As described in the article Creating a Production Configuration, you can add various Operations to a Production Configuration. This article provides a detailed description of the requirements and options available in the Operation Check Print Item and Apply Fixups.

When processing Print Items, it may be necessary to check the print data and then correct it depending on the Preflight Results. The Operation Check Print Item and Apply Fixups performs exactly this task. Print Items can be checked based on the defined criteria within the structure of the print file and, depending on the results, automatically corrected or assigned to an Action.

The Operation Check Print Item and Apply Fixups is used in Production Configurations that represent an entire process – from uploading the print data to the Workflow through to output – as well as when applying Production Configurations to selected Articles or Print Items.

The content that is checked depends on the checking options available in the Workflow. Examples of Checks and Actions or Fixups that can be derived from them include:

• You want to check the size of the Print Item and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply one or more desired Fixups – e.g., calculate a different distortion – or perform another Action on it.
• You want to check whether the Print Item is a multipage Print Item and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply one or more desired Fixups – e.g., split the multipage Print Item into two single-page Print Items – or perform another Action on it.
• You want to check for the presence of a Spot Color in the Print Item and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply one or more desired Fixups – e.g., set the TrimBox to the Die Cut or derive the TrimBox from Dielines – or perform another Action on it.
• You want to check for the presence of a PageBox in the Print Item and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply one or more desired Fixups – e.g., synchronize the PageBoxes for all pages – or perform another Action on it.
• You want to check the number of pages in the Print Item and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply one or more desired Fixups – e.g., add missing pages to reach a multiple of four – or perform another Action on it.
• You want to check whether all pages in the Print Item have the same size and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply one or more desired Fixups – e.g., transfer the TrimBox size of the first page to all pages – or perform another Action on it.
• You want to check the resolution of images in the Print Item and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply one or more desired Fixups – e.g., upsample the image resolution – or perform another Action on it.
• You want to check whether a Bleed is required for the Print Item or whether it is incomplete and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply one or more desired Fixups – e.g., extend the Bleed accordingly or mirror it from the existing Bleed – or perform another Action on it.

The Operation Check Print Item and Apply Fixups can, with the exceptions listed below, be inserted flexibly and multiple times within a Production Configuration. The following Operations must not be executed before the Operation Check Print Item and Apply Fixups:

• Create Impose – can only be used to create a Production Job from the Impose.
• Create Impose with Auto Nesting – can only be used to create a Production Job from the Impose.
• Create Production Job – can only be used for the transfer to the printer.
• Create Production Job for Tracks – can only be used for the transfer to the printer.
• Create Production Job from Imposition – can only be used for the transfer to the printer.
• Send to Printer – no further Operation can be applied to rendered data.
• Export Imposition Report – can only be used to create and export an Imposition Report after a Production Job has been created.
• Check Print Item and forward to – as this Operation can only be used as the final Operation in a Production Configuration.

The primary function of the Operation Check Print Item and Apply Fixups is to systematically check Print Items in the Workflow against defined quality criteria and, depending on the Preflight Result, apply the corresponding Fixups and initiate further Actions.

The purpose of this Operation is to ensure that Print Items are optimally prepared for the subsequent processing steps – for example, by scaling, converting, or adjusting Print Item properties when deviations are detected. The specific Checks and Fixups applied ensure that each Print Item meets the requirements of the following steps and can be processed without issues.

In the example described below, print data is uploaded to the Workflow via Automation > Batch Processing, and all Print Items are checked for the presence of a Dieline. If a Dieline is present, no Fixup needs to be applied. If the Dieline is missing, a Dieline should be added to the ImageBox. Finally, the Print Items should be combined into a Production Job.

To implement this process, a Production Configuration must be created with three Operations in the following order: Check-in Artwork and Normalize Print data, followed by Check Print Item and Apply Fixups, and finally Create Production Job. To configure the Operation, proceed as follows:

1. Select the menu item Automation > Production Configurations.
2. Create a new Production Configuration. For more information on this procedure, refer to the article Create Production Configuration.
3. In the tab General [12], assign a Name to the Production Configuration and then switch to the tab Operations [11].
4. First, add the Operation Check-in Artwork and Normalize [13] to the Production Configuration. Select the desired Check-in Preflight and Fixup Template. In this example, the Template Workflow Default Preflight is used. No changes are made to the default settings of this Operation.
5. Next, add the Operation Check Print Item and Apply Fixups [14] and select the Check Check availability of a Spot Color [16].
6. Click Edit [18] and enter the regular expression (?i)die.*|cut.*|thru.*|fustella.*|stan.* in the input field. This expression checks whether the Print Item contains Spot Color names such as Dieline, Cut Path, Thru-Cut, Fustella, or Die Cut (regardless of upper and lower case).
7. Save the new Template, add a detailed description, and click Apply.
8. If the check is successful, the file already contains a Dieline. Therefore, no Fixup needs to be applied for Matches check. In the Action dropdown menu, select Skip and continue with the next step [17].
9. If the check is not successful, a Dieline should be added to the ImageBox. In the Action dropdown menu, select the entry Perform Operation [19].
10. Then, select the Fixup Add a Dieline to the ImageBox in the dropdown menu [20]. The default settings for this Fixup remain unchanged.
11. Finally, add the Operation Create Production Job [15]. Again, no changes are made to the default settings.
12. To complete the process, save the Production Configuration by clicking Save.

Figure 2: The dialog Edit Production Configuration with the Operations required for this example

13. Navigate to Automation > Batch Processing.
14. In the tab Execute Batch Production [21], add the desired files from your local computer using Choose Files [22]. In this example, the Print Items Poster_01 and Poster_03 contain a Dieline, and Poster_02 and Poster_04 do not have a Dieline.
15. Enter the desired number of copies for each Print Item in the field Quantity [24].
16. From the Production Configuration dropdown menu [23], select the Configuration created previously.
17. Click Start [25] to begin the Operation Batch Processing.

Figure 3: The settings area of the menu item Batch Processing

18. In the dialog Batch Processing that opens, review all settings once again to ensure they are correct.
19. Click Start Batch Production [26] to start the Operation.

Figure 4: The dialog Batch Processing for confirming execution

20. After some time – processing duration may vary depending on your computer system and the workload in the Workflow – navigate to Automation > Automation Jobs.
21. You can track the progress of each Automation Job either in the tab Batch Processing History under Automation > Batch Processing or directly under Automation > Automation Jobs.
22. The created Production Job is displayed in the list of Production Jobs. All four Print Items now contain a Dieline.

Figure 5: Detailed view of the created Production Job

Article Update: Workflow 1.21.2 – 10/2025