Quark today announced a free Universal update to QuarkXPress 7 for Mac OS X 10.4 "Tiger. QuarkXPress 7.01, which is available at no additional cost, runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs. The company said that QuarkXPress is the first major design and publishing tool to be released as a Universal application and that its new graphics engine, XDraw, leverages the power of Quartz 2D "to achieve the highest-quality rendering of text and graphics." QuarkXPress 7, released earlier this year, is the latest version of the design and publishing software; it combines many new design features with job-driven production capabilities in a collaborative environment. QuarkXPress 7, now shipping, is available through Quark resellers and partners worldwide and from the Quark online store at $750 for new users and for $250 as an upgrade to previous versions.

"QuarkXPress 7 delivers on our commitment to being an open and customer-focused company," said J�rgen Kurz, senior vice president of desktop products at Quark. "With this QuarkXPress 7.01 Universal update, forward-thinking designers and publishers can take advantage of high performance and optimum productivity of the latest Intel-based Apple hardware."

"Xcode and other innovative Apple tools give developers the power to quickly and easily create Universal versions of their applications," said Ron Okamoto, vice president of worldwide developer relations at Apple. "We're thrilled to have Quark deliver a Universal version of QuarkXPress 7 to join the thousands of Universal applications now available for our blazing fast Intel-based Macs."