Most known issues with QuarkXPress 7 and 8 involve transparency, colorized TIFF files, and geometry from PostScript.
Transparency
- Transparency support is still very limited in QuarkXPress 8.0 and earlier. Transparency in imported PDFs is not retained on export. The PDF import filter (Quark JAWs engine) still flattens transparency while converting everything to internal Quark format. Transparency objects created in QuarkXPress are more likely to retain their transparency appearance than placed PDFs that contain transparency.
- When flattening, QuarkXPress 7and 8 rasterizes objects that are below a transparent object. For example, transparency over a vector EPS file will result in a rasterized version of the vector data with the visual effect of the transparency. Because of this, for placed EPS files with very fine features (such as small text), you should increase the QuarkXPress flattening resolution in the output style.
- Using transparency and artificial font styles (such as artificial bold, italic, outline, shadow) may not result in the correct output. QuarkXPress 7 warns you about this when outputting.
- Using transparency with overprints (set in QuarkXPress or in placed EPS files) does not work. Overprint objects often disappear or knock out on output, when there is a transparent object on top of them.
Transparency with OPI
- OPI seems to work well with transparency when using bitmap-based TIFF and raster EPS images. When an image interacts with transparency, the QuarkXPress software renders the affected portion of the image with its transparency effect, using the highest resolution data available. QuarkXPress places the rendered version of the image on top of the OPI placement, so when you trigger OPI, it places the unaffected image below the effected portion of the image.
- Vector EPS files work with OPI but are rasterized in areas where they interact with transparency.
- OPI does not work for file formats with low-resolution FPO/proxy and DCS previews. The QuarkXPress software renders the transparent effect using the low-resolution preview in the FPO and DCS, because the high-resolution data is not available. These image types will be low-resolution in areas where they interact with transparency, even after the high-resolution OPI swap has taken place.
Placed PDF files
As in earlier versions of the QuarkXPress software, placing PDF files may not work correctly. Objects inside the PDF file that use overprints or native unflattened PDF 1.4 transparency often don't output correctly from QuarkXPress. If you need to retain the appearance of overprints and transparency effects in a PDF file to be placed, perform the following steps:
- Open the PDF file in the Adobe Acrobat software.
- Save the file in EPS format.
- Place the EPS file (not the PDF file) in QuarkXPress.
Note: Placing a large, almost invisible, transparent object (for example, 0.1% tint) over a PDF file forces the QuarkXPress flattener to rasterize the PDF, often with better results.
Color recommendations
Use a DeviceN color setup, such as Composite CMYK and Spot, when working with spot colors. However, this setting will convert LAB and RGB images to CMYK. Quark's color management will convert RGB to CMYK using the ICC profile specified in the color setup. If it is important to preserve LAB and RGB images in their original color spaces, select the As Is output option.
If you do not intend to color manage CMYK to CMYK conversions during output and you are using QuarkXPress 7 Default or QuarkXPress Emulate Legacy source setups, then no color conversion would be performed on CMYK data. The reason no color conversions would be performed in this case is because both default setups have the Color Manage CMYK Sources to CMYK Destinations setting disabled.
In order to preserve spot color information you need to use DeviceN instead of composite CMYK output. To use DeviceN, click Edit > Color Setups > Source. Click Duplicate to create a copy of the default setup. In the CMYK tab, click Color Manage CMYK Sources to CMYK Destinations, and save the setup with a new name.
To set your global defaults to use DeviceN, click Preferences > Print Layout > Color Manager > Source Options > Source Setup, and select the source setup you created in this procedure.
Colorized TIFF files
- Colorized TIFF files used with OPI result in lost background color. Instead, create the effect in Adobe Photoshop or output fat PostScript.
- Multi-ink colorized TIFF files do not output correctly. In a fat workflow, multi-ink colorized TIFF files are missing from the final PDF file. In a thin workflow, they are converted to CMYK on thin PDF output or are colored incorrectly in thin PostScript output.