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 Derive a Dieline from Spot Color Fixup. The purpose of the Fixup is to create a Dieline by tracing Spot Color objects. This allows an existing Dieline to be offset or a Dieline to be derived from one or more Spot Color objects.
2. General
The Derive a Dieline from Spot Color Fixup can be used both to offset an existing Dieline and to derive a Dieline from Spot Color objects.
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 Dieline or Spot Color option in the Property area.
3. Description
This Fixup can be used, among other things, to derive a Dieline from a Spot Color object. It can also be used to offset an existing Dieline. This allows a Dieline that was not created as a path to be converted into a Dieline in the form of a path.
Use the Fixup to
- create a Dieline in the Print Item while deriving its shape from an existing Spot Color separation.
- create a Dieline from a cutting area, where the cutting area has been created as a filled area in the Print Item.
- create a Dieline around Spot Color objects, such as text or filled areas.
Spot Color Object is Deleted
Please note that the Spot Color object from which the Dieline is derived will be deleted. Therefore, if a Spot Color area is used to derive the Dieline, this area will be deleted when the Fixup is applied. Only the Dieline remains.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to work as intended, the following requirements must be met:
- The file must contain Spot Color objects that are assigned the Spot Color being searched for.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Derive a Dieline from Spot Color Fixup
To derive a Dieline from a Spot Color object, the following options are available:
- Templates [1] – the settings selected in the dialog can be saved as a template and applied to other Articles/Print Items, as well as used within Fixup Chains and in the Apply Fixups and Check Print Item and Apply Fixups Operations.
- Skip generation of the Dieline if a Dieline already exists [2] – enable this option to prevent a Dieline from being created if a Dieline in the selected Spot Color under the Technical Color option already exists in the file.
- Current Spot Color [3] – select the Spot Color from which the Dieline is to be derived or whose Dieline is to be modified. All Spot Colors present in the print file are available.
- Reduce to Outer Border [4] – enable this option to restrict the creation of a Dieline to the outer border of the Print Item. For example, for the letter "D", a Dieline would be created only around the outer border of the letter, not around the inner white space (counter).
- Technical Color [5] – select the Technical Color to be used to create the Dieline. All Technical Colors of the Cut Contour type are available.
- Offset [6] – enter the desired offset of the Dieline relative to the corresponding Spot Color object. For the Variable Content [8], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the offset should be retrieved.
- Line Shape [7] – select the line shape for the Dieline to be created from the dropdown menu.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, you can use the sample file "Sample_Derive a Dieline from Spot Color.pdf". The Print Item consists of a rose with a background. The background has the Dieline named "Cut". This Dieline is to be converted to a dashed line, offset inward by 3 mm, and renamed "Dieline".
After applying the Fixup, the resulting file is "Sample_Derive a Dieline from Spot Color_End.pdf". The Dieline "Cut" was created as a "Dieline", shifted inwards by 3 mm, and dashed. The values from Figure 1 were used, and the Dieline that was supposed to be replaced was deleted.
Figure 2: Left: Original file; Right: Modified file showing the newly created Dieline
Article Update: $PRODUCT_NAME_WORKFLOW 2.3.0 – 10/2026