stumped in Quark

[mspain77]

I'm trying to rotate a group of text boxes 180 degrees to that I can set a 2-up of a half size postacrad on a ltr size for printing. I've created a larger document so that I cold rotate without going outside the page-didn't work. It's not an option in 'modify', and it's such an easy task, there must be something that I've overlooked. The rotate tool doesn't work with grouped objects either, HELP!

[CaptainQuark]

Without knowing which version of QuarkXPress you're using, it's difficult to give you exact instructions to solve your problem, so I'll work on a generic workaround and the ideal solution.

1 – The Generic Workaround Your best bet, IMHO, is to complete your document at its finished size. When you are satisfied that the job is exactly as you want it, do a Collect for Output. Open up the collected QXP file and "Save Page as EPS". Don't forget to include bleed if necessary.

When you have done that, create a new document containing two picture boxes in the position/orientation you require. Put your tick marks in, etc. Don't forget to allow for bleed if you included that in your EPS. Select one of the picture boxes a [Cmd]+[E] to import the EPS that you exported in the previous step. Then Copy/Paste the EPS into the other picture box.

As long as you send the full Collect for Output from the first step along with the document, so that your printer has all of the elements and fonts needed to output the job, there should be no problems at output time.

2 – The Ideal Solution Simply complete the job and Collect for Output, as described in the first step above.

Then print to PDF/X1a, not forgetting crops & bleeds.

Send the PDF/X1a file to your printer and let them impose it as per their needs.

Simple!

If you let me know which version of QXP you're using and whether or not you have Adobe Acrobat, I can help you with something more specific. I'm not sure where you are, but as I am in the UK, there may be some time-lag.

Hope that helps.

[mspain77]

I'm running v6.5. I do have the CS2 suite. I ended up just exporting the file as a pdf and importing it into 2 picture boxes on a ltr size page kinda' like you suggested. we're printing them in house, so all the prepress ends with me and no one else would be able to position anything any other way. i make the ps files for the platemaker and then we run it thorugh the presses. oh well, i figured a work-around. this is why InDesign is superior.

[CaptainQuark]

OK. Now I know what I'm dealing with…

The Rotate tool in QXP is the third one down n the tools palette. To test my theory, I created a group of two text boxes and two picture boxes. Then I grouped the 4 elements and used the Rotate tool to rotate the group to 90°. It worked a treat! By holding down [Shift] as you rotate, it constrains the rotation to increments of 45°, so you won't have to worry about getting it straight.

Alternatively, if you group all of your elements together, select the group with the "Item" tool and look in the Measurements palette, you will see your X/Y and W/H specs. Next to that you will see a kind of "angle" symbol with the default value of '0°'. Simply input the degree of rotation you require. That way, you don't even need to bother with enlarging the page to ensure that, as the elements rotate, there is enough room for everything to fit.

This is why QuarkXPress is superior!
(Is the name giving any clue as to my allegiances?)

I hate to admit it, but QXP isn't great at exporting PDFs. You would be far better off exporting a .PS file and running it through Distiller (if that is included in CS2 – I don't know, 'cos I don't have CS2).

[mspain77]

mine is a goup of text boxes and two pic boxes like yours. when grouped, the angle in the measurements pallete goes away, only x, y, w, and h remain. also, when selecting the rotate tool (yeah, i know which one), my cursor turns into a locked padlock suggesting that's not an available option. that's why i'm currently doing a poster in InDesign, and i like it a lot better.
so anyway, your ideas have been proven unsuccessful and i don't know what else to do. lluckily, that job is over but i'd like to work it out for future reference. thanks.

[ElDiabloConCaca]

Is, perhaps, one of the items in that group "locked?" If you lock an item, then you can't move or rotate it, and if a locked item is in a group of items, then the whole group is affected by the lock on that one item.

[mspain77]

nope. i checked that too.