In this article, you will learn
- what requirements must be met for this Fixup to be applied, and
- how you can apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
In the Workflow the Fixup Add Grommets/Drillholes along Irregular Shape is available. The purpose of this Fixup is to add Grommets or Drillhole Markers along an Irregular Shape – by number or by distance and at the selected distance.
2. General
The Fixup Add Grommets/Drillholes along Irregular Shape can be used to add Grommets or Drillhole Markers along the path of a Spot Color.
You can find this Fixup in the tab Data Preparation of an Article, Order or Production Job by:
- Entering the name of the Fixup in the area Filter,
- Activating the option LFP in the area Category,
- Activating the option Add in the area Action, and
- Activating the option Grommets or Drillhole in the area Property.
3. Description
This Fixup allows Grommet or Drillhole Markers to be added to a Print Item along an Irregular Shape, at the selected position and with the desired distance. The Grommets are placed along a selected Spot Color – such as a Dieline. The shape, size, and color of the Markers can be specified in the tab Advanced.
3.1. Requirement and Functionality
For the Fixup to work as intended, the following condition must be met:
- The Print File must contain a path that is created in a Spot Color. The Grommets/Drillholes are placed along this Spot Color.
The dialog is divided into the tabs Basic Settings and Advanced. In the tab Advanced you can specify the shape, size, and color of the Grommets. Depending on the selected settings, the dialog will change accordingly.
3.1.1. Tab "Basic Settings"
To add Markers for Grommets or Drillholes along an Irregular Shape, the user can choose from the following options:
- Templates [1] – settings selected in the dialog can be saved as a Template and applied to other Articles/Print Items. In addition, they can be used in the Operations Apply Fixups as well as Check Print Item and Apply Fixups.
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Place Mode [2] – use the dropdown menu to select the method by which the Grommet or Drillhole Markers will be generated. The following options are available:
- Grommets by Distance – the Grommet or Drillhole Markers are placed along the Irregular Shape at the entered distance.
- Grommets by Numbers – the Grommet or Drillhole Markers are placed along the Irregular Shape at regular intervals, which are determined by entering the desired number.
- Number Grommets [3] – enter the desired number or distance of Grommets here. This option changes depending on the selected method under Place Mode. For Variable Content [6], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the number or distance of Grommets will be taken.
- Offset Grommets [4] – enter the desired Offset of the Grommet or Drillhole Markers based on the selected Spot Color. Positive values "+" shift the Grommets inward, negative values "–" shift them outward. Please note, that the positioning of the Marker is based on the center point of the Grommet or Drillhole Marker. For Variable Content [7], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Offset will be taken.
- Spot Color Name [5] – select the Spot Color Name – e.g., a Dieline in the Spot Color – along which the Grommet or Drillhole Markers are to be placed. All Spot Colors present in the Print Item are available for selection. If you select a Spot Color without a Stroke, the Fixup will not be executed.
Figure 1: The tab Basic Settings of the dialog for the Fixup Add Grommets/Drillholes along Irregular Shape
Only one path per Spot Color allowed
On each page of the Print Item, only one path with the selected Spot Color may be present. If multiple paths with this Spot Color exist in the Print Item, the Fixup will not be executed.
3.1.2. Tab "Advanced"
In the tab Advanced, the shape, size and color of the Grommet or Drillhole Marker can be defined.
Two Shapes are available to choose from. Depending on the selected Shape, the corresponding options will be offered.
Shape of the Mark "Circle"
- Shape of the Mark [8] – select whether the Marker should be a Circle or a Cross. Depending on the chosen option, the available settings will change.
- Width [9] – enter the desired horizontal diameter for the respective Grommet or Drillhole Markers. For Variable Content [10], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Width will be taken.
- Height [17] – enter the desired vertical diameter for the respective Grommet and Drillhole Markers. For Variable Content [18], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Height will be taken.
- Line Width [11] – enter the Stroke thickness for the circular Grommet or Drillhole Markers. For Variable Content [19], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Stroke thickness will be taken.
- Fill Color [12] – enter the CMYK values for the fill of the Grommet or Drillhole Markers. The entered values are visualized in the Preview Image.
- Overprint State [13] – select the Overprint State for the fill of the Grommet or Drillhole Markers. You can choose between Overprint and Knockout.
- CMYK or Spot Color [14] – select whether the Stroke Color should be an entered CMYK color or a system-wide defined Spot Color by clicking the corresponding option.
- Stroke Color [15] – enter the CMYK values for the Stroke of the Grommets if you have chosen CMYK as the Stroke Color option. Otherwise, you can select the desired Spot Color from the dropdown menu.
- Overprint State [16] – select the Overprint State for the Stroke of the Grommet or Drillhole Markers. You can choose between Overprint and Knockout.
Figure 2: The tab Advanced of the dialog for the Fixup Add Grommets/Drillholes along Irregular Shape with the Shape of Mark Circle
Shape of the Mark "Cross"
- Shape of the Mark [20] – select whether the Marker should be a Circle or a Cross. Depending on the chosen option, the available settings will change.
- Width [21] – enter the desired Width for the respective Grommet or Drillhole Markers. For Variable Content [22], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Width will be taken.
- Height [32] – enter the desired Height for the respective Grommet or Drillhole Markers. For Variable Content [33], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Height will be taken.
- Line Width [23] – enter the Stroke thickness for the cross-shaped Grommet or Drillhole Markers. For Variable Content [34], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Stroke thickness will be taken.
- CMYK or Spot Color [24] – select whether the Stroke Color should be created in a CMYK Color or in a system-wide defined Spot Color by clicking on the respective option.
- Stroke Color [25] – enter the CMYK values for the Stroke of the Grommets if the CMYK was selected as the Stroke Color option. Otherwise, you can choose the desired Spot Color from the dropdown menu.
- Overprint State [26] – select the Overprint State for the Stroke of the Cross. You can choose between Overprint and Knockout.
- Background Color [27] – enable this option if you want to add a background to the Marker. A background is particularly necessary for dark Print Items so that the camera systems can detect the Marker correctly.
- Offset [28] – enter the desired Offset of the background relative to the Cross here. The higher the Offset, the larger the background will be. For Variable Content [35], select the desired placeholder – Database Field or User-defined Field – from which the value for the Offset for the background will be taken.
- CMYK or Spot Color [29] – select whether the background color should be defined as a CMYK Color or a system-wide defined Spot Color by clicking the corresponding option.
- Background Color [30] – enter the CMYK values for the background of the Grommets if CMYK was selected as the background color option. Otherwise, select the desired Spot color from the dropdown menu.
- Overprint State [31] – select the Overprint State for the background of the Cross. You can choose between Overprint and Knockout.
Figure 3: The tab Advanced of the dialog for the Fixup Add Grommets/Drillholes along Irregular Shape with the Shape of Mark Cross
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, you can use the sample file "Sample_Grommets along irregular Shape.pdf". The file has a size of 1000 x 1000 mm and a Bleed of 3 mm. The file contains the Technical Color "Dieline". Along this path, the Grommets are to be placed. A total of 10 Grommets with an Offset of 20 mm should be generated. The Grommets themselves have a diameter of 10 mm.
After applying the Fixup, the file "Sample_Grommets along irregular Shape_End.pdf" is created. In this file, 10 Grommets or Drillholes have been added along the "Dieline". The values used for this were taken from Figure 1 and Figure 2.
Figure 4: Left: Original file; Right: Revised file in which Grommets and Drillholes have been added
Article Update: Workflow 1.21.1 – 10/2025