In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites are required for this Fixup, and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Create a Knockout Rectangle is available in the Workflow. The purpose of this Fixup is to create a non-printing rectangle based on a defined start value.
2. General
The Fixup Create Knockout a Rectangle can be used to create a non-printing rectangle after entering the starting point and the Height and Width of the rectangle. Use the Fixup to e.g., create a background area for a barcode or QR code or an unprinted area.
You can find this Fixup on the tab Data Preparation of an Article, Order or Production Job by:
- entering the name of the Fixup in the area Filter,
- activating the option Object in the area Category,
- activating the option Create in the area Action,
- activating the option Spot Colors in the area Property.
3. Description
The Fixup creates a knockout rectangle. This non-printing rectangle can be placed after entering the size and width as well as the X and Y coordinates of the starting point. The starting point (0/0) of the rectangle is located in the bottom left corner of the TrimBox by default. By entering minus values, the rectangle can be placed outside the TrimBox, for example to take the existing Bleed into account.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to perform as intended, no special conditions are required.
Figure 1: The tab Basic Settings and tab Advanced of the dialog of the Fixup Create a Knockout Rectangle
The following options are available:
Basic Settings
- X-Origin [1] – enter the starting point of the X-axis of the rectangle that should be set to Knockout. By entering "-" values, the rectangle moves to the left and thus outside the TrimBox. For Variable Content [5], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the X-Origin should be retrieved.
- Y-Origin [2] – enter the starting point of the Y-axis of the rectangle that should be set to Knockout. By entering "-" values, the rectangle moves downwards and thus outside the TrimBox. For Variable Content [6], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Y-origin should be retrieved.
- Width [3] – enter the width for the rectangle that should be set to Knockout. For Variable Content [7], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the width should be retrieved.
- Height [4] – enter the height for the rectangle that should be set to Knockout. For Variable Content [8], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the height should be retrieved.
Advanced
- Layer Name [9] – enter the name of the Layer on which the knockout rectangle should be created. If you don't want to create a separate Layer, remove the name from the input field. For Variable Content [11], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the layer name should be retrieved.
- Conformity of Processing Steps according to ISO 19593-1 [10] – a retrospectively inserted rectangle should be created by default according to ISO 19593-1 on the Layer Structural in the Group Structural of the Type InkFree. Further information on the ISO standard can be found in the description Processing Steps ISO 15931-1.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this Fixup, refer to the sample file "Sample_Knockout_Rectangle.pdf". The sample file has a size of 75 x 155 mm and a Bleed of 3 mm. The barcode should have a size of 10 x 35 mm with a corresponding safety zone.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Knockout_Rectangle_End.pdf" is created. The knockout rectangle was placed here as described.
Figure 2: Left: Original file; Right: Edited file with a knockout rectangle on which a barcode should be placed later on
Artikel update: Workflow 1.20.0 – 03/2025