In this article, you will learn
- which prerequisites are required for this Fixup, and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Set White Objects to Knockout is available in the Workflow. The purpose of this Fixup is to set white objects – vector, text or both – to the overprint status "Knockout".
2. General
Use the Fixup Set White Objects to Knockout in the file to Knockout. White objects should always be set to Knockout, otherwise they may disappear in the output.
You can find the 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 Change in the area Action,
- activating the option Knockout in the area Property.
System-wide Setting Available
Please note that a system-wide setting is available in the Workflow, whereby all white objects are set to Knockout by default. To correct this behavior, activate the option Set White Objects To Knockout in Administration > Settings > Color Management.
Only for Device CMYK objects
Please note that this Fixup is set to Knockout for overprinting objects in a Device Color Space. ICC-based white objects are not processed! You can remove source profiles from CMYK objects using the Fixup Remove ICC Source Profiles.
3. Description
Use this Fixup to set white objects within the file to the overprint status "Knockout". This prevents any errors in further processing.
3.1. Prerequisites and Functionality
For the Fixup to perform as intended, the following requirements must be met:
- The file contains white vectors and/or text elements.
- The white elements can be created in Device-CMYK, Device-RGB, Device-Grayscale and LAB.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Set White Objects to Knockout
The following option can be used to set white objects to Knockout:
- Apply to [1] – select from the dropdown menu which object types should be included in the Fixup. The following options are available:
- Vector – all white vector objects are set to Knockout.
- Text – all white text objects are set to Knockout.
- Text and Vector – all white text and vector objects are set to Knockout.
- Variable Content [2] – select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for Apply to should be retrieved. The following values must be present in the selected field so that the selection is executed:
VectorTextVector-Text
Figure 2: Values in the selected field for the option Apply to
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file "Sample_Set White Objects to Knockout.pdf". The file contains white vectors and a line of text that are set to overprint. As the white elements in this file are set to overprint, they are not displayed.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Set White Objects to Knockout_End.pdf" is created. The white objects were set to Knockout. The values from Figure 1 were used.
Figure 3: Left: Original file; Right: Edited file in which the White Object has been set to Knockout
Article update: Workflow 1.20.1 – 04/2025