I have written an image processing application.  I would like to add
the ability to read and/or write native QuarkXPress files.

Reading is more important to me than writing.  Minimally, I would like
to be able to image each page of a QuarkXPress document to a raster
image (tiff, tga, etc.).  A more complete solution would let me
manipulate the various elements of the document before imaging it.

On the writing side, I would like to be able to encapsulate an image
file in a QuarkXPress document.  That is, save an image as a
QuarkXPress document rather than as a tiff or jpeg file.

I need one of three things to help me to do this (in order of
preference):

   Existing source code for reading/writing QuarkXPress files
   A licensable (ie free or inexpensive) library for same.
   A specification of the QuarkXPress file format.

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Request for Question Clarification by duncan2-ga on 28 Oct 2002 10:46 PST

The QuarkXpress file format is proprietary and documentation may be
difficult or impossible to find.  Older versions of Quark may be
easier to find documentation on.  Bearing that in mind, can you
specify which version of Quark files would be acceptable?

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Clarification of Question by bratwurst-ga on 28 Oct 2002 11:31 PST

What I need to support is whatever versions of QXP documents my users
have.  I assume that many of them are using the latest version of
QuarkXPress, so I guess I need to support the latest document spec.

There may be some wiggle room there in that I don't need to be able to
support every feature of the application.  I just need to be able to
read "garden variety" docs.  If it turned out that simpler XPress
documents actually conformed to an earlier file format version (this
is the case with Photoshop docs), then a spec for an earlier version
might be useful.

Something I should have mentioned initially...  I AM persuing the
possibility of a relationship with Quark for solving this problem. 
Information regarding Quark's offerings (SDK, etc.) will not be
especially helpful to me.

To my knowledge, an image (TIFF, EPS, JPEG) placed in Quark cannot be
"embedded" in the Quark file. Quark's model is one of a paste-up
table, where images are placeholders only, which "link" to actual
hi-resolution image files.

The only way to produce a "self-contained file" if you will, is to
export the Quark page as an EPS file, or print to disk as a Postscript
file (or PDF file through a variety of means). PDF has the added
benefit of embedded font information also. PDF can also be rasterized
in Photoshop (to get your TIFF), and usually can be opened in
Illustrator.

On a Mac, I suppose you could change the filetype & creator codes to
trick your software to think a Quark file is really a TIFF, but that
probably won't help, eh?

One last note, Quark can save a low-res b+w thumbnail "preview" of the
first page of a Quark file. This option is in the Save as... dialog
box. I suppose if you only need a quick visual aid this image could be
"read" by your program; it is intended for use by cataloging software
like Portfolio and Cumulus, I believe.

I'm not a programmer, so I'm probably a left-field idiot, but from the
Quark user side of the field that's my 2c. Cheers.

Minor clarification-

By "placed" I mean of course, placed using the "Get Picture" command.

Users can always "paste" image data from the clipboard, which does in
fact get "embedded" in the Quark file. This is not the normal worlflow
in Quark however.

-b

I hope this might verify what some has already said: I have talked
with people from Adobe, who make the competing product, InDesign. They
have spent a LOT of effort on trying to import QuarkXpress files - to
ease the transition for users switching to InDesign from Xpress. They
told me it was extreamly difficult to reverse-engineer the file
format, because specifically "Quark does not release it's
specifications" on the qxd format. InDesign does now import Xpress
Documents pretty well - I'm actually impressed - but they claim no
guarentees. InDesign cannot save Xpress documents. I have tried
looking at the format myself with various tools - and quite honestly -
I am very impressed with Adobe's work on just importing Quark
documents.  I know this is not the answer/comment you are looking for,
but at least it's someone else out here on the net that has heard
about Quark and it's specs for the qxd format.  -Aaron