In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites must be met for this Fixup, and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
The $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW application provides the Day and Night Output. The purpose of this Fixup is to prepare Articles or Print Items for Day and Night output by adding a white channel and, optionally, reducing the opacity of the image.
2. General
The Day and Night Output Fixup can be used to prepare a one- or two-sided Print Item for output on the front and back of a transparent substrate. Alternatively, the Print Item can be prepared for Day and Night output using this Fixup.
You can find the Fixup on the Data Preparation tab of an Article, Order or Production Job by:
- entering the name of the Fixup in the Filter area,
- enabling the LFP option in the Category area,
- enabling the Add option in the Action area,
- enabling the Spot Color option in the Property area.
3. Description
This Fixup can be used to prepare a file for Day and Night output by adding a white channel and, optionally, reducing the opacity of the image.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to work as intended, no special requirements must be met. The only rule is that if the file initially consists of a single page, the same image is also used for the back side. If the file consists of two pages, the second page is used for the image on the back side, while the image on the first page remains on the front side.
Various options are available in the dialog for each mode. Each mode is described in detail below.
3.1.1. Mode "Color | White | Color"
When the Color | White | Color mode is selected, a one-sided Print Item is converted into a two-sided Print Item with the same Print Item on both sides. The Print Item on the first page remains unchanged. On the second side, the same image is generated with a white separation. The opacity of the image can additionally be reduced as required.
If this mode is used for a two-sided document, a white separation is likewise generated for the second page of the file. In this cases, the opacity of the image on the second page can also be reduced.
Figure 1: The Basic Settings tab and Advanced tab of the Day and Night Output Fixup dialog with the Color | White | Color mode selected
When the Color | White | Color mode is selected, the following options are available:
Basic Settings
- PageBox [1] – select from the drop-down menu which box should be used to create the white separation. The following options are available:
- ImageBox – the white separation is created for the ImageBox. Make sure that the ImageBox is positioned on the desired PageBox.
- ImageBox + Bleed – the white separation is created for the ImageBox + Bleed. The expected Bleed is used for the Bleed area. Make sure that the expected Bleed matches the actual Bleed.
- Coverage [2] – reduce the opacity of the image on the back side by moving the slider or entering a percentage value.
Advanced
- Layer Name [3] – enter the name of the layer on which the white separation should be created. If no separate layer is to be created, remove the name from the input field. For the Variable Content [4], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the layer name should be retrieved.
3.1.2. Mode "Color | White | White | Color"
When the Color | White | White | Color mode is selected, a one-sided Print Item is converted into a two-sided Print Item with the same Print Item on both sides. In this mode, the user can choose whether a white separation is to be created for the front side, the back side, or both sides. An offset and the desired color value can be specified for the white separation. The opacity of the second image can also be reduced.
If this mode is used for a two-sided document, the user can likewise select for which side a white separation is to be created. The opacity of the image on the second side can also be reduced.
Figure 2: The Basic Settings tab and Advanced tab of the Day and Night Output Fixup dialog with the Color | White | White | Color mode selected
When the Color | White | White | Color mode is selected, the following options are available:
Basic Settings
- PageBox [5] – select from the drop-down menu which box should be used to create the white separation. The following options are available:
- ImageBox – the white separation is created for the ImageBox. Make sure that the ImageBox is positioned on the desired PageBox.
- ImageBox + Bleed – the white separation is created for the ImageBox + Bleed. The expected Bleed is used for the Bleed area. Make sure that the expected Bleed matches the actual Bleed.
- Add White to [6] – select from the drop-down menu which pages should have a white channel added. The following options are available:
- Frontside – the white channel is added to the front side.
- Backside – the white channel is added to the back side.
- Front and Backside – the white channel is added to the front and back sides.
- Spot Color [7] – select from the drop-down menu the Spot Color to be used for the separation in the output. All system-wide defined Spot Colors with the Output as Separation option are available.
- Offset [8] – enter the desired offset of the white area relative to the selected PageBox. For the Variable Content [11], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the offset should be retrieved.
- Tint Value [9] – reduce the tint value of the Spot Color by moving the slider or entering a percentage value.
- Coverage [10] – reduce the opacity of the image on the second side by moving the slider or entering a percentage value.
Advanced
- Layer Name [12] – enter the name of the layer on which the white separation should be created. If no separate layer is to be created, remove the name from the input field. For the Variable Content [13] , select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the layer name should be retrieved.
3.1.3. Mode "Custom"
The Custom mode works essentially in the same way as the Color | White | White | Color mode, but provides additional options. For example, the user can rotate the image on the back side and, if required, choose not to create a white separation and instead print color on color.
Figure 3: The Basic Settings tab and Advanced tab of the Day and Night Output Fixup dialog with the Custom mode selected
When the Custom mode is selected, the following options are available:
Basic Settings
- PageBox [14] – select from the drop-down menu which box should be used to create the white separation. The following options are available:
- ImageBox – the white separation is created for the ImageBox. Make sure that the ImageBox is positioned on the desired PageBox.
- ImageBox + Bleed – the white separation is created for the ImageBox + Bleed. The expected Bleed is used for the Bleed area. Make sure that the expected Bleed matches the actual Bleed.
- Add White Channel [15] – enable this option if a white channel is to be added for the selected page.
- Add White to [16] – select from the drop-down menu which pages should have a white channel added. The following options are available:
- Frontside – the white channel is added to the frontside.
- Backside – the white channel is added to the backside.
- Front and Backside – the white channel is added to both the front and backsides.
- Spot Color [17] – select from the drop-down menu the Spot Color to be used for the separation in the output. All system-wide defined Spot Colors with the Output as Separation option are available.
- Offset [18] – enter the desired offset of the white area relative to the selected PageBox. For the Variable Content [23], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the offset should be retrieved.
- Tint Value [19] – reduce the tint value of the Spot Color by moving the slider or entering a percentage value.
- Coverage [20] – reduce the opacity of the image on the backside by moving the slider or entering a percentage value.
- Rotate [21] – select the rotation for the image on the backside. You can choose between 0 and 180.
- Mirror [22] – select from the drop-down menu whether and how the image on the backside should be mirrored. The following options are available:
- No – the image on the backside is not mirrored.
- Horizontal – the image on the backside is mirrored horizontally (from left to right).
- Vertical – the imageon the backside is mirrored vertically (from top to bottom).
Advanced
- Layer Name [24] – enter the name of the layer on which the white separation should be created. If no separate layer is to be created, remove the name from the input field. For the Variable Content [26], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the layer name should be retrieved.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, you can use the sample file "Sample_Day and Night Output.pdf". The Print Item is to be prepared for Day and Night Output. For this purpose, the Color | White | Color mode is used.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Day and Night Output_End.pdf" is created. The one-sided Print Item has been converted into a two-sided PDF, with an additional white channel added to the backside. The values shown in Figure 1 were used for this purpose.
Figure 4: Left: Original file; Right: Modified file with Day and Night Output created
Article Update: $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW 2.3.0 – 10/2026