DENVER -- February 13, 2001 -- Quark Inc. today announced the release of the first major upgrade to Quark Digital Media System (QuarkDMS). QuarkDMS 1.5 will provide even more powerful tools to help publishers re-use valuable media assets created in any software application, and will solidify its position as the most comprehensive digital asset management system for publishers and cataloguers. "Quark is on the right road with QuarkDMS 1.5," said Ronnie Borain, editorial operations manager at Independent Newspapers, the largest newspaper publisher in South Africa. "Since we installed QuarkDMS, we've dramatically streamlined our operation while providing more accurate and reliable access to information." Streamlined user interface QuarkDMS 1.5 will improve content-intensive publishing workflows. The interface for Mac OS and Windows clients has been expanded to allow users to check in and set attributes for multiple files or folders in a single operation, use context menus to perform common tasks, and drag and drop assets or folders to the desktop for rapid check-out. The query interface has been augmented to allow users to search for documents or layouts based on assets they contain, build new queries based on existing queries, and prompt for user input when a query is run. "QuarkDMS 1.5 is easily customizable to fit any situation, and the scalability and document support are fantastic," said Michael Stevens, creative services systems administrator at Novara Group. "The client interface is very good. It's well organized and easy to use, so users can find what they need without difficulty." QuarkDMS 1.5 introduces "collections," a new asset type that combines the best features of assets and folders. Collection assets organize all the information and assets for a project or publication, providing an easy way to group assets associated with catalog products or design projects. The new e-mail notification feature will make it easier for QuarkDMS users to automate asset routing or send assets as e-mail attachments. Attachments can even be sent to people who are not users of the asset management system. Modular growth The QuarkDMS product line is maturing rapidly with an ever-increasing number of optional XTensions modules that extend the capabilities of the system. Since the initial release of QuarkDMS, Quark has shipped two substantial modules that add Web client access and image editing functionalities to the system. Availability The QuarkDMS 1.5 upgrade will be free to all customers who are covered by maintenance contracts. QuarkDMS can be purchased from the authorized system integrators listed on the Quark Web site at www.quarkdms.com/purchase/dms.html. System integrators who are interested in learning more about QuarkDMS should contact Quark by sending an e-mail to [email protected].