QuarkXPress Clipping Paths

1. Go to FILE...New...Project and in the box to the right, leave all settings as shown except Columns which we'll make 2.

2. Go to VIEW...50% so we can see what we're doing.

3. Select the Rectangle Text Box tool and carefully fill the first column. Make sure the Colors palette is visible down the right of the screen (WINDOW...Color or press F12) and with the text box still selected, click on a suitable color in the Color palette. Here, we've used yellow.

4. With this box still selected, go to EDIT...Copy and then EDIT...Paste to give an exact copy of the first text box.

5. Switch to the Item Tool and, using the keyboard arrow keys, move this second box into the second column as here.

6. Now switch to the Rectangle Picture Box tool and draw a picture box in the centre of the image as here

7. With the picture box selected, go to FILE...Import Picture (we're using v.7, your program may say FILE...Get Picture) and browse to where you saved the file from the Photoshop clipping path exercise.

8. You should get the result as shown here

9. Go to ITEM...Modify...Clipping to get the box at the right. Ensure "Embedded Path" is selected under Type and in this example where there is a "cutout" within the image, make sure Outside Edges is unchecked.

So that's how me manipulate an image in Photoshop to "lose" the background, but what about running text around an image?

As a serious desktop-publisher, you'll need some random text to "drop in" to your publication to get a feel for layout etc. The standard is Lorem Ipsum which can be downloaded here - simply copy and paste it into, say, a Word document.

10. Back at your project, select the Content Tool and click in the first text box. Go to FILE...Import (or Get) Text. Browse to wherever you've saved to Lorem Ipsum on your computer and the first text box will be filled with this "dummy" text.

11. Now switch to the Linking Tool and again click in this first text box. See the marching ants which surround the box? Still with the Linking Tool, click anywhere in the second text box. Very momentarily an arrow will flash from the bottom-right of the first text box to the top left of the second text box and the text will "flow" from one box to the other.

This is one of the feature that brought QuarkXPress to prominence - the Linking Tool can be used to make text flow anywhere within a publication (ever seen in a magazine continued on page 234?) That's how it's done -you don't even have to be on the same page!

12. So, with your text in place (your work should look like this), make sure the picture box is selected, go to ITEM...Modify...Runaround and you'll get te box to the right. Ensure "Embedded Path" is selected under Type, "Finished Path" under Path and the Outset is going to be how closely your text runs up to the object. Here, we've checked Outside Edges Only as this particular image has only a small "void" i.e. inside the handle, and this image does not lend itself very well to squeezing a bit of text in such a small space - it depends purely on the image.

Have fun with this box! It has an Apply button so you can see any changes without being committed to them. Try out the Drop Shadow tab as well!