  
Quark, Quark Promote, and QuarkXPress — a winning combination
Quark Promote is a new direction for Quark. It’s not software that we sell, but rather a service. This is a fairly new type of technology known as SAAS or software as a service. Through a combination of a web site and a client application, Quark Promote enables the customer to create their own marketing pieces by choosing from a series of professionally designed templates.
Quark is a software company and while we are entering the print market, we have no plans to buy a press or print plant. We are sticking to our core competency: building software. By focusing on what we do best, we are able to continually improve our product and add customer-requested features. With this as our foundation, there is no limit to the directions we can take Quark Promote.
Quark Promote is not dependent upon QuarkXPress. in fact, most Quark Promote users (small- to mid-sized businesses) have never even heard of Quark or of QuarkXPress — whereas those two names have likely been a part of your vocabulary since before you came to own your shop. QuarkXPress is important to Quark Promote, however. All templates are created in QuarkXPress and then are subjected to a manufacturing process that converts them to a proprietary format especially for Quark Promote.
QuarkXPress users provide beautiful templates
With Quark firmly committed to building software, we are dependent upon two very important communities: designers who use QuarkXPress and printers to output the final product.
So, while Quark Promote users do not ever use QuarkXPress, Quark Promote would not be successful without the beautiful templates that originated in QuarkXPress. We have great plans for all designers who use QuarkXPress and who wish to provide templates for Quark Promote and for those who are looking for design jobs that are outside the scope of Quark Promote. Any designer interested in becoming a part of the Quark Promote community should visit ILoveDesign.com to become a member of our designer registry. In fact, you probably have a designer on staff who may be interested.
The template collections are beautiful and, with such talent in our community, expertly designed with both graphics and text geared specifically to the small- to mid-sized business vertical market. We have dozens of verticals and more coming online every day.
Not just design, but copy too
What you will notice first about our templates is that they also contain well-written and appropriate marketing copy. The copy is also specific to each vertical. At Quark, we recognize that these SMBs are not designers, but that they are also probably not copy writers. By providing complete designs and sample copy, our customers can create professional marketing pieces on their own that make them look like they hired a designer (and writer!). We know our marketing copy is meeting the market needs since most Quark Promote jobs are submitted using our copy with very minor modifications.
In addition to our custom verticals, we also provide a large collection of all-purpose templates to for company types for which we do not yet have tailored designs.
At this time, Quark Promote templates offer either seven or eight matched pieces. Each set may include: letterhead, envelope, tri-fold brochure, datasheet, flier, business card (some have both vertical and horizontal), appointment cards (vertical or horizontal), and postcards. As we continue to build our product offerings, you will find that we add lots of new custom items and even email and web pages. There is no limit to the capabilities of Quark Promote.
Test proofs
Once a customer has customized a template, they are then able to print a test proof. This is watermarked, but it does provide them the opportunity to consider and socialize their design to get feedback. We've found that customers often use Quark Promote to design a piece and then tweak it for as much as three weeks before actually making a purchase. Quark Promote is superior to other online offerings in that the customer can work without an internet connection until they are ready to order since Quark Promote is an application that they download. When they choose a template, that is also downloaded to their hard drive and they may return to it at any time.
Output providers make Quark Promote shine
When a design is complete, the customer logs back on to order. The first step in this process is to choose a type of printing: prints by mail (PBM) or neighborhood printing (NBH). In both cases, the output provider is determined by the zip code the customer has provided. In the case of prints by mail, the zip code is used behind the scenes to find a prints-by-mail provider in the region. The customer is not provided the opportunity to choose the printer and there is no relationship between the provider and the customer. Packages are shipped blind to the customer. In the case of neighborhood printing, the zip code is used to display a list of printers near the customer. Matching shops are displayed on a Bing® map and in a list. The customer chooses a shop and then completes a typical online ordering process.
Generally speaking, a prints-by-mail provider is a large facility with both offset and digital presses. A PBM facility probably performs most or all of their bindery services in-house. Neighborhood printers are shops of all sizes. The primary criteria is that a NBH has a reception area for customers — a place for them to come to pick up their job. Neighborhood printers are not required to have offset presses and do not have to participate in the printing of letterhead and envelopes, which are offset only.
The customer has the option of choosing a printer at a location other than their own. For instance, they may be traveling to a tradeshow and would like to have the job printed where the event is being held. This is a great convenience for our customer. This is also a service that no other web-to-print company can offer.
Customer acquisition and incremental revenue
As a Quark Promote authorized neighborhood printer you will benefit by meeting customers who are shopping online, and whom you would not have likely met without a web-to-print offering. If start-up expenses have kept you out of this market then Quark Promote is the ideal solution for you. There are no up-front costs involved with Quark Promote. In simple terms, Quark Promote functions as a print broker for your store. All transactions, taxes, and shipping charges are handled by Quark — enabling you to stay focused on print. At the end of each month, Quark will pay you by automatic deposit for each job that you have printed. You don't have to worry about invoicing, collections, returns, or non-payment. It couldn't be simpler.
