Quark, once the top dog in the desktop-publishing software industry, is pinning its growth on an online service aimed at small to medium-size businesses.
The Denver-based company on Thursday launched Quark Promote, a service that businesses can use to design and print professional business cards, postcards, brochures and other marketing materials. The finished products can be shipped or picked up at Quark’s partner print shops, such as Sir Speedy.
Quark has said the service could create up to 500 jobs in Denver over several years. The company added about 50 new positions over the past 18 months to develop Quark Promote, which is the first time it has targeted smaller businesses, said chief executive Raymond Schiavone.
“We’ve had some tough times over a number of years here as the publishing industry has changed,” Schiavone said. “This one (Quark Promote) we hope to really be the growth driver for the company.”
Founded in 1981 by Tim Gill, now a well-known political activist, Quark has struggled over the past decade amid growing competition in desktop publishing from Adobe. Gill left the firm in 2000, and in subsequent years, Quark began shifting jobs to India.
The privately held firm once employed 1,000 worldwide. Today, it has about 500, with about 150 in Denver.
Quark was “decimated” in the battle with Adobe, and the new service appears to be driven by desperation, said longtime desktop-publishing analyst Thad McIlroy, who runs .
“They’re fighting an impossible comeback,” said McIlroy, who has done some consulting work for Quark. “They’ve been trying these little stabs at various new markets. . . . What appalls me about this is it’s completely derivative. It offers nothing new.”
Andy Vuong: 303-954-1209 or avuong@denverpost.com
