Find out in this article,
- which requirements must be met to carry out this Fixup and
- how to apply the Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Map CMYK Values to a Spot Color is available in the Workflow. The aim of this Fixup is to convert objects with a CMYK value into a Spot Color.
2. General
The Fixup Map CMYK Values to a Spot Color can be used to convert defined CMYK values including all tone values into a Spot Color. The name for the Spot Color can be freely selected.
Find the Fixup in the Data Preparation tab of an Article, Order or Production Job by:
- entering the name of the Fixup in the Filter area,
- activating the option Color in the Category area,
- activating the option Convert in the Action area,
- activating the option CMYK, Spot Color, Dieline, Images and Vectors in the Search area.
3. Description
This Fixup searches for CMYK values entered in the dialog and converts them into a Spot Color. Please note, however, that this will convert all CMYK values for every object - including texts, images and vectors!
Use this Fixup to convert a barcode or QR code that was created with 100 % K (0/0/0/100) in the print file into a Spot Color. Thereby, exactly control with which color values to print the code for rendering.
3.1. Requirements and Functionality
For the function to do what it promises, the following requirements must be met:
- The file contains vectors or texts with CMYK values
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Map CMYK Values to a Spot Color
Select from the following options:
- Initial color [1] – enter the CMYK values that should be converted to a Spot Color. For the Variable Content [4] select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the Spot Color name should be retrieved.
- Spot Color Name [2] – enter the desired name for the Spot Color.
- Include intermediate color values[3] – by activating this option all tonal value gradations of the searched color value are included in the conversion and tonal values are created for the Spot Color.
Color doesn't change!
Please note that the color value for the object does not change, even if you have used a system-wide spot color definition as the name.
Example: If you transfer a black Dieline in a print file to a system-wide Spot Color, e.g.: Dieline, which is created with 0/100/0/0, the object of the new "Dieline" remains black.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file "Sample_Map_CMYK_to_Spot.pdf". A QR code with the color values 0/0/0/100 was created in the file.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Map_CMYK_to_Spot_End.pd" is created, in which the QR code is created with the Spot Color "QR-Code".
Figure 3: Left: initial file; Right: edited file where the QR code was created with the Spot Color QR Code
Article update: Workflow 1.17.1 – 04/2024