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 Add Objects on Layer Fixup. The purpose of this Fixup is to assign all objects found by a check to an existing layer or move them to a new layer.
2. General
The Add Objects on Layer Fixup can be used to move individual objects – vectors, text, or images – to an existing or new layer. This allows, for example, a technical line, a white channel, an embossing foil, etc. to be placed on a separate layer.
You can find this 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 Object option in the Category area,
- enabling the Create option in the Action area,
- enabling the Spot Color option in the Property area.
3. Description
With this Fixup, all objects found by the check can be moved to existing or newly created layers.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to work as intended, the following conditions must be met:
- The file may optionally contain layers.
- Images, text, vectors and Spot Colors are found by the check.
The Add Objects on Layer Fixup consists of five individual Fixups that have been combined into a single dialog. Selected Fixups can be enabled for specific object types and executed accordingly.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Add Objects on Layer Fixup, with the Add Layer Fixup enabled
The individual Fixups are described in detail below:
3.1.1. Add Layer
By default, this Fixup is enabled, as indicated by the selected checkbox [1]. This Fixup adds a new layer with a user-defined layer name.
To add a new layer or select an existing layer, the following option can be used:
- Layer Name [6] – enter the layer name here. If the layer already exists in the document, the objects found are moved to this layer. If the layer name does not yet exist, a new layer with this layer name is created and the objects found are moved to it. For the Variable Content [7], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the layer name should be retrieved.
Fixup "Add Layer" is Required!
For all Fixups to work as expected, the Add Layer Fixup must be enabled. Enter the name of the existing layer or the name of the layer to be created here, and additionally enable all Fixups for objects that are to be moved to this layer.
Figure 2: The dialog of the Add Objects on Layer Fixup, with the Add Layer Fixup enabled
3.1.2. Move Text on Layer
Click the checkbox [2] (Figure 1) to enable the Move Text on Layer Fixup. This Fixup moves all text objects in the file to the new or existing layer. To do this, first enter the name of the respective layer [8] in the Add Layer Fixup.
No further options can be selected.
Figure 3: The dialog of the Add Objects on Layer Fixup, with the Add Layer and Move Text on Layer Fixups enabled
3.1.3. Move Vectors on Layer
Click the checkbox [3] (Figure 1) to enable the Move Vectors on Layer Fixup. This Fixup moves all vector objects in the file to the new or existing layer. To do this, first enter the name of the respective layer [9] in the Add Layer Fixup.
No further options can be selected.
Figure 4: The dialog of the Add Objects on Layer Fixup, with the Add Layer and Move Vectors on Layer Fixups enabled
3.1.4. Move Images on Layer
Click the checkbox [4] (Figure 1) to enable the Move Images on Layer Fixup. This Fixup moves all images in the file to the new or existing layer. To do this, first enter the name of the respective layer [10] in the Add Layer Fixup.
No further options can be selected.
Figure 5: The dialog of the Add Objects on Layer Fixup, with the Add Layer and Move Images on Layer Fixups enabled
3.1.5. Move selected Spot Color Objects on Layer
Click the checkbox [5] (Figure 1) to enable the Move selected Spot Color objects on Layer Fixup. This Fixup moves all objects using the selected Spot Color in the file to the new or existing layer. To do this, first enter the name of the respective layer [11] in the Add Layer Fixup.
To move Spot Color objects to a layer, the following option is available:
- Spot Color [12] – select the Spot Color whose objects are to be moved to the selected layer from the drop-down menu.
Figure 6: The dialog of the Add Objects on Layer Fixup, with the Add Layer and Move selected Spot Color objects on Layer Fixups enabled
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, you can use the sample file "Sample_Add Objects to Layers.pdf". The file consists of vectors, a line of text, an image and a Dieline positioned on the TrimBox. The house on the left-hand side is an image. A line of text is located at the bottom of the Print Item. The rest of the Print Item consists of vectors. All objects in the file are located on Layer 2.
After applying the Fixup, the resulting file is "Sample_Add Objects to Layers_End.pdf". The text line of the file has been moved to the newly created "Text" layer. The image of the file has been moved to the newly created "Image" layer. All vectors and the Dieline remain on Layer 2.
Fixup Must Be Applied Multiple Times
To achieve the desired result, the Fixup must either be applied three times or included three times in a Fixup Chain, using different values for each instance of the Fixup.
Figure 7: Left: Original file; Right: Modified file with two new layers created
Article Update: $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW 2.3.0 – 09/2026