In version 1.17.0, it was possible to specify an error correction level for all QR code types so that the code remains readable even if it is damaged or dirty in the print image.

The higher the Error Correction Level is set, the more area of the QR code can be damaged. The following levels are available for error correction:

• Low: in case the QR code is damaged up to 7 %, data can still be restored.
• Medium (default setting):  in case the QR code is damaged up to 15 %, data can still be restored.
• Quartil:  in case the QR code is damaged up to 25 %, data can still be restored.
• High:  in case the QR code is damaged up to 30 %, data can still be restored.

Select either Default, GS1/UCC/EAN, or Industry as the format. For the latter, the application factor must also be specified, which provides information about the structure of the encoded data. This is a prefix consisting of 2 to 4 characters that determines the meaning and format of the data.

Proceed as following to create a QR Code with error correction level:

1. Navigate to the Variable Data tab of an Article or Print Item.
2. Open the VDP Editor.
3. With the Barcode Tool [1] create a Barcode on the Print Item.
4. In the Format [2] tab open the Barcode Settings [3].
5. In Type [4] select the desired QR Code from the selection list.
6. Open the settings area Code specific [5] to open the settings for the Error Correction Level [6] and the Format [7].
7. When selecting the Industry Format it is possible to additionally select the App Indicator [8].

Figure 1: The Code specific Settings of a QR Code in the settings area Barcode Settings

In version 1.17.0, the new option Symbol Version [9] is available in the Barcode Settings, where you can choose from 40 different versions. Please note that, depending on the selected version, only a certain number of characters can be encoded. The standard size is 21 x 21 QR code modules.

Proceed as following to change the Symbol Version of a QR Code:

1. Navigate to the Variable Data tab of an Article or Print Item.
2. Open the VDP Editor.
3. With the Barcode Tool [9] create a barcode on the Print Item.
4. In the Format [10] tab open the Barcode Settings.
5. Open the settings area Symbol Version [11] to select the desired Version [12].

Figure 2: The Symbol Version area of a QR Code in the settings area Barcode Settings

As of this version, it is possible to create a One-Up directly and in just a few steps from an Article or Print Item with an already existing Dieline.

Proceed as follows to create a One-Up from an Article or Print Item:

Step 1: Create One-Up from Print Item

1. Open the Article or the Print Item in detail view.
2. Make sure that the selected Article or Print Item has a Dieline that is a technical Spot Color.
3. Click the Process [55] button in the action bar.
4. Select the menu item Create One-Up from Print Item [54].
5. The dialog Add One-Up is shown.

Figure 13: The Process dialog of an Article or Print Item with the command Create One-Up

Step 2: Determine details of the One-Up

6. In the Add One-Up dialog, enter all the necessary information for the One-Up that should be created.
   • Name [56] - assign a unique name for the One-Up. If the name has already been used in the system, you will be notified with a corresponding warning.
   • External ID [57] - optionally enter the ID with which you received the form from your customer.
   • Comment [58] - further information helps to identify the corresponding form in many cases.
   • User-defined fields [59] - further information can help to bring structure when describing a One-Up. Create any number of user-defined fields for One-Ups and of course also for N-Ups in the Workflow.
7. Click on Save.
8. The Color Mapping dialog is opened.

Figure 14: The Add One-Up dialog

Step 3: Create Color Mapping and determine Bleed

9. In the Select Spot Colors sub-step of the dialog, determine the Spot Colors that will be used for the One-Up. Therefore, select the desired technical Spot Colors in the selection menu, Add system-wide Spot Colors [60]. Determine the intended use for each of the added Spot Colors. The following options are available:
   • Fill Color [63] - click this button if a fill color should be created and determine whether it should be overprinting or set to Knockout. By clicking on the Fill Color icon, you can choose from three options:
     • No Fill Color - is used when only the outline should be used as punching line or to mark creasing lines. No fill color is created.
     • Fill Color - Overprint - is used when the outline of the area should be filled with an overprinting Spot Color, for example to mark hot or cold foil and varnish zones.
     • Fill Color – Knockout - is used when the outline of the area should be filled with a Spot Color that is set to Knockout, for example to mark adhesive zones or ink free zones.
   • Clipping Path [64] - click the symbol to indicate whether this Spot Color should be used to create the Clipping Path by marking the Bleed.
   • Delete [65] - delete a previously selected Spot Color so that it is no longer available for selection in One-Up.
10. Once you have added all Spot Colors and assigned their function, save this setting as a template for later use. To do this, click Save Template [61].  In case you would like to delete a template, click on Delete [62].
11. Click on Next to switch to the next sub-step.

