QuarkXPress Tips, Tricks, Tutorials and Techniques

• Access special characters from the Utilities menu  To insert a special character, choose Utilities>Insert Character and then choose the special character to insert on your page. To view the new symbols for invisible characters, choose View>Invisibles.
  
  
• Apply an embossed effect to text  An embossed effect can be applied to text with the addition of the opacity and drop shadow effects in QuarkXPress® 7.
  
  
• Apply picture effects to an alpha mask  After the alpha mask has been applied to a picture, you can non-destructively apply image effects to enhance your picture using the Picture Effects palette (Window>Picture Effects). Apply effects such as Gaussian Blur to blur the picture, the mask, or both the picture and mask. In addition to Gaussian Blur, apply other effects to alter just the masked part of the image.
  
  
• Apply runaround to your drop shadows  The drop shadow feature allows you to produce sophisticated effects without leaving QuarkXPress®. To refine your drop shadows so they are even more interactive with the objects on the page, you can apply runaround. Use the Drop Shadow tab in the Measurements palette and check Runaround Drop Shadow so that all objects located behind the drop shadow run around it.
  
  
• Apply split-screen view  To split the active project window into two panes, choose Window>Split Window> Horizontal or Window>Split Window>Vertical, or simply click one of the separators next to the scroll bars. You can even split an active project window into additional panes. You can work in any pane, on any page of any layout, and at any view scale, and the changes are immediately reflected in every pane.
  
  
• Assign improved locking to content and position  You can lock an item's position by choosing Item>Lock>Position so it cannot be changed in any way. To lock the content of an item without locking the item itself, choose Item>Lock>Picture or Item>Lock>Story. Choose both of the locking options to lock both the position and the item.
  
  
• Create a color within the Measurements palette  With the Classic tab in the Measurements palette active, simply click the color drop-down list to apply a color to an object. The first item in the drop-down list is New. Select this option to open the Edit Color dialog box and create a color to use in your project.
  
  
• Create single-layout projects  You have the option of creating a single- or multiple-layout project. When creating a project (File>New>Project), users can check Single Layout Mode to create a single-layout project, which users of legacy versions might be more accustomed to using. Leave Single Layout Mode unchecked to create a multiple-layout project.
  
  
• Embed fonts into an EPS file  When you save a page as an EPS file, you can embed the fonts used on that page into the EPS file. This capability means you no longer need to ensure that fonts are provided with the EPS files for output.
  
  
• Fixing Corrupt Files  Follow these steps to prevent this, and if it does happen .. if you have taken precautions ahead of time you can recover all or most of your data.
  
  
• Insider's Guide to QuarkXPress 7  Download 250 essential tips and tricks in this 41.8 MB PDF file.
  
  
• Maintain picture attributes  When you replace the picture in a picture box, you have the option of retaining all the picture box attributes - including scaling, positioning, rotation, and QuarkVistaT effects. The newly inserted image can take on the effects and transformations that were applied to the box or to the previous contents of the picture box. Simply check Maintain Picture Attributes in the Import Picture dialog box when importing a picture into a QuarkXPress® document.
  
  
• Mike's Sketch Pad  Has a plethora of QuarkXPress tips and turorials. Lots of tips for other applications as well ... making it great desktop publishing resource!
  
  
• QuarkXPress Basics  Includes such topics as: Boxes and Lines, Object Shape, Outline and Color Properties, Tools and Preferences, and more.
  
  
• QuarkXPress 7 provides built-in access to the PANTONE COLOR BRIDGE® coated libraries  This access allows you to see if your spot colors can be converted to CMYK colors. When designing a job that will print in four-color process with extra spot colors, always check a PANTONE COLOR BRIDGE guide to see if the spots can be simulated effectively in CMYK.
  
  
• quarkvsindesign.com  Has a nice page of handy QuarkXPress tips.
  
  
• Read colors by using a color picker inside QuarkXPress  Learn to use QuarkVistaT picture effects to get a color-picker reading inside of QuarkXPress.
  
  
• Select even or odd rows or columns in a table  You can automatically select all even rows, even columns, odd rows, or odd columns in a table for formatting by choosing Table>Select>Odd Rows, Even Rows, Odd Columns, or Even Columns. Then format the selected aspects of the table to enhance your project as you see fit.
  
  
• Space and align objects relative to each other, the page, or a spread  You can quickly access the space/align options using the Space/Align tab in the Measurements palette. Not only is this option right at your fingertips, but it includes new feature enhancements that can save you time. These features include the ability to align objects using Item Relative Mode, Page Relative Mode, or Spread Relative Mode. Simply select the item or items to align or space; then select any of the options in the Space/Align tab in the Measurements palette. The objects space or align to your specifications.
  
  
• Synchronize the angle of a drop shadow  Choose the Drop Shadow tab in the Measurements palette and check Synchronize Angle when applying a drop shadow to an object. This option allows you to easily change the angle of one drop shadow and apply that change to all the drop shadows in the layout. This one simple step can save you hours of time during the creation process if a change needs to be made to the angle of the drop shadows.
  
  
• Understanding the PANTONE ® Color numbering system  Have you ever been confused when looking for a particular four-digit PANTONE Color because the color arrangement isn't in strict numeric order? This is a quick method for finding a color.
  
  
• Using Clipping Paths  Tips for using images with embedded clipping paths in QuarkXPressT