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Topic: Is Quark worth learning?
| Author | Message |
| MLA_Chick85 | Posted – 2/8/2008 8:30:19 PM | show profile I've been hearing that a lot of magazines and publishers are switching from QuarkXpress to InDesign. But every time I see a copy editor or layout artist job on line, it asks for knowledge of Quark (not InDesign). So should I learn how to use Quark in order to get a job in magazine publishing/editing? Is there any way I can use my knowledge of InDesign (and the actual software) to learn QuarkXpress?(I'm way too poor to buy QuarkXpress and the damn download doesn't work!) |
| Marie | Posted – 2/9/2008 12:20:56 AM | show profile Please. For the editing functions, these programs are simple (the art design/stuff is something else). As I never tire of saying on this board, I AM A TECHNICAL IDIOT. CERTIFIABLE. And I have used both these programs and learned what I needed in about 20 minutes on the job. I don't have that much experience with InDesign, but it has similarities to Quark (I've been working strictly on the Web for two years, so it's been a while since I've used either). There is an underlying logic to these programs, and once you know that, which comes with a touch of experience, the particulars are simple. That's true of any software program, as well as the various Web publlishing systems. If you'd feel more comfortable, take some el cheapo course somewhere, so that you have a nodding acquaintance with both. Or just say you do, and if someone actually hires you on the basis of your saying this, then go out and take a crash course. But I've found that companies often tweak these programs to fit their needs, so even if you know them, you'll need someone to sit with you a few minutes on the job to show you a few things. Unless you're a designer running a freelance business out of your house, I wouldn't buy either of them. Again, the editing functions are simple, and some kind person on this board, of which there are many, would probably type out everything a copy editor needs to know in Quark or InDesign. |
| Marie | Posted – 2/9/2008 11:22:54 AM | show profile Just looked at your message again, and since you already know InDesign, I think you could say you know Quark. Try to get some practice on it, or get someone to tell you the differences, but I can think you can safely say you know it. |
| Letterbox | Posted – 2/9/2008 4:08:25 PM | show profile It's probably still worth learning. Quark will kick the bucket eventually. Their fate is sealed. But there are still a lot of companies that haven't switched over and probably won't for a while. As for how close the two packages are, there's a lot of crossover if you're familiar with the Adobe CS line. They are pretty different, though. It'll take you more than a few hours to gain enough practical working familiarity. |
| Mr. Biggles | Posted – 2/9/2008 5:42:18 PM | show profile As someone who's used Quark for more than a decade and learned InDesign within the past year, I can tell you that the two are similar enough that you shouldn't have too much trouble catching on (think Mac vs. Windows). |
