In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites are required for this Fixup, and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Create Outline for Text is available in the Workflow. The purpose of this Fixup is to create an outline for texts below a certain font size. The outline created corresponds to the color of the found text.
2. General
The Fixup Create Outline for Text can be used to create an additional outline for the text found. The created outline is centered on the text outline. Please note that this will only increase the text by half of the entered line width.
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 White or Text in the area Property.
3. Description
This Fixup can be used, for example, to intensify negative texts that are placed on a dark background. Fixups are mainly applied to print data that is output on water-based digital printing systems.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to perform as intended, the following requirements must be met:
- There must be a text object within the file.
- The text must be created in CMYK.
- The font does not have to be embedded, but is advantageous for printing.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Create Outline for Text
To create an outline for text, the following options can be selected:
- Text smaller than [1] – an outline is created for all texts that are smaller than the entered value. For the Variable Content [4], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the text size should be retrieved.
- Text Color [2] – enter the color of the text that should be outlined.
- Line Width [3] – enter the line width of the desired outline here. Please note that the outline is created from the center of the text outline, which is why the text is only extended by half the line width. For the Variable Content [5], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the line width should be retrieved.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file "Sample_Create Outline for Text.pdf". The file contains a negative text (0/0/0/0). The heading has a font size of 15 pt. The running text and the footer have a font size of 7 pt.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Create Outline für Text_End.pdf" is generated, where an outline has been created for the running text and the footer.
Figure 2: Left: Original file; Right: Edited file in which an Outline was created for the running text and the footer
Article update: Workflow 1.20.0 – 03/2025