Illustrator vs QuarkXPress: What Software to Choose

Looking for multifunctional software for your designs? Want to learn more details about QuarkXPress vs Illustrator stand-off to find your personal favorite? Both programs are packed with features for work with graphics. Moreover, they have interesting layouts and color palettes for creating web magazines and printed materials.

Illustrator allows creating graphic projects in all popular formats, and then output them in a printed form or post directly on websites. The software was developed for creating illustrations and minimalistic pictures with one-color filling.

QuarkXPress is a user-friendly program that allows you to create print designs, web designs, layouts and tables on a fully digital platform. This software can cater to the needs of graphic artists, content creators, marketers, and printing specialists.

Adobe Illustrator is free vector graphics software, which you can use to create all sorts of graphic layouts. Illustrator is a go-to option for designers, decorators, and people involved in the printing field, who need to complement text or notion with an illustration, but don’t want to draw it by hand. The software can also work with bitmap elements and allows users to save a sample of a vector symbol as a bitmap file.

Illustrator contains a lot of brushes, actions, and effects, while the working space resembles Photoshop a lot. So, if you have previously used Adobe Photoshop, mastering Illustrator will be a breeze. You can also create snapping to pixels, points and grids, live corners, and shapes, including ellipses, polygons, lines, and rounded rectangles. Users can take advantage of custom graphic templates, instant scaling, and export in SVG format.

1/2

1/2
2/2

Regular updates. Using Illustrator, you can easily create print-ready graphics. The toolset is frequently updated, so you get all the needed tools for producing professional vector graphics.

Remarkable compatibility with computers. Though the program isn’t optimized for mobile devices, it amazes with smooth and efficient work on all computers for graphic design and drawing tablets. You can run it on Mac and Win systems and enjoy trouble-free operation even if your computer was released in the 2000s. Thus, you only need to upgrade your OS whenever possible to feel the full potential of the software.

Simultaneous work with several pictures. With the help of the tools arranged on the panel, you can cope with basic tasks rather fast. It is even possible to use several artboards simultaneously, which is an undeniable advantage of the program in the QuarkXPress vs Illustrator competition. Moreover, it gives it a competitive edge in the Illustrator vs Photoshop battle, as the latter is capable of processing one photo at a time.

Scaling. If you use Adobe Illustrator, you won’t face resolution issues. The program doesn’t affect the resolution of graphics, allowing you to conduct experiments with media based on your needs.

Allows creating small files. Compared to similar platforms, Illustrator creates files that are relatively small. You can easily share them, send them by mail as an attachment, or use them without consuming many resources. The synchronization process is also very fast no matter what cloud storage you use.

Limited support for bitmap graphics. If you work with bitmaps with matrix pixel data structures, you’d better opt for QuarkXPress in the QuarkXPress vs Illustrator rivalry. You can vectorize your bitmaps for further processing in Adobe software, but you lose a portion of information about the graphics in the process. This can negatively affect your finished files.

QuarkXPress is regarded by many users as the best book design software, because it allows creating designs, images, and illustrations in one environment. There are also special instruments for manipulating photos.

The program appeals to users with high-quality tools for web design, which allow creating websites without employing CSS and HTML codes. You can also make good use of instruments for building mobile apps. If you lack the technical background, but want to get a pro-level product in the end, you’ll be amazed by its drag-n-drop functionality.

1/2

1/2
2/2

Very user-friendly. You don’t have to be a tech-savvy user to understand how this program operates. All features and tools are straightforward, while the drag-and-drop functionality makes the entire workflow as simple as it should be. Such a peculiarity was described in detail in the Adobe Framemaker vs QuarkXPress review. So, don’t hesitate to try the software even if you lack programming skills.

Excellent PDF support. You can export all standard PDF files, which are accurately opened on all platforms. Since QuarkXPress fully implements PDF technology, it creates standard PDF files every time.

Rich typography. This free graphic design software has a special set of tools for typography, while its famous rival is more focused on OpenType and other font variations. You can create elegant typography with a rich set of controls for alignment, rendering/glyph scale, spacing, and more.

Updated graphics engine. The latest version of the program is powered by the Xenon Graphics Engine, which takes advantage of the processing capabilities of modern multi-core machines. This makes your work with images agile and smooth, so you can achieve really professional results.

Resource-tolerant. The program doesn’t require advanced computers running Windows or Mac. Besides, you don’t need to invest in additional hardware for smooth operation.

No way to handle several projects at once. This is the biggest disadvantage of the software, which may be decisive for those comparing QuarkXPress vs Illustrator. Transferring objects to a new project becomes a serious problem.

Lacks some important functions. There are neither transparency gradients nor opacity and layer modes. Moreover, the program lacks a WYSIWYG font menu, so you cannot see the font style you are using until you select it and enter the type.

Many users want to learn how to get Adobe Illustrator for free. However, illegal versions can damage your system, so download the program only from the official website. To purchase the subscription for Illustrator, you need to pay $20.99/mo. But if you want to purchase a Creative Cloud membership with all the Adobe products included, get ready to shell out $52.99/mo.

As for QuarkXPress, you can choose from 3 packages: QuarkXPress, QuarkXPress Business, Education/Nonprofit. The plan with 1-Year Advantage starts at €474, if you need 2-Year Advantage, you have to pay €700 and the plan with 3-Year Advantage costs €954.

Illustrator is a wonderful program for graphic design professionals who create advertising materials with embedded branding. It contains tools to make sketches, typography, illustrations, logos, business cards and brochures, as well as fill video games, decorations, and clothing.

QuarkXPress is a popular Adobe Illustrator alternative used by companies of all sizes. It has an easy-to-learn interface and all the capabilities of a modern publishing platform. The program has four main categories: images and vectors, typography and text, customer item list, and digital publishing.

Download and try this set of fonts. Using them, you can add a beautiful and original inscription to your poster or business card in a quick way. All fonts are easy to use, allowing you to demonstrate your creative vision in a hassle-free manner.