Figure 15: The sub-step Select Spot Colors of the Color Mapping dialog

12. In the sub-step Mapping Colors, use the selection field [67] to determine which of the previously added Spot Colors should be used for the respective Spot Color of the Print Item.
13. Alternatively, select a previously used mapping by clicking on Use previously used mapping [66].
14. Click on Save [68] to complete the sub-step.

Figure 16: The substep Mapping Colors of the Color Mapping dialog

15. In the now open Define Bleed, define the Bleed [69] for the One-Up.
16. Click on Save [70] to finish step 3.

Figure 17: The Define Bleed dialog

Step 4: Merge One-Up with Print Item

The created One-Up can now be transferred directly to the Print Item in the next step. This step deletes the technical colors in the Print Item and uses the original colors and contours of the previously created One-Up. Proceed as follows:

1. Now select those Spot Colors that should be transferred from the One-Up to the Print Item [71]. All Spot Colors of the One-Up are already selected by default. If you do not want to transfer one of the Technical Colors, you have to deactivate it.
2. Then select the Spot Colors to be removed from the Print Item [72]. All technical Spot Colors of the Print Item are also selected here by default. If you do not want to delete one of the Technical Colors, you must deactivate it. Make sure that you do not mistakenly delete any Spot Colors of the Print Item to be printed in this step!
3. In More Settings decide whether:
   • The Production Size in One-Up should be set to the defined Bleed [73].
   • The Final Size in the One-Up should be set to the Dieline [74]. This option is particularly important if the TrimBox has not yet been set to the Dieline in the source Print Item.
   • The MediaBox should be synchronized with the BleedBox in the One-Up [75].
4. Click on Save to start transferring the One-Up to the Print Item.

Figure 18: The Merge One-Up with Print Item dialog

From version 1.17.0, an existing One-Ups in Administration > Die Cut Library can be transferred to the Print Item in order to prepare the Print Item for the Die Cut Impose Mode. To do this, proceed as follows:

Step 1: Merge One-Up into Print Item

1. Navigate to the Article or Print Item of an Order or Production Job.
2. Open the Article or Print Item. Please ensure that the TrimBox for the Print Item - in most cases the ImageBox - is placed on the Dieline.
3. In the toolbar of the detail view for the Print Item click Process [77] and select the menu item Merge One-Up into Print Item  [76].
4. The Merge One-Up into Print Item opens.  

Figure 19: The Process menu in the detail view of a Print Item

Step 2: Select and transfer One-Up

6. In the Merge One-Up into Print Item dialog, select the desired entry from the Die Cut Library in the One-Up selection menu [78].
7. After selection, the One-Up is validated for usability for the current Print Item. Essentially, the Final Size of the One-Up must match the Print Item's TrimBox. The result of the validation is displayed below [79].
8. When all information is available, switch to the next sub-step by pressing Next.

Figure 20: The sub-step Validate of the dialog Merge One-Up into Print Item

9. In the Integrate sub-step determine which Spot Colors of the One-Up should be transferred to the Print Item [80] and which Spot Colors should be removed from the Print Item [81].
10. Click on Save to start the merging process.  The Print Item is then ready for use in Die Cut Impose Mode.

Figure 21: The sub-steps Validate and Integrate of the Merge One-Up into Print Item dialog

Simple geometric shapes such as rectangles, ellipses and circles are particularly required in label production. From version 1.17.0, it is possible to create these simple shapes quickly and easily.

Proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Administration > Die Cut Library.
2. In the More menu [82] select the entry Create One-Up for defined Shape [83].

Figure 22: The menu More in the One-Up tab of the Die Cut Library

4. In the Create One-Up for defined Shape dialog, fill in all the necessary information.
5. In the User-defined fields [84] area, enter additional information for the One-Up. Define the available fields in Administration > Settings > User-defined Fields.
6. In the Shape options area, define the geometric shape. The following parameters are available:
   • Geometric Shape [85] - choose between rectangle and ellipse

• Spot Color [86]- select the system-wide technical Spot Color from the drop-down menu that is to be used as the Dieline in the One-Up.
  • Width and Height [87] - determine the size of the One-Up
  • Bleed [88] - define the bleed area with which the One-Up should be created in the Die Cuts library.
  • Corner Radius [89] - determine for a rectangle whether the corners should remain square or should be rounded according to the selected corner radius.

1. Click Generate Preview [90] to display the preview.
2. Press Save to create the shape in the list of One-Ups in the Die Cuts library.

Figure 23: The dialog Create One-Up for defined Shape with a generated preview for the One-Up

With version 1.17.0, it is now possible for the first time to generate a One-Up Number for the One-Up, which then automatically numbers the individual N-Ups consecutively according to the specified sequence. The One-Up Number can be created retrospectively using a separate tool after the One-Up has been created.

To create this number, proceed as follows:

1. Navigate to Administration > Die Cuts Library > One-Up.
2. Select the desired One-Up from the list and open the One-Up Editor.
3. In the settings area, click on Add One-Up Number [82].
4. The parameters for creating the panel number are then displayed in the settings area.

Figure 24: The One-Up Editor after the One-Up was created

5. Use the Placement Tool [91] to click on the position in the One-Up Number where the One-Up Number should be placed.
6. Then define the appearance in the settings area. The following parameters are available:
   • Position [93] - determine the exact position of the reference point for placing the One-Up Number.
   • Font Size [94] - One-Up Numbers are usually printed very small in the desired position. Enter the font size for the number.
   • Rotation [95] - rotate the One-Up Number based on the selected reference point by entering the angle.
   • Length [96] - determine the maximum length that the One-Up Number may be.
   • Horizontal Alignment [97] - use this to determine from where the One-Up Number should be aligned.
   • Font Family and Style [98] - select the desired font and font style for the One-Up Number.
   • Color of One-Up Number [99] - select the desired color for the One-Up Number. As these numbers are usually very small, the number should only be printed in black.
7. Click on Save to save the One-Up Number.

Figure 25: The parameters of the Add One-Up Number dialog  

Until version 1.17.0, it was only possible to select the Spot Colors that should not be exported when creating the layout template. With version 1.17.0, you can now generate a name for the layout template based on metadata and this layout template is generated as a PDF/X-4 with the output intention of the CMYK Working Color Space of Workflow.

Proceed as follows to create and download a layout template:

1. Navigate to Administration > Die Cut Library > One-Up.
2. In the More menu [100] select the Create layout template to export [101] entry. The Create Layout Template for One-Up dialog opens.

Figure 26: The possibilities in the More menu of the One-Up tab in the Die Cut Library

3. Add the desired placeholders for the dynamic generation of the File Name [104] for the layout template.
4. In Spot Color of the Layout Template [105], select the Spot Colors that should be included in the layout template.
5. With the option Merge all Spot Colors in Spot Color "WF Form" [103] determine whether all selected Spot Colors should be exported in their original color or whether all Spot Colors should be exported in only one Spot Color in the layout template.
6. Click on Apply to create the layout template in the Workflow.
7. The layout template is now available for download via the Download Layout Template [102] menu item.

Figure 27: The dialog Create Layout Template to export

As of version 1.17.0, a warning is displayed in the N-Up editor before the dialog is finally closed, prompting users to confirm the process.

As of version 1.17.0, users have a new tool in the N-Up editor for applying a consecutive number to the waste in the N-Up. This number - the Waste Number - is usually applied to all enclosed areas of the N-Up. The Waste Number can also be applied retrospectively in the N-Up as an additional step.

