A new Picture Content Tool allows users to grab, rotate, and scale images in real-time without typing in numbers or switching from tool to tool. The Item Tool and Text Content Tool have "smart behavior" that allows for less switching between tools, even for rotation and managing multiple items.

New Bézier pen tools let users draw illustrations directly in QuarkXPress 8. Workspace enhancements include new buttons for instant access to master pages and exporting to PDF, EPS, SWF, and HTML -- plus new split-view buttons, enhanced contextual menus, and customizable active pasteboards.

The Measurements Palette has been enhanced to make even more functions easily accessible, including new clickable controls for on-the-fly drop-shadow modification. With QuarkXPress 8, you can drag text and pictures from the desktop, Adobe Bridge, iPhoto, or any other application that supports drag and drop. Alternatively, drag content from QuarkXPress to Photoshop, Illustrator, Microsoft Word, and other applications for direct editing.

Quark says that QuarkXPress 8 is the first page-layout application to offer hanging characters with paragraph-by-paragraph control, multiple and easy-to-use presets, and the freedom for users to create and share their own hanging character settings. It also offers enhanced control over baseline grid settings, the ability to apply unique grid settings to individual boxes, and a Grid Styles feature that can keep even complex documents consistent.

QuarkXPress 8 allows for synchronized and simultaneous design across print, Web, and Flash. Users can incorporate sound, video, animation, and interactivity into their layouts through a layout tool that was previously available as Quark Interactive Designer. Now designers and creative professionals can share print content on the Web and in Flash format without purchasing multiple applications or learning code, according to the folks at Quark.

With QuarkXPress 8, one global file format supports advanced eastern and western typography for more than 30 languages. All editions of QuarkXPress 8 share the same dictionaries, include hyphenation functionality, and support the import, formatting, and output of East Asian text. American and European users can switch the language of their user interface to fit their needs and all users can open and print a file created in any edition of QuarkXPress 8 without experiencing reflow.

The QuarkXPress 8 Plus Edition is built for users who require in-depth features for the formatting of East Asian text. The Plus Edition includes access to dozens of enhanced East Asian features, such as more than 20 additional OpenType font features, a character spacing feature, a true ideographic grid with character count, and the ability to apply grid styles that can be applied at the page and box level.

QuarkXPress 8 sports native Illustrator file import to complement the existing native Photoshop support, WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) font rendering, advanced guide management with Guide Manager Pro, Item Styles to enable simultaneous control of formatting for multiple items, support for importing PDF version 1.7 and earlier, and Ghent PDF Workgroup (GWG) based Output Styles and GWG-based Job Jackets support.

QuarkXPress 8 is available for purchase directly from Quark and through Quark resellers worldwide. The full version of QuarkXPress costs $800, and requires Mac OS X 10.4

Users who purchased or upgraded to QuarkXPress 7 at regular price between May 29, 2008, and today are eligible to upgrade to QuarkXPress 8 for free. Additionally, any users who purchased upgrades to or full products of QuarkXPress 7 between May 1 and May 29,, are also be eligible for a free upgrade to QuarkXPress 8.

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