QuarkXPress vs InDesign

Images have become an integral part of our lives as these are not just pictures that are transferred from one platform to another but it contains different emotions which tell a lot about a person’s personality. It has been found that around 3.2 billion images are uploaded on the internet daily. Special software is required to create specific images like images for advertisements, promotions, logos, vector images, illustrations, etc. Two of the most famous software are QuarkXPress and InDesign which are capable of creating different types of images for different purposes. So let’s compare these two software to find out the best one.

What is QuarkXPress?

QuarkXPress is computer software that is used to create and edit page layout components without changing the structure. It is a WYSIWYG system which means What You See Is What You Get. It was developed by Quark Incorporation. Initially, it was released in 1987 and its stable version was launched in February 2022. It is used by publishing houses and designers for creating different types of layouts. It is available for Windows and Mac operating systems.

Advantages of QuarkXPress

• It supports different file formats like JPEG, PNG, TIFF, etc.
• It provides a large number of templates to use.
• It allows users to create web pages that are compatible with Dreamweaver.
• It allows exporting files in Joint Definition Format (JDF).

Disadvantages of QuarkXPress

• It does not support flash (swf) files.
• It does not provide drag and drop functionality like InDesign. 

What is InDesign?

InDesign is a computer application built with the purpose of designing page layouts. It was developed by Adobe Incorporation using the C++ programming language. Initially, it was released in 1999 and its stable version came on the market in 2022 in the month of March. It is available in many languages. It is used for different purposes like creating magazines, e-books, newspapers, brochures, etc.

Advantages of InDesign

• It is easy to install and configure.
• It comes with advanced tools all in one toolbar which can be placed on the top, bottom, right, or left of the screen.
• It produces quality images that are suitable for print media.
• It allows different team members to work together on a project simultaneously.
• It has the power of community support.

Disadvantages of InDesign

• It takes up large disk space on the user’s system.
• It requires heavy processors to work without hanging.
• No backward compatibility means files created in the new version cannot be opened in the older version.

Following is a table of differences between QuarkXPress and InDesign:

	QuarkXPress	InDesign
1.	It can be understood as a page layout editor which is used for creating, editing, and manipulating complex page layouts.	It can be understood as a desktop publishing software that is also used in page layout designing.
2.	It was developed by Quark Incorporation.	It was developed by Adobe Incorporation.
3.	It saves files with the .qxp file extension.	It saves files with the .indd file extension.
4.	It is available in 36 languages.	It is available in 24 languages.
5.	It is available at $699 for a lifetime purchase.	Its subscription starts at $20.99 per month.
6.	It supports the Photoshop transparency control feature.	It does not support the Photoshop transparency control feature.
7.	It lacks illustrator layers functionality for graphic editing.	It comes with illustrator layers.
8.	It does not support concurrent installation.	It allows concurrent installation.