Markzware Releases ID2Q Upgrade

Update: today Markzware announced the release of the new Windows version of Q2ID in addition to the Mac version announced last week. Both are available for download and purchase immediately.

Markzware (www.markzware.com), a developer of preflighting, data extraction and conversion software today released an upgrade to its conversion tool Q2ID (QuarkXPress To InDesign). This new version boasts full plugin support for Adobe InDesign CS3 and CS4 and converts QuarkXPress versions 3.3 through 8. Q2ID v4 is developed with the needs of the graphic arts industry in mind. This conversion tool provides a comprehensive solution to simplify the creative process and optimize the graphic design workflow.

I have used previous versions of the software and it works surprisingly well. Like all conversion products, the conversion is never perfect, and users need to be aware that not all software reads, writes and displays text and graphics the same way. It’s a programmer’s nightmare to make a product like this actually work in the world of design, particularly when graphic artists love to use every tool available to them to the fullest extent possible.

But if you aren’t expecting miracles and perfection, the software is a great tool for those ocassions where conversion is the only way to get a project moving through production. It’s also a great way to get older files into the system after your design team has switched layout software. If v4 is an improvement - and Markzware upgrades generally are - then it’s certainly well worth the modest price. In fact, converting one document that took several hours of work to create would probably more than pay for the software. If you need to do conversions fairly regularly (or would like to), it’s a no-brainer.

I tried a couple of old Quark documents today and found the conversion to be without flaw, although they were fairly basic files. We’ll be trying out the software further and will keep you posted. Meanwhile, if you are using any conversion tools like this one, we’d love to hear about your experiences.

Q2ID v4 enables the intricate details of content in a QuarkXPress document to be quickly re-created in InDesign. This conversion technology will save you countless hours of scanning, re-keying and formatting.  Q2ID converts and transforms files created with QuarkXPress on either the Microsoft or Apple Macintosh OS, into an Adobe InDesign file, which can then be opened on either platform.

Markzware also has an ID2Q product for swinging the other way, and a PUB2ID conversion tool for (gasp) Microsoft Publisher.

Pricing and availability:
Markzware’s Q2ID v4 is available from Software House International (SHI), Software Spectrum, Programmers Paradise, MacConnection, CDW and through Markzware Direct Sales at (800) 300-3532, or at Markzware’s online store, http://www.markzware.com/store_usa/Q2ID.php . The MSRP is $199 and the upgrade is $99 for users of Q2ID v2 or v3 only.   For more information, please visit http://www.markzware.com/q2id .

About Markzware:
Markzware, a privately-held company based in Santa Ana, California, is the leading developer of quality assurance, data conversion and workflow solutions for the international graphic arts, printing and digital multimedia industries.  Markzware B.V., located in Rijswijk, the Netherlands, is the company’s headquarters for activities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.