to all types of media.

What is Quark doing differently than in the past that puts it in a position to do dynamic publishing?

We are placing a greater focus on enhancing our design capabilities to allow for much greater automation, injecting a big dose of XML capabilities into our architecture so that we can deal more effectively with components of media-independent information.

How does Quark DPS support open standards?

Quark chose XML (Extensible Markup Language) as the basis for the content that flows through Quark DPS. XML was developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, an independent standards organization, and is now a mature and widely supported standard. By using XML instead of a proprietary data format, Quark "future proofs" your investment in your content so that no matter what happens, your content will remain usable for all time.

In addition, open standards, such as Java™ technology and a service-oriented architecture, provide seamless integration within today's IT infrastructures and easy connectivity to complementary publishing and business solutions. Quark DPS can easily be 'extended' via its support for many industry-standard development environments such as Java, JSP, ASP.NET, PHP, Visual Basic®, and protocols like HTTP and SOAP.

Quark DPS also supports most industry standard output formats including QuarkXPress, QuarkCopyDesk, PDF, PDF/X-1a, PDF/X-3, PostScript®, PPML, EPS, JPEG, PNG, HTML, XHTML, and XML to feed end production processes, and Web, e-mail, and mobile delivery systems.

What types of customers and applications are the focus of Quark DPS?

We designed Quark DPS primarily for customers who want a faster, less expensive way to produce publications with design rich page layouts such as marketing collateral, newspapers, magazines, textbooks, and similar material.

How is Quark DPS different from Quark Publishing System® and QuarkXPress® Server?

Quark DPS is an end-to-end solution for complete dynamic publishing that includes both QPS and QuarkXPress Server. Quark DPS uses QPS to control the production workflow, including content creation, and it uses QuarkXPress Server for all production needs. QPS and QuarkXPress Server also are sold separately.

What is the relationship between Quark's support for desktop publishing and Quark DPS?

Quark has separate initiatives to continue improving our desktop publishing platform while developing and improving Quark DPS. While we remain committed to supporting creative professionals who use QuarkXPress and our other desktop tools, we are extending these tools and adding new components to our product line to support dynamic publishing. These initiatives share considerable technology, which means that improvements for one initiative will usually benefit the other.

We use InDesign®/Creative Suite®3. Does this mean we can't use Quark DPS?

The goal of Quark DPS is to help you input content from any source and deliver accurate, consistent, timely information to any output channel. Therefore, we designed Quark DPS to intake information from any content creation tool, whether that is QuarkXPress, InDesign, XML editors, or other input types. You can use whichever you choose.

 

To learn more or to see dynamic publishing in action, please contact us.