In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites must be met for this Fixup, and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Add a Dieline from the Center is available in the $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW application. The purpose of this Fixup is to generate a Dieline with the specified height and width, starting from the center of the image.
2. General
The Fixup Add a Dieline from the Center can be used to generate a Dieline in the desired size. The center of the file – using the MediaBox as the reference – is used as the origin for generating the Dieline.
You can find the Fixup in 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 Dieline or Spot Color options in the Property area.
3. Description
This Fixup generates an overprinting Dieline in the desired size, starting from the center of the image (MediaBox). Optionally, a second Dieline can be generated at the specified offset.
Image Center of the TrimBox
If you want to ensure that the center of the image is aligned with the center of the existing TrimBox, you must first set the MediaBox with an absolute offset to the TrimBox. Appropriate Fixups are available for this purpose. The most suitable Fixup for this is Set PageBoxes based on Final Size.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
No specific conditions need to be met for the Fixup to work as intended.
The Fixup Add a Dieline from the Center consists of three individual Fixups that have been combined into a single dialog. You can enable selected Fixups and thereby execute them.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Add a Dieline from the Center
The individual Fixups are described in detail below:
3.1.1. Add Dieline
This Fixup is enabled by default, as indicated by the enabled checkbox [1]. This Fixups add an overprinting Dieline in the desired size, starting from the center of the image.
Figure 2: The dialog of the Fixup Add a Dieline from the Center, with the Fixup Add Dieline enabled and the available values for the Corner Type option
To generate a Dieline from the center of the image, the following options are available:
- Skip generation of the Dieline if a Dieline already exists [4] – enable this option to prevent a Dieline from being generated if a Dieline already exists in the Spot Color specified in the Spot Color Name field [12].
- Width [5] – enter the width of the Dieline to be generated. For the Variable Content [6], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the width should be retrieved.
- Height [14] – enter the height of the Dieline to be generated. For the Variable Content [15], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the height should be retrieved.
- Horizontal Offset [7] – enter the horizontal offset (X-axis) of the Dieline. For the Variable Content [8], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the horizontal offset should be retrieved.
- Vertical Offset [16] – enter the vertical offset (Y-axis) of the Dieline. For the Variable Content [17], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the vertical offset should be retrieved.
- Stroke Width [9] – enter the stroke width of the Dieline to be generated. For the Variable Content [18], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the stroke width should be retrieved.
- Corner Type [10] – select a corner type from the drop-down menu. The following options are available:
- Rounded – the corners of the Dieline are rounded. If the corners should not to be rounded, enter 0 mm for the Corner Radius option.
- Beveled – the corners of the Dieline are beveled. If the corners should not be beveled, enter 0 mm for the Corner Radius option.
- Variable Content [19] – for Variable Content, select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for selecting the corner type should be retrieved. The selected field must contain one of the following values for the corresponding type to be selected:
RoundBevel
- Corner Radius [11] – enter the corner radius if the corners are to be rounded or beveled. For the Variable Content [20], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the corner radius should be retrieved.
- Spot Color Name [12] – select a Technical Color from the drop-down menu to be used to generate a Dieline. All system-wide defined Technical Colors assigned the Cut Contour type are available for selection.
- Set TrimBox to Dieline [13] – enable this option to set the TrimBox to the newly created Dieline when the Fixup is applied.
3.1.2. Additional Dieline
Clicking the selection button [2] (Figure 1) activates the Fixup Additional Dieline. This Fixup can be used to generate a second Dieline with the specified offset.
Figure 3: The dialog of the Fixup Add a Dieline from the Center with the activated Fixup Additional Dieline
Except for the Width, Height, and Layer Name options, the same parameters are available for this Fixup as for the Fixup Add Dieline. A detailed description of all options can be found in section 3.1.1.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, you can use the sample file "Sample_Add Dieline from Center.pdf". The file has a size of 200 x 200 mm. A Dieline of 190 x 180 mm is to be created, starting from the center of the image.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Add Dieline from Center_End.pdf" is created. A Dieline has been generated in the specified size. The values shown in Figure 2 were used for this purpose.
Figure 4: Left: Original file; Right: Revised file with a Dieline generated
Article Update: $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW 2.3.0 – 08/2026