Proceed as follows to create Waste Numbers:

1. Navigate to Administration > Die Cut Library > N-Up.
2. Select the relevant N-Up from the list and open the N-Up Editor.
3. In the settings area, click on Add Waste Number [107].
4. The parameters for creating the Waste Number are then displayed in the settings area.

Figure 28: The N-Up Editor with the possibility Add Waste Number

5. Use the Placement Tool [106] to click on the position in the N-Up where a Waste Number should be placed.
6. Define the appearance in the settings area. The following parameters are available:
   • Position [108] - determine the exact position of the reference point for placing the Waste Number.
   • Font Size [109] - Waste Numbers are usually printed very small at the desired position. Enter the font size for the number.
   • Rotation [110] - rotate the Waste Number based on the selected reference point by entering the angle.
   • Length [111] - determine the maximum length that the Waste Number.
   • Horizontal alignment [112] - determine from where the Waste Number should be aligned.
   • Font family and style [113] - select the desired font and font style for the Waste Number.
   • Waste Number Color [114] - select the desired color for the Waste Number. As these numbers are usually very small, the number should only be printed in black.
7. Click on Save to save the Waste Number in N-Up.

Figure 29: The Add Waste Number settings area of the N-Up Editor

The Extract Technical Colors function was implemented in version 1.16.2 "Extract Technical Colors" and makes it possible to extract all technical Spot Colors of the Print Item from the print file. Thereby, a better comparison between One-Up and technical lines of the Print Item in the Print Item Editor is enabled

As of version 1.17.0, this function can also extract vectors, even if they are a DeviceN construct or in a FormXObject.

Up to version 1.17.0, it was possible to click the Merge button even if no One-Up was selected. This behavior led to an error and has been fixed in this version.

As of version 1.17.0, the Merge button can only be clicked in the Print Item Editor if a One-Up has been selected for the Print Item.

For the Die Cut Impose Mode and as of version 1.17.0, it is possible to select the Origin of marks Per Print Item, Print Items, Artboard, Sheet as well as on N-Up - the Final Size of the N-Up is thereby used as a reference.

Proceed as follows to place marks for the N-Up origin:

1. Navigate to Automation > Impose Editor.
2. Open the Impose Mode Die Cut.
3. Select the desired N-Up in the General tab.
4. Place the required Print Items from the file manager on the Imposition.
5. Add the desired mark in the Marks tab.
6. Select the N-Up entry in the Origin selection menu.
7. In the Position selection menu, set the marker to Final Size by selecting ImageBox and to Production Size by selecting ImageBox + Bleed.

Figure 30: The settings in the Markers tab of the Impose Editor for the Impose Mode Die Cut

Up to this version when using a plate template, in which the gripper margin can also be defined, a warning was displayed. The warning stated that the Bleed of the Print Items extends into the gripper margin. From version 1.17.0 this is no longer the case, the Bleed is no longer used for the creation of the warning.

The target directory of the "Cutter Device" must first be made available for the Workflow. To do this, the Host and the Share must be created in Administration > File Management. For details on this topic read Manage Shares and Folders.

1. Change to the menu Administration > Cutter Devices.
2. By clicking on + New open the Add Cutter dialog.

Figure 35: The dialog Add Cutter Device with selected device type Sharpcut Series

3. Select the following parameters in the opened dialog:
   • Device type - select Sharpcut Series | COLEX Finishing Solutions.
   • Name - enter a unique name for the Cutter. If you have two devices of the same type, you should create the device twice with different names. Thus, to have unique names and destination directories in the Workflow.
   • Serial Number - optionally enter the serial number of the device, which makes sense in case two Cutters of the same manufacturer are used.
   • Host - select the host defined in step
   • Destination directory - select the destination directory defined in step 1
4. Finally, create Sharpcut Series | COLEX Finishing Solutions  by clicking Save.

After creating the Cutter Device, the standard configuration Colex Sharpcut Pro is made available to you in the Parameter Sets area. This configuration can be used by default.

