Transparency and Drop Shadows
Transparency
Technology that allows “see-through” colors and pictures both on-screen and in print. Features related to transparency include opacity, drop shadows, and alpha masks.
Create Depth with Transparency and Drop Shadows
QuarkXPress® lets you add depth to your layouts with transparency — a design effect where elements become partially
see-through —and drop shadows, which produce a three-dimensional effect.
Transparency and Opacity
The Opacity attribute determines the degree of transparency, from 100% opaque to completely invisible. Because QuarkXPress applies opacity at the color level, you can apply a different opacity to a box’s frame, background, and picture or text — you can even apply different opacities to different characters in the same box.
QuarkXPress also supports alpha channel transparency, including transparency in Photoshop® PSD files, allowing you to make imported pictures blend smoothly into the background.
Drop Shadows
The Drop Shadow effect helps pop items off the page and produces a three-dimensional effect. You can adjust drop shadows to just the right visual effect by customizing their distance, size, color, and opacity.
Flattening Control
When you output a layout, QuarkXPress can either flatten the transparency for compatibility with PostScript® print workflows, or keep it natively transparent for modern PDF workflows and digital publishing.