QuarkXPress Reviews & Product Details

Quark in its heyday was the be-all, end all for digital layout. But, when Adobe figured out how to do the same, InDesign became the standard. I thought Quark was the easiest..... but I was wrong... Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Quark in its heyday was the be-all, end all for digital layout. But, when Adobe figured out how to do the same, InDesign became the standard. I thought Quark was the easiest..... but I was wrong... It's outdated, and not even cutting edge. I was surprised when I was asked to review - because I thought it had gone away - that's how relevant it is, and I've been in this industry over 30 years. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

QuarkXPress (QXP), versions from 2016 onward that I have been using, have already been on the leading-edge of digital publishing innovation, including Flex layouts and progressive web app capability. My long-time favorite has been the HTML5 custom interactivity feature. As an eLearning content developer and creator of interactive web apps, coded in HTML, JavaScript and CSS, focused on stress reduction and behavioral healthcare, this new feature allows me to create, size and position a custom HTML frame and add script, layout, etc. All within the QXP GUI. When exported, the frame flawlessly displays the animation, essentially embedding a fully functioning interactive web app into the published screen. In my opinion, this has been a quantum leap forward for digital publishing! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Having been a QXP user since 2016 through multiple versions, including the new QXP 2025, I have become very familiar with the GUI, but this has been for me a steep learning curve. With complex and full capabilities comes a complex and deep bench of options, dialogs, controls, customization needing mastery. Sometimes requiring the support of other users and support engineers on the forum, who have been generous with their help and quickly responsive. But, make no mistake: this is a professional-level tool requiring dedication and patience to learn. Happily, the result of diligent effort to learn QXP is rewarded by professional output. And Quark has strong, accessible help resources to go to for sorting out challenges. AI-powered tools (currently in the subscription-based version) will likely make the learning curve smoother for new users. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

For me, one of the greatest strengths of QuarkXpress is the clear user interface, which provides a user-friendly environment. The layout helps me focus on my creative work without getting bogged down in the interface.

The non-destructive pixel image correction and the good features for drawing vector graphics make QuarkXpress a very usable package. It is equally useful for print and online products.

In addition, QuarkXpress has Pantone colors on board and produces perfect print data that I can send to the printer without any problems or media breaks. Compatibility with common file formats - and the ability to integrate them natively into Quark - makes collaboration with colleagues using other programs largely seamless.

To summarize, in my opinion, Quark is a reliable and feature-rich tool for professionals in the publishing industry as well as small office/home office environments.

The combination of user-friendly design, clear tools and personalization options makes QuarkXpress an indispensable tool for my daily work in the design and publishing business. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

QuarkXpress has some disadvantages that can be annoying: Working with tables is not always easy (especially when it comes to split or joined table cells). The program can also be slow when integrating extensive vector data. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like Quarks method of handling typesetting over any other competitor that I have tried. It is tremendously easy to set type for page layout applications such as magazines, books or pamphlets/flyers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I am not crazy about using Quark as a packaging design program. In that case, it is not near as suited to the layout needs of the packaging design process. It is great for compositing items that will be printed or seen on a page but not great for items that need to be used in three dimensions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love the simplicity of laying out my design projects like books, magazines etc. I've been using QuarkXpress for over 25 years now. Since most files I have built in the past were done in Quark, it makes it so much easier to just stay with that program and not switch over to InDesign... which I'm not a huge fan of. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The one hitch I'm finding with the latest version of Quark is that it feels a little unstable when opening older files (using older versions). I sometimes get the wheel and have to force quit and once I had to restart my computer, but after that, everything was fine. I am not really a big fan of seeing the bounding boxed when placing an Illustrator file in the document. I do need to go through some preferences to see if I can turn that kind of thing off. But other than that... it's working like a charm. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

All the core functions are simple enough to use that I was able to start creating marketing literature for my firm without needing to spend too much learning how to use them. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The few times when I haven't been able to figure out something right away, I've found that it's been more difficult to figure out the answer than other programs. The help files feel like they were more designed to be tutorials than an index of referrable features.

Copying entire pages from one quark project to another would be a nice feature (as opposed to copying all the elements)

Large projects become very slow to edit - further optimization would be nice (at least an option for slower PCs) Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As a regular Adobe InDesign user, I have been pleasantly surprised by how similar the features in Quark really are. The transition has been easier than expected. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One difficulty I have found relates to converting my QuarkXPress file into other file types. I signed up under the assumption that I could convert my file to InDesign - however, as it turns out, there is much more required in order to do that (especially if you are using a Quark file that wasn't created during the last couple of years). I was disappointed by the incompatibility - but the userface itself has been easy to adjust to. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

From its origins, Quark has been a desktop publishing program that closely resembles what those of us with gray hair refer to as real typesetting, going back to the days of hot metal type. Unlike desktop publishing programs which made up their own rules, Quark took the best traditions of multiple decades of professional typesetting and moved them into a workable, easy to understand and use desktop publishing program. As Quark has evolved over the decades with many of the new and wonderful enhancements, it has never moved away from its roots. The "other guys" may try to imitate typesetting with some bells and whistles, but Quark is today's version of real typesetting. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Having jumped from Quark 2016 to the newest version took some adjustment time. Still can't find a few things I was accustomed to, but, the newest version is so good, it's worth the minor irritation of relearned a few things. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Easy of use, I feel like QuarkXPress is a bit easier to learn than InDesign. It provides great tools for publishing but unfortunately it didn't update as fast as InDesign did with its cloud tools and integrations and was left behind. Also, its hard to find people with knowledge with QuarkXPress. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Its cloud tools lack, they are not as intuitive as InDesign. It also needs more integrations with third parties. Things work better when you use InDesign and Photoshop than QuarkXPress and Photoshop. Adobe ecosystem is so much better. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

UI from Quark XPress, PDF Export very easy Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

No Apple M1 support. Most publishers work with apple and want to use the perfomance from M1. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.