DENVER - September 7, 2001 - Quark Inc. today announced that the beta version of the QuarkXPress 5.0 software is available for download and public beta testing. Anyone interested in testing the software can download a copy from www.quark.com/products/xpress/beta. "QuarkXPress 5.0 is a key component of our strategy for media-independent publishing," said Jürgen Kurz, vice president of product management at Quark. "It's a single application that publishers can use to create content for print, Web, eBooks, and more. It's critical that tools and processes converge for publishing businesses to remain competitive. QuarkXPress 5.0 helps publishers cut costs by giving them a single tool to deploy content to multiple media." "I found QuarkXPress 5.0 very easy to use," said Micah Harman of Micah Harman Illustration. "It's a useful and welcome upgrade. The Web features are intuitive and easier to learn than any other Web software I've tried. I recommend it to print and Web designers alike." Productivity-enhancing print tools QuarkXPress is trusted and used more widely than all other page layout applications combined. QuarkXPress is the tool of choice for designers, production staff, and output providers around the world, and is supported by a network of hundreds of developers and service providers. QuarkXPress 5.0 makes the industry-leading print tools even better. QuarkXPress 5.0 adds a new Tables feature that allows users to create graphically-rich tables to structure design elements or organize complex data. Rows and columns in QuarkXPress tables can contain picture and text boxes with virtually all the typographic and image control users expect from QuarkXPress. The new Layers feature allows users to isolate items on separate "tiers" within QuarkXPress documents, and lets publishers manage document variants quickly and easily. This feature is ideal for users who need to manage complex projects such as targeted marketing materials, multiple versions, and documents with language or text changes. QuarkXPress 5.0 will also help users save time and money with a revised, more efficient print user interface, enhanced PDF support, contextual menus, and better color management. New yet familiar tools for Web design QuarkXPress 5.0 also empowers designers who create content for multiple media by bringing the world's leading page layout environment to the Web. Designers who are familiar with QuarkXPress can become productive Web designers immediately without having to learn new tools. "Our customers have asked us for a Web design tool that works like QuarkXPress. That's becoming increasingly important as more and more publishers try to cut their costs by merging their print and Web workflows," said Brett Mueller, senior product manager at Quark. "QuarkXPress 5.0 is a true design environment that now has interactive tools for the Web. Enabling print designers to take their rich skills to the Web will raise the bar on Web design." Standards-based tool for multiple media QuarkXPress 5.0 has a wide range of new and enhanced features to support print, Web, and PDF workflows. It is an open application that relies on industry standards to generate content for print, Web, and eBooks. Users can import and/or export dozens of file formats, including HTML, PDF, and XML. In addition, the powerful XTensions interface allows developers to enhance the functionality of QuarkXPress to meet the needs of unique publishing workflows. There are now more than 500 commercially-available XTensions that augment the capabilities of the QuarkXPress software, delivering vital niche solutions to Quark customers. Availability Anyone interested in testing QuarkXPress 5.0 can download a copy from www.quark.com/products/xpress/beta.Testers can offer feedback or report technical problems by sending an e-mail message to [email protected]. General inquiries about QuarkXPress 5.0 beta software should be directed to [email protected].