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Files & artwork

From supplied file to print-ready in one browser tab

Map the spot colors that carry the die, build bleed that follows any shape, trap it for offset or flexo and check every plate as it will print. Save the result as a print-ready version — the customer's file is never touched.

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On every plan

The same postcard corner print-ready: the background continues past the trim into the bleed
No bleed Bleed added

Today, and with AutomatePrint

Today: Supplier dielines arrive on spots named anything.

With AutomatePrint: Auto maps CutContour, Thru-cut, Crease, Perf, Varnish and more from the ink names.

Today: Contour cut lines are drawn by hand around a customer's PNG.

With AutomatePrint: Create a die traces the transparency, with the offset you choose.

Today: Traps come from a separate RIP or plug-in.

With AutomatePrint: Traps sit on their own layer, and a misregistration check shows they hold.

In numbers

line types, from Thru-cut to V-cut
15
spot plates previewed as printed
28
directions every plate is shifted in the trap check
8
image formats open as pages
6

How it works

  1. Open the file

    From Files or from an imposition job. JPEG, PNG and TIFF open as pages too.

  2. Die, bleed and traps

    Map the die from its inks, generate bleed around it and add traps; preview every plate as it prints.

  3. Save it print-ready

    A new version with bleed and traps on their own layers, and page boxes set from the die.

Spot colors become a die

Supplier files carry the die on spot colors named anything from CutContour to Rillen. Auto reads the names and maps each one to cut, crease, perforation, glue, foil or varnish. Fix anything by hand, down to a single path.

The editor's Inks list mapping a carton's spot inks to cut, crease and glue, beside the die on the art
  1. Mapped from the spot name
  2. The die drives nesting, cutting, bleed and 3D

A die from a PNG

Trace a die around a logo's transparency, draw one or start from a shape. Separate pieces can be joined with bridges or wrapped in one outline.

Create a die tracing a contour around a logo's transparency, 1/8 in out from the artwork
  1. Traced from the transparency

Traps you can see — and prove

Trapping lives on its own layer: presets for offset and flexo, and off for digital. Then every plate is shifted in 8 directions, and the check shows where paper would show — before and after traps.

Close-up of two touching inks on a carton, as printed with its traps

  • Separations of a carton with the copper foil plate shown alone, beside the plate list

    Separations as printed

    The white knockout, the overprinting varnish and the foil exactly as the plates carry them.

  • Ink at a point on a plum flood: each plate's percentage and the total
    1. Total ink

    Ink at a point

    Every plate and the total, as printed.

  • The Size section of an image file scaled up, its effective resolution shown in amber
    1. Effective resolution against your profile

    Size with a resolution warning

    Resize an image and watch the effective resolution turn amber, then red.

  • The File tab of a carton's new version: settings carried over from the version before

    The next version arrives prepared

    Version 2 arrives prepared, with the same die, bleed and traps.

Scan the label, then send the proof

On Plant, scan the open PDF, keep the copy you want and send it with the proof. The customer approves a block or a group. Food and beverage, personal care and pharma teams use the same tool. You can add copy the scan missed, or draw a box on the artwork and type it, and an empty category stays hidden.

  • The Content tab of a label: a nutrition facts table, an ingredients list and a barcode number, each still a suggestion with Add and Ignore

    What the scan keeps

    Nutrition, ingredients, allergens, net contents, a real barcode, claims, legal lines, statements, one Drug Facts panel and an NDC, when the PDF has them. Ignored wording does not come back.

  • A named group of label copy in the editor, with Send group for approval

    Groups you name

    Add a suggestion to keep it, or ignore a bad read. Name a group and send that group with the proof. A kept block can be removed.

  • The proof's Content tab: a named group and a nutrition table the customer can approve or reject

    On the proof

    The customer approves or rejects a block or a group. Click a block to highlight it and zoom. The editor shows who edited, who approved and who sent it, with the time.

What's in it

  • Shape, contour and drawn dies
  • Creases and extra cut lines
  • Bleed: Automatic, Mirror, Stretch edge, Extend background
  • Corners: sharp, round or flat
  • Overprint simulated
  • Rename spot inks for your RIP or cutter
  • Overprint technical inks
  • Measure and safe area
  • Share a flat or 3D proof from the editor
  • Apply to jobs

Specs

Opens
PDF · JPEG · PNG · TIFF · WebP · BMP · GIF (first frame)
Separations
CMYK plus up to 28 spots
Bleed
Up to 144 pt around the die; Automatic, Mirror, Stretch edge or Extend background
Corners
Sharp · Round · Flat
Trapping presets
Offset · Flexo · Digital (no traps) · Custom
Output
Print-ready PDF: TrimBox from the die, BleedBox = die + bleed; bleed and traps on their own layers

What we don't do

  • Label copy reads text in a PDF. An image-only carton often does not yield a Drug Facts panel. It is not a regulatory rulebook, and it does not check braille, a measured color difference, or a camera on the press.

Works with

Read the docs: The 1-up editorBleed and the print-ready fileTrappingCreate a dieArtwork inspectionLabel copy by industry

On which plan

Compare every plan
Capability FreeShopProductionPlant
Map dies from spot colors or layers; view every plate Included Included Included Included
Bleed from the die, create a die, size & resolution, print-ready versions Not included Included Included Included
Trapping with a misregistration check Not included Not included Included Included
Label copy scanned from a PDF and approved with the proof Not included Not included Not included Included

Die mapping and plates on every plan; bleed, create a die and print-ready files from Shop; trapping on Production. Label copy is on Plant.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Anything else? Email hello@automateprint.com and a person who knows print will answer.

Is the customer's file changed?

No. The print-ready file is a new version with bleed and traps on their own layers; the original stays as it was.

What if the die is on a layer, or missing?

Map the layer the same way, or pick paths by hand. With no die at all, open the file from Files and create one from a shape, the artwork's outline or a drawing.

Can I trap for flexo?

Yes: the Flexo preset sets wider traps and a white choke; switch traps off for digital with the same file. Existing traps are detected so you don't trap twice.

Where do I check the words on the file?

On Plant, open Content and scan the PDF. Keep the copy you want, ignore a bad read, and send it with the proof. The customer approves or rejects a block or a group. You can add copy the scan missed, or draw a box on the artwork, and empty categories stay hidden. Food, personal care and pharma use the same list.

Which plans include label copy?

Plant. You scan a PDF, keep the copy you want and the customer approves it with the proof. Free, Shop and Production do not include it.

Which plans include trapping?

Production and Plant. The rest of the editor is on Shop and up, and die mapping with the plate view is on every plan.

Put every job on one platform

Start free, with 14 days of every Production feature. No card, and your customers review for free.

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