The following settings are available for the Sharpcut-specific configurations in the Parameters settings area, additionally to the default settings:

• Compensation Method – "2" (Fit to Job) is used by default. Further possibilites: 0 = Best fit, 1 = Best fit (Read all marks), 3 = Fit to Job (Read all marks), 4 = Best fit (SmartComp) and 5 = Fit to Job (SmartComp). For more information please contact your Sharpcut sales partner.
• Flute Direction (Cardboard) – "0" (Vertical) is used by default. Further possibilities: 1 = Horizontal. For more information please contact your Sharpcut sales partner.
• Marks Recognition – "0" (Circle) is used by default. Further possibilities: 1 = Corners, 2 = Crop marks (Angle), 3 = Symmetrical objects, 4 = Crop marks (Lines), 6 = Edge and 42 = Custom. For more information please contact your Sharpcut sales partner.

Further settings for the configurations can be made and saved in the Impose Editor. If necessary, it is also possible to create and use user-defined configurations. For more information, check out the User Manual entries Using Cutter Devices in a Production Job and Cutter Device configuration.

Figure 36: The menu item Administration > Cutter Devices with a valid configuration of the Sharpcut Series | COLEX Finishing Solutions

Before Sharpcut Series | COLEX Finishing Solutions can be used for cutting, the system-wide technical colors of the Workflow must be assigned to the cutting tools. Proceed as follows:

1. Select the previously created Sharpcut Series in the list of the Devices settings area.
2. In the Pen Types settings area - located below the Devices, Parameter Sets and Parameters settings areas - a list of all available Pen Types is provided - the provided knives of the Cutter Device are listed.

Figure 37: The settings area Pen Types with the Pen Types for Colex Sharpcut Pro

3. Select the Pen Type that should be used e.g. Crease.
4. Click on Edit in the footer of the settings area which opens the Edit Pen Type dialog.

Figure 38: The Edit Pen Type dialog, in which system-wide Technical Colors can be bound to the "Crease" pen type

5. In the dialog, select those Technical Colors from the Available Technical Colors [121] drop-down menu that should be bound to the selected pen type. If several Technical Colors should be bound to a pen type, repeat the step you have just performed. Technical Colors that have already been bound are greyed out in the list. The pen types that have already been bound are listed in the Mapped Colors [122] area.
6. In Advanced Settings [123], define further settings for the respective pen type.
   • Layer Name [124] - in this input field, define the name for the Spot Color in the OXF cutting file as a Layer Name so that the appropriate tool is automatically selected in the pen type's software.
   • Tool Name [125] - in this input field, define the Tool Name of the Spot Color in the OXF cutting file so that the appropriate tool is automatically selected in the Cutter Device's software.
   • Tool Color [126] - define the RGB color values for the tool in these input fields so that the correct tool or Tool Color is automatically selected in the Cutter Device's software.
7. Once you have bound all the Technical Colors that should be used to a tool, click Save to save the setting for use with Colex Sharpcut Pro.

The Fixup Create Outline to Vector Objects can be used to create an Outline for the desired colored vectors in the entered Line Width and Stroke Alignment with the same color values. Use this Fixup to visually enlarge text that has been converted into Outline, for example.

Figure 40: The dialog of the new Fixup Create Outline to Vector Objects

A detailed description and a sample file can be found in the article Create Contour to Vector Objects.

This Fixups scales the page content of the TrimBox to a specific size by entering the target size for the Width [127] and Height [128]. The existing Bleed is adjusted according to the scaling.

Apart from the settings for width and height, the Fixups is structured in the same way as the Fixup Scale Page Content.

Figure 41: The dialog of the new Fixup Scale Page Content - Width and Height

Create vertical or horizontal tiles by entering the desired size or number of tiles as well as the printed and total overlap. Optionally, a Dieline for the cutter and a printed line for labelling the visible format can also be created. The user guidance has been divided into three tabs, making it easier to use.