Quark Promote is non-exclusive. We have thousands of printers in our network and it is growing daily. This means that there are lots of printers from which a customer may choose. You might only receive a trickle of jobs — especially if you're in a more rural area. On the other hand, you might be the only printer for miles around and find that you receive much more regular traffic from Quark Promote. We don't think we will be your most frequent customer, but we do think that we will bring you incremental revenue — and lots of opportunity. After all, getting a free listing in one of the fastest-growing web-to-print offerings around certainly has its benefits.
Consistency is important
After the customer has submitted and paid for their job through Quark Promote, we generate a PDF/X-1a file with native transparency. We use the GRACol 2006 ICC color profiles in order to ensure color consistency across providers.
Member portal
As a member of our community, you will be given a private portal access to Quark Promote. When a customer selects your store, we will send you and email and tell you that there is an order ready for you to print. The portal is your direct access to Quark Promote. Here you will review, acknowledge, reject, accept, and mark ready for pick up any Quark Promote projects.
We have an outstanding customer-support team that monitors this portal at all times. If they see that you have not acknowledged a job within four business hours (with consideration for your individual store's hours), they will send you a reminder. if they do not receive a response, we will reassign the project to another store and notify the customer. it's important for you to promptly process all phases of the jobs through this portal, including marking it ready for pick up.
When you have completed the project, the mark ready for pickup will send an automatic email to the customer to stop by your store and retrieve their job. It will also notify our accounting system that the job is complete. They, in turn, will approve and initiate payment for the job. If you do not mark jobs ready for pickup, you will not receive payment.
As part of the on-boarding process, we will create a log in for you at our test portal. We will then send you a small number of job notices. These are exactly what you would receive from a real job, but they are samples for which you will print five of each and send them to us for review. We do this to ensure that you can see first hand what an email notification looks like, how the portal works, and what type of quality we can expect from your shop.
Up-sell opportunities
Having the customer come to your store and pick up the job is the greatest benefit to your neighborhood store. In this way, you are able to develop a relationship with the customer and sell them other print product that are not available to them through Quark Promote. If you print a "We've Moved" postcard for a customer, what better way to promote your services than to suggest that they may also need a banner for the new location? We encourage you to take the opportunities and to find ways to build your customer base.
Many of our neighborhood printers phone the customer as soon as they receive a job from Quark Promote and offer to print a high-quality proof. This is a shining example of up-sell and customer-relationship building.
The brokering contract
As a Quark Promote output provider, you will enter into a contract with Quark. This contract defines the brokering relationship and the amount you will be paid for the jobs you print. All Quark Promote prices are the same across the US. All output providers receive the same amount; without regard for region — you will find this all in the contract.
While we do hope that you develop up-sell opportunities through Quark Promote, you may not reprint a Quark Promote job for a customer unless it is ordered through Quark Promote. Our PDFs contain digital-rights management. We monitor the use of the PDFs that we generate. In addition, the contract that you sign asserts that you will not reuse or PDF for any purpose other than the original print job.
Reorders and increased quantities
In the case where a customer wishes to order additional prints, or would like to order other pieces from their matched set, you, as the authorized partner, will ask that they return to the Quark Promote service to reorder. if they need assistance, you may direct them to our support team who will be happy to help them with a new transaction.
Assets used in Quark Promote projects
The design, copy, fonts, and images used within Quark Promote belong to Quark Promote and are a proprietary format. They cannot be used outside our software. The only exception is in the case of stock images the customer has purchased. We have partnered with a stock image provider that enables the customer to choose images beyond those that are offered free with Quark Promote. These images are available to you as well by visiting the partner's web site and purchasing the image.
We are currently considering solutions that would enable you to purchase or license other Quark Promote assets outside our software, but those options are not available at this time.
Unparalleled services
Using our network of output providers, Quark Promote can offer something else that is unparalleled: short turnaround times, face-to-face customer service, up-sell opportunities, beautiful templates, well-written marketing copy, and the largest network of output providers anywhere. At Quark we are truly thrilled to partner with your company and be able to offer a service like no other.
Final steps
The final step in our registration process is to review, sign, and return the contract. If you are ready to take this step, ensure that you have already:
If you would like to receive the contract for review, please send an email to
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to request this document. You must have completed and returned the documents listed directly above. We must also be able to verify through your web site that are an output provider.
If you have any questions, please direct them to:
Cyndie Shaffstall
Director, QuarkAlliance
Phone number: 303 894 3648
Fax number: 303 894 3488
Mobile number: 303 520 6114
E-mail address:
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