The updates announced are built into Quark Publishing System (QPS), a core component of Quark DPS. New Automation Services allow users to automate routine manual publishing tasks and enhance XML support throughout the publishing process. In addition, Quark introduced new QPS Portal Services, an Application Program Interface (API) to QPS that allows developers to build web-based extensions.
Automation Services
Automation Services, a new standard component of QPS, enables producers of richly-designed communications and technical publications to overcome dependency on programmers and labour-intensive manual tasks, resulting in reduced costs and faster delivery of content across print and digital media. Automation Services allows users to:
* Easily Automate XML Multi-channel Publishing: The challenge with multi-channel publishing is that content is developed in one format and delivered in another. Predefined functions in QPS now automate the conversion of formats for content creation (QuarkXPress, XML) to formats for content delivery (HTML, PDF, XML, and other digital formats).
* Automate Print-to-Web Publishing: Provides out-of-the-box integration with Drupal Web Content Management System for easy content repurposing to the Web.
* Integrate with Quark XML Author: Users can seamlessly integrate content created with Quark XML Author into QuarkXPress files and the Quark DPS workflow.
"An XML-based publishing solution provides multi-channel publishers and marketers maximum flexibility," said Melissa Webster, Program Vice President, Content & Digital Media Technologies at IDC. "Quark's new Automation Services streamline the XML publishing process, enabling users to publish content from across the organisation that originates in different formats to diverse channels."
Automation Services also integrates with Altova MapForce, an XML mapping and conversion tool. MapForce integration helps multi-channel publishers work with varied content formats by translating:
* XML into HTML for digital publishing
* QuarkXPress print layouts for digital publishing
* XML to print pages via QuarkXPress
"With Automation Services, any user can set up automated tasks, making it easy for organisations to reap the cost savings and information quality improvements of a dynamic publishing solution," said PG Bartlett, senior vice president of product management for Quark. "Automation Services also advances Quark’s commitment to XML by supporting a complete XML-based process for authoring, print publishing and digital publishing."
QPS Portal Services
Organisations that manage complex creative and editorial processes with widely dispersed workforces - such as large marketing departments or newspaper and magazine publishers - may need to customise their editorial system. With QPS Portal Services, which is an Application Program Interface (API), system integrators and in-house developers can build Web applications that adapt to any publisher’s specific workflow requirements to allow users to create, review, approve, and report content from anywhere, anytime.
Additional capabilities that are new to QPS include:
* Article Shapes: Authors can save time by using standard, reusable shapes that allow a user to write copy that fits into a text box independent of a particular layout.
* Centralised QuarkXPress Libraries: All users can work from the same shared library of reusable items using QuarkXPress libraries that are centrally managed in QPS.
* XTensions for Creative Suite 4: Users can work with both QuarkXPress and QuarkCopyDesk and Adobe InDesign and InCopy within one workflow system.
About Quark
Quark says: “Quark Inc led the first revolution in publishing with QuarkXPress, desktop publishing software that rapidly became the industry standard. Today, not only does QuarkXPress continue to innovate in the desktop publishing market, Quark is revolutionising publishing again. With Quark Dynamic Publishing Solution, we are helping customers meet changing requirements and develop new revenue streams by extending the benefits of advanced technologies across the publishing process. Our dynamic publishing solution is setting a new standard in automated multi-channel publishing by combining the power of flexible layout and design with easy XML authoring and automated workflows for customised communications across print, the Web and electronic media.”
