In the crowded world of XTensions for QuarkXPress, one company's products consistently rise to the top of the heap. Small productivity enhancers such as FaceIt, ScaleIt, and the aptly named Kitchen Sink made ALAP (a lowly apprentice production) a favorite of QuarkXPress users. But after the introduction of such all-in-one packages as Extensis' QX-Tools, ALAP is countering with XPert Tools, two volumes of 15 XTensions each at bargain-basement prices.
XPert Tools Volume I and Volume II, priced at $129 each or $239 for the set, both roll in aspects of ALAP's earlier products. Volume 1, for example, contains XPert Scale, an improved version of ScaleIt that lets you resize entire groups of objects in one action. FaceIt pops up in Volume II as XPert CharacterStyles, for applying style sheets down to the character level. Both sets also feature XPert Loader, for managing XTensions.
Other highlights of Volume I: XPert Layers, for assigning and reordering layers quickly; XPert ImageInfo, for viewing information about graphics such as file type and embedded fonts; XPert Print, for printing only parts of a page to a printer or as an EPS file; XPert Quit, for automatically closing inactive documents; and XPert Color, for changing the color of items globally and converting spot colors to process colors or vice versa.
Other highlights of Volume II include XPert Pilot and XPert Command Pad (both also in Kitchen Sink), for navigating through documents quickly and for creating custom tool palettes and dialog boxes, respectively; XPert Rulers, for measuring items accurately; XPert TextStyler, for applying text styles with a marquee tool; and XPert ItemMarks, for placing calibration bars and crop and registration marks anywhere in a document. Sold through XChange, a distributor of Quark XTensions. 800-788-7557 or 303-229-0656.
