In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites are required for this Fixup, and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Create Spot Color Separation to Printed Objects is available in the Workflow. The purpose of this Fixup is to create a Separation of the selected Spot Color for all printing objects.
2. General
The Fixup Create Spot Color Separation to Printed Objects can be used, for example, to create a white or primer channel for all printing pixels of the Print Items.
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 Create in the area Action,
- activating the option White or Spot Color in the area Property.
3. Description
This Fixup can be used to create a Spot Color Separation in the selected Spot Color for all printing objects in the file. The user can set the accuracy of the tracing and whether the Spot Color should be inverted.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to perform as intended, no special requirements must be met.
Figure 1: Left: The tab Basic Settings in the dialog Create Spot Color Separation to Printed Objects; Right: The tab Advanced in the dialog Create Spot Color Separation to Printed Objects
The following options can be selected to create a Spot Color Separation for printed objects:
- Templates [1] – 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 Operations Apply Fixups and Check Print Item and Apply Fixups.
Basic Settings
- White Areas [2] – in the selection menu, select whether or not white areas – pixel values with CMYK 0/0/0/0, RGB 255/255/255 and grayscale 0% – should be included in the print file to generate the Spot Color Separation. Transparent areas are not included in any case. The following options are available:
- exclude – white areas within a Print Item are not taken into account. Therefore, no Spot Color Separation is generated for this area.
- include – white areas within a Print Item are taken into account. A Spot Color Separation is created for these areas.
- Adjust Size [3] – by entering the desired size, the Spot Color Separation becomes larger ("+" values) or smaller ("-" values) than the printing object itself. For Variable Content [7], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the size of the Separation should be retrieved.
- Spot Color [4] – select a Spot Color from the selection menu with which the Spot Color channel should be created. All system-wide defined Spot Colors that can be output as a Separation are available in the selection menu.
- Tonal Value [5] – the color value of the Spot Color Separation can be reduced by changing the slider or by entering the percentage values.
- Opacity [6] – determine the opacity of the Spot Color Separation by moving the slider or by entering the percentage values.
Advanced
- Accuracy [8] – in the selection menu, select how accurately the printing objects of the Print Item should be traced when creating the white Separation. The more ornate the Print Items are, the more accurately they should be traced. Please note, however, that more accurate tracing also takes considerably more time. The following options are available:
- Inaccurate (fastest) – the objects are traced less accurately – with a resolution of 800 dpi - but faster.
- Standard (fast) – the objects are traced accurately - with a resolution of 1199 dpi – but still fast.
- Accurate (slow) – the objects are traced very accurately - with a resolution of 2400 dpi - though the tracing is slower.
- Variable Content [12] – for Variable Content [12], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined field – from which the dpi value for the accuracy is to be taken. The following values must be found in the selected field so that the mode can be used:
80011992400
Figure 2: Values in the selected field for the option Accuracy
- Invert Spot Color [9] – by activating this option, a Spot Color Separation is created for the transparent object but not for the printing objects. As a result the user can create, e.g., a white Separation for a transparent background.
- Layer Name [10] – enter the name of the layer on which the white Separation should be created. If you do not want to create a separate layer, remove the name from the input field. For Variable Content [13], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the layer name should be retrieved.
- Conformity of Processing Steps according to ISO 19593-1 [11] – a white Separation should be created by default according to ISO 19593-1 on the layer White in the group White of the type White. Further information on the ISO standard can be found in the description Processing Steps ISO 15931-1.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file "Sample_Create Spot Color Separation.pdf". The file contains a Print Item for which a Spot Color Separation should be created. The background is transparent.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Create Spot Color Separation_End.pdf" is generated, where a white Separation was created for the Print Item. The values from Figure 1 were used.
Figure 3: Left: Original file; Right: Edited file for which a Spot Color Separation has been created
Article update: Workflow 1.20.1 – 04/2025