From: jimp@trigraph.uucp (Jim Prall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.apps
Subject: Re: Quark XPress: how to translate to other formats?
Keywords: XPress, Quark, conversion, translation
Date: 22 Jan 93 18:56:54 GMT
Organization: Trigraph Inc.

In <1993Jan19.221848.11886@sfu.ca> margaret@sfu.ca (Margaret M. Sharon) writes:

>I just called Quark (303-894-8888) to ask which formats XPress can write and  
>they told me EPS, period(!?).  MacLinkPlus Translators version 7 doesn't have  
>a translator for XPress (DataViz, 203-268-0030), but they're considering it  
>for a future release, so no luck there.  

>So ... how does a person convert an XPress file into something else that's  
>editable?   Any and all hints welcome -- please post to this group.  Thanks!
>--
>Margaret M. Sharon, Academic Computing Services      margaret@sfu.ca
>Simon Fraser University, Burnaby BC Canada V5A 1S6   margaret@sfuvax.BITNET

XPress comes with some basic import/export filters that let you bring text
in to Quark from other formats, and conversly to export text from Quark
documents to some other formats. There are filters for plain text,
WordPerfect, MacWrite, MicroSoft Word, and a few others (listing from memory).

The filters are separate files called MacWrite Filter, etc. and must be
in the same folder as the Quark program to be active. When you select
Get Text or Save Text, Quark displays a list of available import/export
filters. You can also check what filters are loaded by holding down
the option key while selecting "About Quark XPress" under the Apple
menu. That gives a detailed display of how your Quark is configured.

So if you need the text of your document in a word processor format,
you select the text box, then use the Save Text command under the File
menu. If your text boxes are all chained together, they will all export
into a single output file. Separate, unlinked boxes must each be selected
and exported in turn. (Same goes if you have several chains of boxes,
as in a newspaper layout.)

Now, if you want more than that, you would need some other source
to provide a converter. In particular, if you want to convert a Quark
document into another DTP format, complete with graphics and page
geometry, that is not covered by the Save Text feature. I have not
come across any converters offering this. (Perhaps some DTP package
include a way to import complete Quark documents, though I have not
heard of this.) If this is what you needed, you may be stuck. But
see how far you can get with the Save Text feature.

There is a large selection of plug-in modules written for Quark by
various third-party suppliers. Most of these "XTensions" are available
from XChange (a few vendors sell direct only rather than through XChange,
but XChange has a very extensive listing. Call for a catalogue.)
A quick look at my copy did not turn up any Quark-to-other-DTP converters,
but there are a lot of different products and it's worth knowing what
is out there. XChange even has a disk-of-the-month newsletter with
free and demo version XTensions each month. This is a nice source.
XChange
4243 Starflower Dr.
Ft. Collins, CO 80526
1-800-788-7557
1-303-229-0656
1-303-229-9773 fax
or:
XChange UK, 44 (0) 81 877 9771
XChange Europe 31 5700 36622
-- 
--
- Jim Prall       
- jimp%trigraph.uucp@csri.toronto.edu  | Real triple-TLA quotes heard here:
- Trigraph, Inc.                       | "So the CPU of the SLC is in the CRT"