Tips

QuarkXPress Tips

CHECKING COLOR USAGE.
QuarkXPress does not have a feature that lists the colors actually used in a publication as opposed to those included in its color palette. Consequently, if you experiment with different colors while designing a document, there is no way to make sure that the only final colors are used in the finished publication. Failure to catch stray colors results in inconsistent color usage, and unwanted plates if you are printing spot color separations.

Here is an easy way to avoid this problem. When you have decided on your final colors, use the "Colors" command ("Edit" menu) to delete those you don’t want. When you attempt to delete a color that is assigned to an element in the document, a dialogue box appears telling you the color is in use and asking which color to use in its place. If you are not certain which elements the color is applied to and, therefore, which color to use as a substitute, cancel the deletion and laser print a separation for that color’s plate (In Print dialogue, turn "Separations" on and select "Plate"). Then repeat the deletion and make the change.

TOTAL PAGES IN DOCUMENT.
Although QuarkXPress does not have a code that displays the total number of pages in a document (for example, page 3 of 10), the following is a semi-automated method for inserting this information.

Insert an arbitrary character string (for example, *****) wherever you want the total number for pages to appear. Be sure you select a text string that is not likely to appear in the text of the document.
When the document is finished and you know the total number of pages, use the Find/Change command (Edit menu) to replace the character string you used with the correct number.
Be sure you do this only after the final number of pages is known -- it would be very risky to globally substitute one number for another since the number being replaced could well exist in the text of the publication.

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