Print Marks Reference
Educational reference plus the protocol-only canonical process-black crop-mark capability and its limits.
Print Marks Reference
This page is an educational reference. Canonical planner v3.3 and the output sidecar can author explicit process-black crop marks. The request must provide asymmetric per-edge sheet margins, mark length, offset, stroke width, and a mark budget. The public Studio UI does not enable this protocol-only capability yet, and a preview overlay is never a production mark.
Current capability boundary
Registration marks, colour bars, fold/cut/slug marks, Registration colour, device targets, and barcodes are not implemented by the canonical composer. Only explicit process-black crop marks are supported. They remain production-blocked until exact output receipt, semantic program proof, post-imposition preflight, and release policy are all present.
Common Mark Types
Crop / Trim Marks
Short corner lines can identify the trim boundary. Their length, offset, line weight, colour, and placement must follow the print provider's finishing workflow. Values such as a 5 mm line and 3 mm offset are common examples, not NowToPrint defaults.
Registration Marks
Crosshair or target marks can help measure plate or colour separation alignment. Registration colour commonly appears on every process separation, but the DFE/RIP profile and total ink policy remain authoritative.
Fold and Control Marks
Fold marks describe intended folding positions. Colour bars, grey scales, control strips, and device-specific targets support process control only when the press workflow and measurement system recognise them.
Safe Mark Workflow
Record the required mark type, trim/bleed relationship, units, offset, colour policy, and finishing device in the job ticket.
For canonical process-black crop marks, use the trusted sidecar request with explicit
sheetMargins, markPolicy.cropMarks, and planningBudget.maxMarkIntents. Use the print
provider's verified DFE/RIP for every unsupported mark type.
Inspect existing source marks, bleed content, media limits, non-printable areas, and repeated marks. Never remove or replace detected marks silently.
Run post-imposition preflight and obtain the required operator or measured proof. Confirm marks are outside live artwork, inside media limits, on the intended separations, and usable by the finishing device.
Operational Notes
- Digital cutters may use camera targets, barcodes, or device-specific marks instead of generic crop marks.
- Offset workflows do not share one universal mark set; press, plate, proofing, and finishing requirements determine the correct set.
- Customer PDFs may already contain marks. Duplication or destructive removal requires explicit policy, operator approval, rollback evidence, and post-operation validation.
- Canonical crop-mark planning fails closed when a segment leaves the sheet, intersects any live trim box, uses an unsupported colour, or exceeds mark/geometry budgets.
- Registration colour must not be added inside live artwork; excessive total ink can create drying and set-off problems.
- A barcode-like mark is not scanner-certified without separate device-specific evidence.
Previous: ← Imposition | Next: Zen Mode →
Was this article helpful?
Last updated on