Illustrator vs QuarkXPress

Digital images have become very popular due to the rise of online platforms, these images are used for a variety of purposes like creating interacting banners, posting on social media, making illustrations, etc. To create quality images, advanced image creation and manipulation software are required. Adobe Illustrator and QuarkXPress are two of the most used software which helps in creating and editing different types of images. So let’s compare them.

What is Illustrator?

Illustrator is a vector graphic creating and editing software. It was developed by Adobe Incorporation so it is also called Adobe Illustrator. It is one of the best tools for creating characters, icons, logos, vector art, digital paintings, etc. It can be downloaded from adobe’s official site. It has numerous tools to ease the design work. It provides an easy-to-use interface that is beginner friendly. 

Advantages of Illustrator

• It contains shape modes for making compound images.
• It allows users to separate different components of a project on different layers.
• It has various advanced features like 3D text, auto-tracing, etc.
• It has an intuitive color panel which makes the artwork realistic. 

Disadvantages of Illustrator

• It is expensive software and hence it is difficult for people to afford it.
• Graphic card is required to use advanced features like Blending.

What is QuarkXPress?

QuarkXPress is a computer application designed for page layout editing and creation. It was first launched in 1987 as a desktop publishing software by Quark Incorporation. It is a proprietary software which supports multiple operating systems like Microsoft Windows, macOS, Classic Mac OS etc.

Advantages of QuarkXPress

• Web pages created in QuarkXPress are compatible with other software like Dreamweaver.
• It supports hexa-chrome and RGB colors which makes artworks and illustrations very realistic.
• It has photoshop transparency control for advanced lighting and shadowing features.
• It is available in several languages which increases its user base.

Disadvantages of QuarkXPress

• It is not compatible with .fla files.
• It lacks activity tracking and publishing options.

Following is a table of differences between Adobe Illustrator and QuarkXPress:

Category	Illustrator	QuarkXPress
Definition	It can be defined as a vector editor for creating high quality images and artwork.	It is defined as a desktop publishing software for web pages editing and creation.
Subscription	Its subscription starts at $20.99 per month.	It is available at $699 for a lifetime purchase.
Rating	It has high user rating as compared to QuarkXPress.	It has lower rating as compared to Illustrator.
File Extension	Its files are saved with .ai file extension.	It files are saved with .qxp file extension.
Languages	It is available in more than 20 languages like English, French, German, etc.	It is available in 36 languages including Arabic, Chinese, Polish, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, etc.
Export Options	Files can be exported in different formats like PNG, JPEG, along with SVG	Exporting files in SVG format is not possible.
Features	It has many features like Activity tracking, Collaboration tools, Design Management, etc.	Features of QuarkXPress are Content Management, Data Visualization, Image editing, Version control, etc.
Popularity	It is more popular as compared to QuarkXPress.	It is less popular as compared to Adobe Illustrator.

Conclusion/Summary

Comparing both the software it is clear that QuarkXPress is good as the single-time purchase is available while Illustrator requires a monthly or yearly subscription. Drawing tools are nearly similar in both software so the choice depends on users’ requirements like industry-standard designing work or simple work for personal projects.