User Manual

3.3 Clip Print Item with Additional Bleed

Updated on

Article > Print Data

Article > Data Preparation

Order > Print Data

Order > Print Item > Data Preparation

Production Job > Print Data

Production Job > Print Item > Data Preparation

Availability: All Workflow Plus versions; Workflow Prepress; Workflow Print (partial); Workflow Print with Automation Toolbox

1. General

The aim of this Fixup is to clip the Print Item using a given distance along an existing Dieline outside as well as inside.

Use this Fixup on the one hand if you want to clip the Print Item to the most necessary Bleed and thus reduce ink costs and on the other hand to mask motifs so that they can be mounted nested in the montage.

This Fixup can be found in the footer of the Document Information and User-defined Fields area under the Print Data tab of an Article,Production Job or Order or under the Data Preparation tab.

2. Fixup Description

Clips objects with the selected Spot Color including the defined Bleed. Select the Spot Color name, which describes the shape, and define the width of the Bleed you want to generate. If nested DieLines are used, you can decide to clip the print item to the outer border by selecting Tracing Objects "From Vector Paths" and the checkbox "Outside only".

When this Fixup is applied, the MediaBox and CropBox are also set to the size of the BleedBox.

2.1. Requirements and Operation

In order for this Fixup to function correctly, the following requirements must be met:

  • The Dieline exists in the Print Item as a Spot Color.
  • Dielines, e.g. for breaking out handles, can also be present in the Print Item.
  • Dielines should be a continuous path. A filled area can still be masked, depending on the option selected.
  • The Dieline does not need to be set up as a Technical Color system-wide, as the user can apply this Fixup to all other Spot Colors as well.
  • The Dieline should be set to overprint. A Dieline set to knockout, is not set to overprinting by this Fixup.
  • The Bleed for the Print Item exists already.

Figure 1: The Clip Print Item with Additional Bleed Fixup dialog.

You can choose from the following options:

  • Clip – There are two options to choose from, depending on the way the Dieline was created.
    • Dieline (solid/dashed/dotted) – This option should be selected if the Dieline is created as a classic contour, regardless of whether it is solid, dotted or dashed. The TrimBox is created in the center of the Dieline; line widths are therefore irrelevant.
    • Page Content or solid Dieline – This option must be selected if the Dieline is not created as a contour (path) but as a shape or only if the Dieline was created as a solid path. In the case of a dashed or dotted Dieline, the gaps in the line will also be masked. Note that in the case of a shape, the TrimBox would be set to the outer position of the shape itself.
  • Outside only – By activating the Outside only, only the outer most Dieline will be used; therefore Dielines that make break away cuts inside the outside Dieline will not be clipped. Note that this option is available only if From Vector Paths is selected in the Mask option.
  • Spot Color Name – Select the Spot Color name to be clipped.
  • Bleed – Enter a value to specify the amount of Bleed that should be applied to the Dieline.
PMS WebGui :: Data Preparation

2.2. Before/After

The source file »Clip_Print_Item_Start.pdf« contains a Dieline called »CutContour« that should be used for clipping. The areas of the subject to be printed extend far beyond the required Bleed. All page geometry boxes are on the same position; the TrimBox does not describe the exact size of the cropped object.

The Print Item should be clipped with a distance of 3 mm and the TrimBox should be placed correctly on the position of the Dieline. The BleedBox should also be placed on the clipped area and the Media- and CropBox should be placed on the same position.

By applying the Fixup, the corrected version »Clip_Print_Item_End.pdf« is created. A significant amount of extra printing area has been removed and therefore a notable savings in ink costs as well.

Figure 2: Comparing the files before and after applying the Fixup.

before/after image

Article Update: Version 1.12.0 02/2022

Previous Article 3.2 Change Tint Value for Spot Color
Next Article 3.4 CMYK Color Correction
Still Need Help? Contact Us