About the same time Quark Inc. released its 3.11 updater to fix bugs in 3.1, they announced QuarkXPress 3.2, which will have a variety of new color-related features, most notably the EfiColor™ XTension, developed in conjunction with Electronics for Imaging, Inc. In addition, version 3.2 runs substantially faster than version 3.1 and offers more than 20 new features. Version 3.2 is expected to ship in 1993.
Using the EfiColor XTension, QuarkXPress 3.2 users will be able to use low end color printers as proofing devices with greater predictability. The XTension ensures that colors displayed on monitors will better match final output and determines whether a particular output device can print a particular color. In addition, EfiColor supports Metric Color Tags™ to read color information from TIFF and PostScript files.
Following is a listing of the new features:
Performance Upgrade
The code for QuarkXPress 3.2 has been optimized to assure that all tasks performed in the new version will be accomplished with greater speed - in some cases as much as five times faster.
Save for Service Bureau
This new feature will save a document and all imported graphic files in a user-specified folder for transport to a service bureau along with a data file containing information about the document. (Currently available as a free XTension)
Auto-backup
When Auto-backup is enabled, XPress automatically writes a complete copy of a file to the hard drive before deleting an older version. It allows the user to set the number of revisions to be kept.
Save Page As EPS
First available in version 3.0, this feature has been enhanced with the addition of a pop-up menu offering the following formats: PC Color, PC B&W, PC DCS, PC DCS 2.0, Mac Color, Mac B&W, Mac DCS, Mac DCS 2.0
Next Style
To facilitate text formatting, this feature allows users to link style sheets. Entering a paragraph return automatically selects the next style.
Window Tiling
This feature allows the user to display multiple documents simultaneously by arranging or “tiling” documents so that they’re all displayed at once - even across multiple monitors.
Color Swatch Drag
Text and picture box backgrounds, frames, and lines, can now have color applied to them interactively by dragging a swatch from the Colors palette and applying it to the selected item. (Currently available through the Bob XTension.)
New Pantone Color Sets
Version 3.2 adds three new color pantone models. pantone ProSim uses pantone four color process colors to simulate the pantone matching system colors; pantone Uncoated configures the pantone matching system specifically for uncoated paper, and pantone Process provides a color model with 3,000 color builds using pantone process colors.
Font Creator
Included for users who want to take advantage of Adobe Multiple Master fonts, this feature allows the creation of a wide range of stylistic font variations from within QuarkXPress. It also checks for instances of Multiple Master fonts in imported EPS files and has ATM create them if they are not already installed in the user’s system.
Box Skew
To create unusual effects, QuarkXPress 3.2 provides the ability to slant text and picture boxes. Boxes can be skewed from –75° to 75° in .001° increments. Just remember to take it easy—‘special effects’ too often result in ‘bad taste.’
Vertical Character Scale
In addition to being able to scale characters horizontally, users can now scale characters vertically from 25% to 400% of normal height.
Events Scripting
Users can now write AppleEvents scripts to automate repetitive tasks, such as opening a document using Userland’s Frontier scripting language and/or any new generation of scripting language including those forthcoming from Apple.
Cool Blends
To increase options for two-color blend patterns, Quark will include an XTension that adds five new patterns to the Color Blend pop-up menu in the Colors palette: Mid-Linear, Rectangular, Diamond, Circular, and Full Circular. (Currently available free with Cool Blends XTension.)
Most of these features are new, and we could certainly use the speed enhancement. But don’t hold your breath for an early release—remember, 1993 lasts all the way until December.
