Quark expands digital publishing reach with Mobile IQ acquisition

Quark has expanded its reach into cloud-based publishing after acquiring UK-based software manufacturer Mobile IQ for an undisclosed sum.

01 Jun 2012 | By Samir Lukka

According to Quark, the acquisition of Mobile IQ, which has headquarters in Hampshire in the UK and San Francisco in the US, was an "ideal fit" to grow its digital publishing portfolio.

Mobile IQ's flagship product, PressRun, enables businesses to turn printed material such as magazines, newspapers and catalogues into interactive applications for tablets.

PressRun, which uses the interactive HTML5 web language, allows the user to add features such as animations, graphs, audio, slideshows and 360° images to the publication.

Quark president and chief executive Ray Schiavone said the company's intention was to be the leader in dynamic publishing.

He added: "Our acquisition of Mobile IQ is the next step in offering the most comprehensive end-to-end solutions for publishing to mobile devices.

"With the Mobile IQ team and their leading technology, we advance our ability to help organisations create structured content that can be combined with rich design and delivered across media channels in the most efficient ways possible."

Through the acquisition, Mobile IQ, which has a client base that includes Metro, BBC Good Food, BBC News and Stuff, becomes a subsidiary of Quark.

The company has moved to assure customers that the move will only prove positive, retaining the same team while offering the experience Quark has in the industry.

Mobile IQ chief executive and founder Shaun Barriball, said it was evident from early conversations that there was a "significant affinity" between both companies' approach to digital publishing.

"This acquisition gives the Mobile IQ team an opportunity to continue developing an innovative roadmap for publishers, while expanding the use of our technology into new enterprise markets, such as financial services, manufacturing, and government," he added.

Quark has also announced that PressRun is now compatible with Adobe InDesign CS6, in addition to InDesign CS5 and CS5.5.