Figure 42: The tab Basic Settings in the dialog of the new Fixup Tiling

You can use the following options to create a simple tiling:

• Tiling Method [129] - choose between By size and By number.
• Mounting Direction [130] - choose between Horizontal and Vertical.
• Tile Size | number of tiles [135] - enter the desired size of the tiles or enter the number of tiles.
• Printed Overlap [131] - enter the Bleed that should printed for the Tile at the selected horizontal or vertical mounting direction.
• Overlap (printed + white) [136] - enter the size of the overlap. Please note that this value should always be greater than or equal to the value in the Printed Overlap option.
• Create Bleed [130] - create an additional Bleed around the Print Item. Please note that you can choose from the following options in the Method selection menu:
  • Repeat last pixel as image - creates a Bleed by repeating the last pixel
  • Mirror page objects - mirrors the entire Print Item at the respective corners as shape XObjects
  • Pattern Extension - creates a Bleed by repeating the pattern. Use this option to create a Bleed for wallpaper production based on a repeating pattern
• Layer Name [133] - specify the name of the Layer on which the Bleed will be created. Note that if you do not want to create a layer for the Bleed, simply delete the entry in this input field.
• Remove overlapping images [134] - remove overlapping image information to reduce the file size for the individual tiles.
• Remove overlapping vector paths [137] - remove overlapping vector paths to reduce the complexity in terms of thousands of paths for the individual tiles.

Tiles also have to be cut. For this reason, this Fixup offers the option of creating a Dieline for the production format - visible area + overlap (printed + unprinted).

To create a Dieline, simply activate the option Add Dieline for production format [138] and determine the corresponding contour settings below according to your intention.

Figure 43: The Add Dieline tab of the new Fixup Tiling

In cases where tiles are not cut with a Cutter Device, it is possible to apply Dielines as printing lines to the tile according to the project. To do this, select whether the line should be applied to the visible format or the production format in the Create Line for [139] option. Then select the edge on which the line should be created in Origin [140] and use the remaining options to determine how thick and in which color this line should be printed.

Figure 44: The Add Printed Line dialog of the new Fixup Tiling

With the Fixup Add a Dieline for Irregular Shape, it is possible to create a Dieline for this shape with corresponding accuracy and to add an additional Dieline at a defined spacing by tracing the shape. Fixups have been restructured in terms of user guidance and equipped with an additional function. The following new features are available from version 1.17.0:

• The additional option Extract Colors from DeviceN [141] is available in the Advanced tab (Figure 45). This allows you to include the Spot Color channel within a DeviceN construct if you want to create a Dieline based on a selected Spot Color.
• The user interface has been completely revised. The individual options have been grouped thematically into three tabs - Basic Settings, Advanced and Additional Dieline.

Figure 45: The Basic Settings dialog of the Fixup Add a Dieline for Irregular Shapes

Figure 46: The Advanced dialog of the Fixup Add a Dieline for Irregular Shapes

Figure 47: The Additional Dieline tab for the Fixup Add Dieline for Irregular Shape

The Add Caption Fixup can be used to add captions for individual Print Items at the desired position, with both static and dynamically generated content. In addition, the generated caption can be created with an additional Dieline as a stand-alone object or as a tab with the existing Dieline.

With version 1.17.0, the Fixups have been extended to include the option of truncating the dynamically placed text and the option of using a substring from the placed dynamic text for the caption. The following new option has been added:

• The option Truncate Replaced Text [142] is available in the Basic Settings tab with three options:
  • Do not truncate - the dynamically generated text of the caption is fully used.
  • Truncate text - the dynamically generated text is truncated from the defined position - specified in Options [143]. Examples would be
    • start=5 - the first five characters of the text are used
    • end=5 - the last five characters of the text are used
  • Substring of Text - only a certain area of the dynamically generated text is used. Examples would be
    • start=5,2 - this uses the two characters from the fifth character of the text from the beginning
    • end=4,3 - this uses the three characters from the fourth character of the text as seen from the end

Figure 48: The Basic Settings tab of the Fixup Add Caption with the additional option Truncate Replaced Text

Figure 49: The Advanced tab of the Fixup Add Caption