BOSTON -- Quark, makers of QuarkXPress 6, took some time to sit down with The Mac Observer and discuss both their educational program, as well as some things to look forward to in the upcoming QuarkXPress 7.

We received a quick update on their educational program from Shellie L. Hall, Marketing Development Manager and Education Evangelist. The program, which has been active for about a year, offers deep discounts on QuarkXPress to qualified instructors and students for $199 for a single copy, and as low as $99 a seat if purchasing a 10-pack. This is a substantial savings off the suggested retail price of $1,045. We were told of the product being used by students as early as 8th grade, in one case for a collaborative yearbook project.

As for the upcoming QuarkXPress 7, we were briefed on major new features by Marc Horne, Desktop Marketing Manager, Glen Turpin, Director of Communications, and Tarra Gukhool, PR Specialist - Customer Relations. The first thing the team highlighted were the major goals of QuarkXPress 7, which are providing a premium design experience, making it easier for their users to collaborate, and to provide more layout and media options.

One example in the design space will be a new transparency features to be included in QuarkXPress 7, where users will be able to specify the opacity of the elements that make up any items or content in QuarkXPress — text, pictures, blends, boxes, frames, lines, tables, and more. QuarkXPress 7 will have greater control over transparency than other applications by managing opacity levels for any color element of an object rather than on an object-by-object basis.

In the collaboration area, QuarkXPress 7 will use industry-standard JDF to allow users to set specifications to control a job from start to finish using a Quark Job Jacket. A Quark Job Jacket will incorporate detailed workflow and prepress information directly into a QuarkXPress project. This will help control every aspect of the publication, from design to output and beyond.

QuarkXPress 7 is slated to be released before the end of 2005.