You’re probably thinking: “How often do I need to convert a line to a picture box?” Probably not very often, but the technique exposes some useful features in QuarkXPress, including how to convert shapes to picture boxes, how to split compound shapes, and how to use the masks built into Photoshop files.

Here’s the technique in brief written form:

In QuarkXPress, you can convert a dotted or dashed rule into a series of polygons by choosing Item> Shape> Polygon (it looks like an artist’s palette). 

Then, for an interesting effect, you can fill the polygons with a picture, a blend, or a series of pictures. To fill them with a picture, first choose Item> Content> Picture. If you want to fill them with several pictures, choose Item> Split.

There’s one useful thing I didn’t mention in the video: all these techniques can also be used to fill text with pictures and gradients. You just have to convert the text to boxes first, by choosing Style> Text to Box or Item> Convert Text to Boxes (in QuarkXPress 8).

PLAY Video: Fill a Dotted Line with a Picture

PLAY Video: Find Ornaments in QuarkXPress

I liked it so much that I made a short video tutorial that shows you how to do it. Enjoy!

PLAY VIDEO

For a limited time, you can watch the entire series of 18 video tutorials, Getting Started with Quark® Interactive Designer, presented by Ted LoCascio and produced/hosted by lynda.com.

Choose Window> XPert BoxTools> Fit Text.

Then select an option for expanding or contracting the text box to fit its text:

either from the bottom, right side, left side, or top. Click the Fit button and the box will resize to perfectly fit its content.

You can watch a 1.5 minute video tutorial that demonstrates this feature here.

PLAY VIDEO

Here are two ways to create a box with round and square corners in QuarkXPress. The first way involves moving anchor points, while the second way is much simpler and involves merging two boxes.

PLAY VIDEO