Creating PDFs in Quark XPress 8.1:

Creating PDFs from Quark XPress 8.1 can be done by exporting directly to Postscript and distilling the resulting file in Acrobat Distiller. If you don't have Acrobat Distiller you may use the built-in Quark PDF export filter, but generally you will get the best results if you use Acrobat Distiller to convert Postscript to PDF.

Quark 8.1 introduced the ability to export PDFs with live transparency which can work better in our workflow. This requires some special export settings files that are unique to Quark 8.1. If you are using Quark XPress 8.0 or earlier go to this page instead.

Macintosh or Windows - Export Postscript and Distill

1. Quark Instructions:
First download this instruction sheet with information about setting up the Quark 8.1 export filter to produce Postscript and the export dialog settings you'll need to use.

2. Quark Export Settings:
Next download this settings file for Quark 8. The instructions in the pdf from step 1 outline how to install them and use them to export a Postscript file.
Quark 8.1 live transparency export settings

3. Acrobat Distiller Settings:
Next download these joboption settings file for your version of Acrobat> The instructions in the pdf from step 1 outline how to install them and use them to distill your Postscript file into a PDF.
Acrobat 6 Joboptions
Acrobat 7-9 Joboptions


Video Tutorial - This movie takes you through changing the Quark preferences to produce Postscript, then outlines the process of installing our PDF export settings into Quark and shows you how to convert Postscript to a print-ready PDF using Acrobat Distiller.
(3min, 14MB, Flash format)
Exporting to PDF through Distiller in Quark XPress