In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites are required for this Fixup, and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Convert Grayscale into CMYK is available in the Workflow. The purpose of this Fixup is to convert all or the selected object from grayscale into CMYK black.
2. General
The Fixup Convert Grayscale into CMYK can be used to transfer text, images, vectors or all objects from grayscale to the K channel in CMYK. The color values are not changed in the process.
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 Color in the area Category,
- activating the option Convert in the area Action,
- activating the option Grayscale, Spot Colors and Register Mark in the area Property.
3. Description
This Fixup can be used to convert grayscale to CMYK (K channel only). The Fixup can be used to convert all grayscales to the K channel of CMYK in order to be able to treat black definitions for Rich Black or Pure Black in the same way in a later step in the data preparation. If you did not convert grayscale to CMYK, Fixups such as "Convert Pure Black to Rich Black" or "Set Black Objects to Knockout/Overprint" would not capture these objects in grayscale and therefore would not convert them.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to perform as intended, the following requirements must be met:
- The file contains vectors, images or texts that are created in the Color Space Grayscale.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Convert Grayscale into CMYK
The following options are available for converting grayscale to CMYK:
- Templates [1] – settings selected in the dialog can be saved as a template and applied to otherArticles/Print Items, as well as used within Fixup Chains and in the OperationsApply FixupsandCheck Print Item and Apply Fixups.
- Apply to [2] – select which object types are to be affected by the conversion in the selection menu. The following options are available:
- All Objects – all grayscale objects are converted from K to CMYK.
- Images – all grayscale images are converted to K in CMYK.
- Vector – all grayscale vectors are converted to K in CMYK.
- Text – all grayscale texts are converted to CMYK in CMYK.
- Vector-Text – all grayscale texts and vectors are converted to K in CMYK.
- Variable Content [3] – for Variable Content [3] , select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the selection of object types should be retrieved. The following values must be present in the selected field so that the selection can be created:
AllImagesVectorsTextText_Vectors
Figure 2: Values in the selected field for the option Apply to
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this Fixup, refer to the sample file "Sample_Grayscale.pdf". The file consists of vectors, a line of text and a small image (part of the lamp) created in the Color Space Grayscale.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Grayscale_End.pdf" is created in which all vectors, the text and the image have been converted to CMYK.
Figure 3: Left: Original file; Right: Edited file in which all objects where converted in the K channel in CMYK
Article update: Workflow 1.20.0 – 03/2025