Find out in this article,
- which requirements must be met for this Fixup and
- how to apply the Fixup.
1. Introduction
The Fixup Rename and adjust Spot Colors dynamically is available in the Workflow. The aim of this Fixup is to rename Spot Colors within the file and also adjust them with regard to the alternative color space.
2. General
The Fixup Rename and adjust Spot Colors dynamically can be used to rename Spot Colors and, if necessary, adjust their color using the alternative color space and alternative color value. It is also possible to use RegEx (regular expressions) for this matter.
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 Color option in the Category area,
- activating the Apply or Rename options in the Action area,
- activating the Spot Colors option in the Search area.
3. Description
This Fixup can be used to rename Spot Colors and adjust their color. It is possible to assign a different alternative color space and the desired alternative color value - Spot Color Name|CMYK|100|0|0|0 or Spot Color Name|Lab|40.5|60.65|-94.9 to the Spot Color.
Technical Colors become Spot Colors
The Technical Color becomes a Spot Color when you rename a Technical Color and also assign a new color value. Note that you have to provide that the new parameters are not stored in the system as a Technical Color. Spot Colors also become a Technical Color when the entered parameters correspond to a system-wide Technical Color.
Example 1: When the name "My Dieline" with the color values CMYK|100|0|100|0 is assigned to the Spot Color "Dieline", the Technical Color becomes a Spot Color if "My Dieline" is not stored in the system as a Technical Color.
Example 2: When the name "Dieline" with the color values CMYK|0|100|0|0 is assigned to the Spot Color "My Dieline", the Spot Color becomes a Technical Color if it is stored in the system as a Technical Color.
- Change Spot Color of a Template - adjust the Spot Color of a template which is already present in the Workflow without having to create your own system-wide Spot Color.
- Adjust Technical Color - adjust the alternative color value of a system-wide defined Technical Color if you absolutely want to use the Spot Color name Dieline. This color is subsequently displayed in the Print Item instead of Magenta in Cyan.
3.1. Requirements and Functionality
For the Fixup to do what it promises, the following conditions must be met:
- There are Spot Colors within the file
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Rename and adjust Spot Color dynamically
The following options can be used to dynamically rename and adjust a Spot Color:
- Template [1] –Settings selected in the dialog can be saved as a template and thus applied to other Articles/Print Items.
- Spot Color - Source [2] – enter the name of the Spot Color that should be dynamically renamed and adjusted. It is also possible to use RegEx (regular expressions) for this matter. The example in the illustration searches for Spot Colors that begin with die, cut, thru, fustella or stan. Upper and lower case is ignored. For the Variable Content [4], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the Spot Color Name that you are looking for should be retrieved.
- Spot Color - Target [3] – enter the new name of the Spot Color here. In case you would also like to change the Color Space and the color values, enter them here. Please note that you should use the "|" lines (pipe) and not "/" dashes. For the Variable Content [5], select the desired placeholder - database field or user-defined field - from which the value for the target Spot Color should be retrieved.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, refer to the sample file "Sample_Rename Spot Colors dynamically.pdf". In the file, the "DieLine" dieline with the color values CMYK (70/90/0/0) was used. This dieline should now be adapted to the system and become "Dieline" with the color values CYMK (0/100/0/0).
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Rename Spot Colors dynamically_End.pdf" is created. Here, the Dieline was renamed and the color was also adjusted. The values from Figure 1 were used for this.
Figure 2: Left: initial file; Right: edited file where the Dieline was adapted
Article update: Workflow 1.17.2 – 06/2024