Opening Quark 6 documents in ID CS

[Adrian_Zambrano@adobeforums.com]

Can anyone tell me if there is a plugin that will allow ID CS to import Quark 6 files? I get an errror message stating that "ID may not support the file format, a plugin that supports the file format may be missing, or the file may be open in another application." (I created the file using no plugins and ID CS was the only program running when trying to open the Quark file.) Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Robert_Levine@adobeforums.com]

No, you can't. You'll need to save them as 5.0 docs, open them in 5.0
and save them as 4.0.

This has been discussed to death. There's just nothing else you can do
at this point.

Bob

[Adrian_Zambrano@adobeforums.com]

Thanks for the input Bob. You have been very helpful.

[giofoto@adobeforums.com]

How in Sam hell are you going to get people to swtich to inDesign CS from Quark if you cannot convert the files? It's illogical.

[Robert_Levine@adobeforums.com]

Who says you have to convert them? Keep current projects in Quark and
start new projects in ID.

Bob

[Jim_Oblak@adobeforums.com]

giofoto, How in Sam heck are you going to find people foolish enough to have purchased Quark 6? Most are still in version 4, which inDesign CS supports well. Upgrading to Quark 6 and then deciding to move to InDesign is illogical: Quark 6 and IDCS came out around the same time. There was no need for IDCS to import Quark 6 since there were no Quark 6 documents yet available.

[ID._Awe@adobeforums.com]

Jim:

Re: "There was no need for IDCS to import Quark 6 since there were no Quark 6 documents yet available."

True, but there were version 5 and considering your comment "Most are still in version 4" it seems illogical that "You'll need to save them as 5.0 docs, open them in 5.0 and save them as 4.0." Rather than being able to import a version 4 directly.

The rather snarky nature of the "experts" answers on this board is more annoying than the questions they didn't read.

It was much more professional in the early days.

[Jim_Oblak@adobeforums.com]

ID. Awe:

My post was to mimic the emotional silliness of expectations in an earlier answer and those other posts all over this so-called 'unprofessional' forum that expect unadvertised features in InDesign. I apologize if this sarcasm was not clear. I was not criticizing Adrian's very valid question.

I'm lost where you are coming from with True, but there were.... Because most Quark users are in version 4, there is no major need to question how to open Quark 6 documents. The extra steps that Robert described (6->5, 5->4) are due to Quark 6's inability to save down to the most popular Quark format (version 4). It is not a failing of InDesign that it cannot open Quark 6 documents. As I said, the Quark 6 document format was not available for InDesign CS developers.

The small market of Quark 5 users could save down to version 4 so there was no problem in moving documents from Quark 5 to InDesign. Quark 6 is the stinker when it comes to importing into InDesign.

Adobe offered Quark 4 document import so that it could swing users to InDesign. InDesign has been able to import Quark for some time. It is the designer's problem if they chose to ignore the window of opportunity to move their library of documents to InDesign... missing this opportunity is what would be foolish. I recognize that there are still some folks that are better suited to upgrading to Quark 6 instead of InDesign due to established and heavily-invested publishing systems.

I'm also lost where you are coming from with the comment about 'snarky nature'. I have yet to meet an expert on this forum. We are all here to learn and pass on what we know. There is a good chance that comments on this forum are not well thought out as many folks post in a spare moment between processing/RIP'ing... like I often do. If I had the time to post this fuller explanation of my opinion in my first post, I might have done so.

[ID._Awe@adobeforums.com]

Well duh! I gots v6.

The thing is, I do not provide excuses to any of my clients to work my way or the highway. They can provide their work in any format they wish and I will always get it done with a minimum of fuss. Professionalism has a high price, either having all the software or at least knowing the best method of conversion. IDCS could still have had a converter for Quark 5 if they want to keep the ball rolling to finally drive the last stake in (although Quark itself is doing a fine job killing itself these days).

I use InDesign for all the magazines I produce, but I have yet to say to any advertisers "Gee are you're damn stupid for using Quark 6".
Even if a client provides an MSWord document for an ad, I just have a good laugh about it and move on, they're not that difficult to convert if you know what you're doing.

[Jim_Oblak@adobeforums.com]

No excuses were made here, nor should we as designers/service providers make any. No one was calling anyone 'darn stupid' simply for using Quark 6.

If you own Quark 5, you can open down-saved Quark 4 documents in InDesign. There is no need to roll balls.

[Tony_Stuart@adobeforums.com]

Well duh! I gots v5. <grin>

Don't know why everybody is so down on Quark 5. We have found it to be just as stable as Quark 4 was on our Win 2000 network. But it is clearly my third preference among layout programs.

[ID._Awe@adobeforums.com]

Tony: I agree, v5 was a good version, but just not enough of an upgrade. I took advantage of their cross-grade to get Quark 4 from PageMaker. I actually still have one cross-grade left from InDesign.

Took advantage of the 50% off deal that Quark sent me to upgrade to v6 (which is a very stable version, but not even slightly enough as a new version, should have got full rez previews as part of the software with v4). I think I recall someone posting 'Who would want to use that?'. Doh!!!

Hopefully Quark will get the message this time, but I don't think so, so far they have only changed the management team not the software.