Learn in this article,
- which requirements are needed for this Fixup and
- how to apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
In Workflow the Fixup Create Bleed on Irregular Shape is available. The aim of this Fixup is to create Bleed along an irregular shape based on the selected Dieline. The Bleed is thereby created by pixel repetition though without any Technical Colors. Which pixel is repeated can be determined by entering a starting point.
2. General
Use this Fixup when you want to add a missing Bleed for a Print Item with an irregular shape.
This Fixup can be found in the footer of the Document Information and User-defined Fields area in the Fixup group Add Bleed under the Print Data tab of an Article, Order and Production Job or under the Data Preparation tab.
3. Fixup Description
The Fixup creates a Bleed based on the selected Spot Color of the irregular shapes in the specified size by repeating pixels. When executing the Fixups, the CropBox is set to the size of the MediaBox. The Bleed is generated as a 300dpi CMYK image and created in the background.
3.1. Requirements and Functionality
To ensure that this Fixup works correctly, the following requirements must be met:
- The irregular silhouette can be created as an outline in a Spot Color.
- The irregular silhouette can also be created by a masked shaped in the PDF.
- The BleedBox can already be available.
- The Bleed for the Print Item is already available.
Figure 1: The Create Bleed on Irregular Shape basic settings and the Create Bleed on Irregular Shape advanced dialog.
You can choose from the following options:
- Template [1] – settings that are selected in the dialog can be saved as a template and thereby applied to other Articles/Print Items.
Basic Settings
- Spot Color for Irregular Shape [2] – Select the respective Spot Color for the irregular shape. In case no Spot Color is selected, the irregular shape from the masked content will be used in the Print Item.
- Create Bleed behind existing page content [3] – determine whether the newly created Bleed should be created behind an already existing Bleed. So to speak an already existing small Bleed is extended.
- Bleed [4] – determine the size of the Bleed on the found irregular shape. This determines how much the Print Items may be distorted so that the Bleed can be created in the specified size. For the Variable Content [6] select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the Bleed should be retrieved.
- Starting Point Pixel Repetition [5] – determine which pixel in the Print Item - starting from the irregular shape - should be used for pixel repetition. Note that this value doesn't work equally well for all Print Items! By using a greater value e.g. 0,9 mm the Fixup works for nearly all Print Items that were correctly cropped. For the Variable Content [7] select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the Starting Point Pixel Repetition should be retrieved.
Advanced
- Layer Name [8] – determine the name of the layer on which the newly created Bleed should be applied. If no separate layer should be created you have to remove the name from the input field. For the Variable Content [10] 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 – A Bleed should be created by default according to ISO 19593-1 on the Bleed Layer in the Group Structural of the Type Bleed. Find more information about the ISO Standard from the description for Processing Steps ISO 15931-1.
Figure 2: Left: initial file; Right: edited file with a Bleed of 3mm
3.2. Before / After
In the source file "Irregluar_Shape_Start", the Spot Color Dieline describes the silhouette of the irregular shape. The TrimBox for the Print Item is 93 x 103 mm and the BleedBox is 99 x 109 mm. The Print Item does not have a printable Bleed. However, the presence of a BleedBox alone is not sufficient for production.
Creating a Bleed is essential for further processing. A Bleed of 3 mm around the irregular shape, which is described by the Dieline, should be created for the subject. The values from Figure 1 are applied to the source file.
Executing the Fixups creates the corrected version "Irregluar_Shape_End". During execution, if a Spot Color has been selected for the irregular shape, the Print Item is first masked to the irregular shape of the dieline. Only then is the Bleed created by repeating the pixel in the size of 3 mm. If the TrimBox does not yet match the selected Spot Color, the TrimBox is set to the size of the selected Spot Color and the BleedBox is set to the TrimBox, offset by the value entered for the Bleed.
Figure 3: A comparison of the source and target files
Article update: Version 1.17.1 - 03/2024