Learn in this article,
- which requirements must be met for this Fixup and
- how you to apply the Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Remove unused and/or hidden Layers is available in the Workflow. The Fixup aims to remove all layers that are unused or when there are no objects on them as well as to remove hidden layers.
2. General
The Fixup Remove unused and/or hidden Layers can be used to reduce the content of Print Items to what is visible and thus remove unnecessary layers.
Use this Fixup to minimize the complexity in print data and also to avoid possible errors in an Imposition. Imposition errors can occur when different Print Items are imposed on one page, combining the same layer names and layers with different visibility. Only if all files in an Imposition have only visible layers can an error-free Imposition be assumed!
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 Layers in the Category area,
- activating the option Delete in the Action area,
3. Description
This Fixup removes layers that are empty or hidden, thus reducing the Print Item to the visible or used layers.
3.1. Requirements and Functionality
For the Fixups to do what it promises, the following conditions must be met:
- There are empty and/or hidden layers in the file that are not needed in the print.
The Fixup Remove unused and/or hidden Layers consists of two individual Fixups that have been combined in one dialog.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Remove unused and/or hidden Layers
The following options are available to remove unused layers and hidden layers:
3.1.1. Remove Empty Layers
This Fixups is activated by default, which is indicated by the symbol [1]. This Fixup removes all unused Layers - i.e. Layers with no objects on them - from the Print Item. If you do not want this Fixups to be applied, you can deactivate it by clicking on Remove [3].
No further options can be selected.
3.1.2. Remove Hidden Layers
This Fixup is activated by default, which is indicated by the symbol [2]. The Fixup removes all hidden layers from the document. Layers that have been made visible remain. If you do not want this Fixups to be executed, deactivate it by clicking on Remove [4].
No further options can be selected.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file "Sample_Remove unused Layers.pdf". The layers contain two hidden layers and an empty layer without any Print Items on it.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Remove unused Layers_End.pdf" is created, where all unused and hidden layers have been removed. Both Fixups were activated in the dialog. Applying the Fixups does not change anything visually, as objects on the hidden layers were not visible before or after deletion. The file size of this small file has therefore only been marginally reduced.
Figure 2: Left: initial file; Right: edited file where all unused and hidden layers were removed
Article update: Workflow 1.17.2 – 04/2024