In this article, you will learn
- which requirements must be met for this Fixup, and
- how you can apply this Fixup.
1. Introduction
In the Workflow, the Fixup Convert selected Spot Colors to CMYK is available. The purpose of this Fixup is to convert only selected Spot Colors to CMYK.
2. General
The Fixup Convert selected Spot Colors to CMYK can be used to convert selected Spot Colors from the Print Item to CMYK. For the conversion to CMYK, the alternative color values defined in the PDF file are used.
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 Color in the area Category,
- Activating the option Convert in the area Action,
- Activating the option CMYK and Spot Color in the area Property.
3. Description
The Fixup allows selected Spot Colors in the file to be converted into Process Colors in CMYK. To use this Fixup in an automated environment, the Spot Colors must be selected by entering the respective Spot Color Names. Spot Colors contained in the Print Item are not displayed.
3.1. Requirements and Functionality
For the Fixup to work as intended, the following conditions must be met:
- The file contains Spot Colors.
- The alternate color space of the Spot Color does not need to be CMYK – it can also be RGB or LAB.
- For conversion from other alternate color spaces, the configured CMYK working color space will be used.
Figure 1: The dialog of the Fixup Convert selected Spot Colors to CMYK
To convert selected Spot Colors to CMYK, the following options are available:
- Templates [1] – settings selected in the dialog can be saved as a Template and applied to other Articles/Print Items, as well as used in the Operations Apply Fixups and Check Print Item and Apply Fixups.
- Spot Color [2] – select the desired Spot Color to be converted to CMYK by entering the Spot Color Name.
Convert All Spot Colors to CMYK
If you want to convert all Spot Colors in a Print Item to CMYK, use the Fixup Convert Spot Colors to CMYK.
3.2. Before/After
To experiment with this function, you can use the sample file "Sample_Convert selected Spot Colors to CMYK.pdf". The background of the file was created in the Spot Color "Background" within the CMYK color space. This color will now be converted to CMYK.
After applying the Fixup, the resulting file is "Sample_Convert selected Spot Colors to CMYK_End.pdf". In this file, the Spot Color "Background" has been converted to CMYK. In this case, the color difference is barely noticeable; however, for other colors, the difference may be more apparent.
Figure 2: Left: Original file; Right: Revised file, in which the Spot Color "Background" has been converted to CMYK
Article Update: Workflow 1.21.0 – 10/2025