In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites are required for this Fixup, and
- how to apply the Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Rename, Convert or Delete Spot Colors is available in the Workflow. The purpose of this Fixup is to rename selected Spot Colors or Technical Colors, convert them to another alternative color space, or delete them.
2. General
The Fixup Rename, Convert or Delete Spot Colors can be used to rename or delete selected Spot Colors. In addition, Spot Colors or Technical Colors can be converted to another alternative color space – CMYK, LAB or RGB.
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 Rename or Delete in the area Action,
- activating the option Spot Color, Pantone, HKS or RAL in the area Property.
3. Description
Use this Fixup to rename Spot Colors or Technical Colors, delete them, or convert them to another alternative color space. To do this, select the desired Spot Color and the required operation.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to perform as intended, the following requirement must be met:
- The file contains Spot Colors or Technical Colors.
Depending on whether the selected Spot Color or Technical Color is to be renamed, deleted, converted to another alternative color space, or converted to CMYK, the dialog provides different options. These options are described in detail below.
3.1.1. Rename Spot Color
To change the name of a Spot Color, first select the radio button Rename [1]. Then enter the name for the desired Spot Color.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Rename, Convert or Remove Spot Colors with activated radio button Rename
The following options are available for renaming a Spot Color:
- Spot Color Name – Source [2] – select the Spot Color to be renamed from the dropdown menu. All Spot Colors present in the Print Item are available for selection.
- Spot Color Name – Target [3] – enter the new name for the Spot Color here. If you select a name that already exists system-wide or within the Print Item, all objects using the Source Spot Color will automatically be converted to the target Spot Color.
3.1.2. Delete Spot Color
To delete a selected Spot Color, select the radio button Delete [4].
Figure 2: The dialog of the Fixup Rename, Convert or Remove Spot Colors with activated radio button Delete
To delete – for example remove – a Spot Color, the following option is available:
- Spot Color Name – Source [5] – select the Spot Color to be deleted from the dropdown menu. All Spot Colors present in the Print Item are available for selection.
3.1.3. Change Alternate Color
To Alternate the Color Space and the alternative color values of a selected Spot Color, select the radio button Change Alternate Color [6].
Figure 3: The dialog of the Fixup Rename, Convert or Remove Spot Colors with the activated radio button Change Alternate Color
To change the alternate color of a Spot Color, the following options are available:
- Spot Color Name – Source [7] – use the dropdown menu to select the Spot Color for which you want to change the alternate color. All Spot Colors available in the Print Item are available for selection.
- Color Space [8] – use the dropdown menu to select the color space to be used as the new alternate color space. The following options are available:
- RGB – the alternate color values must be entered in RGB.
- CMYK – the alternate color values must be entered in CMYK.
- LAB – the alternate color values must be entered in LAB.
- Color Values [9] – enter the new alternate color values. If you only change the alternate color space, the color values will be automatically converted to the new color space.
3.1.4. Convert to CMYK
To convert a selected Spot Color to CMYK, select the radio button Convert to CMYK [10].
Figure 4: The dialog of the Fixup Rename, Convert or Remove Spot Colors with activated radio button Convert to CMYK
To convert a Spot Color to CYMK, use the following option:
- Spot Color Name – Source [11] – use the dropdown menu to select the Spot Color you want to convert to CMYK. All Spot Colors present in the Print Item are available for selection.
3.2. Before/After
Use the sample file "Sample_Rename, Convert or Remove Spot.pdf" to test this function. The file contains the following Spot Colors: Spot Black, Spot Gray, Spot Brown and Spot Blue. The Spot Black Spot Color should be renamed to Black_New. The Spot Gray Spot Color should be deleted. The alternate color space of the Spot Color Spot Brown should be converted to Lab. The Spot Color Spot Blue should be converted to CMYK.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Rename, Convert or Remove Spot_End.pdf" is created. The values from Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4 were used.
Figure 5: Left: Original file; Right: Edited file in which Spot Colors have been renamed, removed, and converted
Article update: Workflow 1.20.1 –04/2025