Last workweek , in this infinite , we note that Quark hosted an Expo session in which it was look to speak to media , customers , and partners about its new Quark Interactive Designer . In the spirit of talks , we posed a couple of questions we would n’t have minded hearing the answers to .

We did n’t have to hold back long for Quark to get back to us with answers . Here are responses to each of our interrogative sentence , courtesy of Jürgen Kurz , Quark ’s fourth-year frailty United States President of background products . ( His italicized answers follow our question . )

• Since QID look very similar to QuarkImmedia , how much of QID ’s codification is really deduce from QuarkImmedia , and will QID support QuarkImmedia files or asset , such as button , animations , and so on ?

It is true that QuarkImmedia , a multimedia practical app that might have been age ahead in its time , inspired us to develop Quark Interactive Designer . While we reprocess algorithms and UI concepts of QuarkImmedia , the computer code base is built from scratch , leverages forward-looking engineering ( such as Unicode ) , and seamlessly integrates with core functionalities of QuarkXPress , such as composition zone , darkness and transparencies . Quark Interactive Designer does not support old QuarkImmedia files .

• If users spell a SWF file into a QID single file , will it forge properly inside the SWF that QID export ?

Absolutely . Any SWF from version 6 to 9 can be imported in Quark Interactive Designer . It will play as think in the final SWF filing cabinet exported by Quark Interactive Designer . Depending on the sort of SWF you import , Quark Interactive Designer might also be capable to control it from the outside , such as Play , Pause , or end functionality .

• Since there are so many things that Flash can do that QID can not , wo n’t this turn off designer / developers ?

Customers do n’t always require the intersection with the most features — they usually desire the instrument that is the best burst for the job . So , if I ’m a designer look at a massive list of features and programming tools in Flash that I just do n’t need , it ’s the consolidation and ease of use of Quark Interactive Designer that will draw in me .

That articulate , our scripting capableness are very robust and there are areas where we do have lineament that Flash Professional just does n’t offer : you ’re getting the integral layout and design features of QuarkXPress , and you get a Sir Frederick Handley Page - based way of designing , which is a much undecomposed fit for projects like product duty tour , web advertizing , and so on .

• Considering that Adobe cancelled LiveMotion ( its Flash development shaft ) before the Macromedia acquisition , why do you think that Quark will do well , or be able to keep QID up to appointment with Flash engineering science ?

We can not remark on why Adobe cancel bouncy Motion . However , our customer research designate that multi - channel publishing is life-sustaining for most of our customers . So we created Quark Interactive Designer as a design pecker that is seamlessly integrate inside QuarkXPress and countenance originative professionals well design for multiple medium channels : print , World Wide Web and interactive . In other words , not as a standalone , isolated coding environment .

• Will we someday be able to export QID files to other formats , such as Microsoft ’s WPF or ( finally ) WPF / E ( Windows Presentation Foundation / Everywhere ) , Microsoft ’s cross - platform Web presentation engineering science , which is presently under development ?

We are always pass judgment for what medium our customers would wish to design , regardless of whether the media publishing technology comes from Adobe , Microsoft , or is undefended Source . Flash was the high on their wish lean , so that ’s what we support today . Tomorrow is another question . We will be prepare to respond to the needs of our customers .

• How does QID correspond into Quark ’s mathematical product strategy for the future — is it part of an sweat to expand beyond QuarkXPress itself , or is it a protraction of XPress add - ons in the spirit of QuarkCopyDesk ?

We develop Quark Interactive Designer as part of our multi - channel publication scheme , which provide the ability to easily create derivative employment for unlike media channels : mark , Web and interactive output . In that sense , Quark Interactive Designer takes another step in expanding beyond print .

• There have been many attempts by various vendors to combine photographic print and Web design and product pecker , but none have been successful . Does Quark believe that ’s because of technology demarcation line , product designs that did not influence in the real world , or cardinal difference between photographic print and online spiritualist that demand a near independent creative exploit for each sensitive ( and limiting sharing to canonical message re - function ) ?

The challenge when offer originative tools for different output environments is to not compromise one authoring surround to the limitation of another , while at the same clip still leverage the benefit of offering these author environs in an integrated way .

QuarkXPress ’ core technology is base on linking dissimilar authoring environment ( we call them “ layout spaces , ” which we introduce in QuarkXPress 6 . For representative , you could simply make one design or mental object alteration to at the same time change not only your postcard , but also your pamphlet and bill . With Quark Interactive Designer that switch could ( if you wish well ) also double inside your interactional tutorial . These are great vantage for hoi polloi who are concerned about their society ’s brand consistency .

With Quark Interactive Designer we spent a tidy sum of energy in create a puppet that is both elementary to practice and incredibly brawny — even if the users would n’t manage about work in an author environment that integrates with QuarkXPress . We categorically refuse to compromise its design functionality just so it could run within QuarkXPress .

We thank Jürgen for take the time to reply our questions .