For this Fixup to do what it promises, the following requirements must be met:

• A TrimBox is present in the Print Item. The MediaBox exists in every PDF file anyway.
• The BleedBox may be present.
• A Bleed for the Print Item may already exist.

Figure 1: The tabs Basic Settings and Advanced of the Fixup Create Bleed by Mirroring

Use the following options to create a Bleed:

• Template [1] – Settings selected in the dialogue can be saved as a template and thus applied to other Articles/Print Items.

Basic Settings

• Create Bleed on [2] – select in the selection menu from where the Bleed is to be created. The following options are available:
  • ImageBox – the Bleed is created from the ImageBox which is usually the TrimBox.
  • ImageBox + Bleed – the Bleed is generated from the ImageBox + Bleed which is usually the BleedBox.
• Method [3] – in the selection menu, select the method by which the Bleed should be created. The following options are available:
  • Repeat last pixel as image – the page margins are extended by repeating pixels so that a Bleed can be created. This means that the last pixel at the edge of the Print Item is repeated until the defined Bleed is filled. The Bleed is therefore an image in a specific resolution that is selected depending on the dimensions of the Print Item.
  • Mirror page objects – the Bleed is created by mirroring the entire Print Item at the respective page edges and corners and then cropping the entire Print Item according to the selected area. To prevent the file size from increasing by up to eight times, the mirrored area is created in the PDF in the form of XObjects, which means that doubling the file size is perfectly normal. This means that vectors, text and images are retained in the Bleed.
  • Stretch border area as image – the Bleed is created by stretching a border area of the Print Item. The Bleed is therefore an image in a specific resolution that is selected depending on the dimensions of the Print Item.
  • Variable Content [6] –  select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the method should be retrieved. The following values must be found in the selected field so that the Bleed is generated:
    • LastPixelCorners
    • PageContCorners
    • ImgStretchCorners

Figure 2: Values in the selected field for the method options

• Bleed [4] –  enter the size of the Bleed that should be created here. The values for all pages can be entered separately by clicking on the lock symbol. For the Variable Content [7], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the respective Bleed should be retrieved.
• Create Bleed behind existing page content [5] – by activating this function, the Bleed is created behind an existing Bleed.

Advanced

• Stretch factor [8] – enter the desired stretch factor here if you have selected the Stretch border area as image method. The smaller the selected Bleed, the lower the stretch. The increase in the "stretch curve" is controlled by the stretch factor. The factor entered describes the increasing stretch of the exponential function. Select the desired placeholder for the Variable Content [12] - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the stretch factor should be retrieved.
• Start Point for "Stretch border area as Image" [9] – enter the starting value from which the stretching of the image should begin. The values can be entered separately by clicking on the lock. For the Variable Content [13], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the starting point should be retrieved.
• Layer Name [10] – enter the name of the Layer on which the Bleed should be created. If you do not want to create a separate Layer, remove the name from the input field. For the Variable Content [14], 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 [11] – a Bleed should be created by default in accordance with ISO 19593-1 on the Bleed layer in the Structural group of the Bleed type. Find further information on the ISO standard in the description Processing Steps ISO 15931-1.

To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file "Sample_Beschnitt erzeugen.pdf". The sample file has a size of 500 x 500 mm and no bleed.

By applying the Fixup with the pixel repetition method, the file "Sample_Beschnitt erzeugen_Pixelwiederholung" is created. The file has a Bleed of 25 mm.

Figure 3: Left: initial file, Right: edited file with the method Repeat last pixel as image and a Bleed of 25mm

By applying the Fixup with the Mirror page object method, the file "Sample_Beschnitt erzeugen_Seitenobjekte spiegeln" is created. The file has a Bleed of 25 mm.

Figure 4: Left: initial file, Right: edited file with the method Mirror page objects and a Bleed of 25mm

By applying the Fixup with method Stretch border area, the file "Sample_Beschnitt erzeugen_Randbereich dehnen" is created. The file has a Bleed of 25 mm.

Figure 5: Left: initial file, Right: edited file with the method Stretch border area as image and a Bleed of 25mm

Article update: Workflow 1.17.2 – 06/2024