Quark’s desktop publishing thunder has been rather stolen by Adobe’s InDesign in recent years. Now the battle is shifting to Apple’s iPad, where Quark has released a new app called Quark DesignPad.

It’s described as “a unique iPad app that puts grid-based design control in the palm of your hand… quickly experiment with different layouts and create anything from a classified ad to a poster right on your iPad”.

Users can then transfer their design to the desktop QuarkXPress software, or share it via email or Twitter from within the iPad app. Quark is hoping the free app will appeal to students and pro designers alike.

Adobe has released a series of iPad and Android tablet apps designed to work with its own desktop software, although for now they’ve been focused on Photoshop and images rather than InDesign and publishing.