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Specifying printer's marks


    When you prepare artwork for printing, a number of marks are needed for the printer to register the artwork elements precisely and verify correct color. These marks include elements such as crop marks, registration marks, star targets, calibration bars, and labels. The Separation Setup dialog box enables you to add these marks to your separations.

    Illustration of printer's marks with these callouts: A. Star target B. Label (film only) C. Registration marks D. Black overprint color bar E. Crop mark F. Gradient tint bar G. Progressive color bar
    Printer's marks A. Star target B. Label (film only) C. Registration marks D. Black overprint color bar E. Crop mark F. Gradient tint bar G. Progressive color bar

    In Illustrator, the printer's marks are either turned on or turned off. You cannot choose individual marks to be placed around the artwork. The Use Printer's Marks option adds the following marks to the separations:

    Registration marks and star targets

    Illustrator places around your artwork two types of marks that the print shop uses to align the separations: registration marks and star targets. Registration marks are the most commonly used marks in printing, because they are easy to line up accurately. Star targets are harder than registration marks to align, but they are extremely accurate.

    Labels

    Illustrator labels the film with the name of the file, the line screen used, the screen angle for the separation, and the color of each particular plate. These labels appear at the tops of the images.

    Crop marks

    Illustrator places crop marks at the edges of the printing bounding box. If the Japanese Crop Marks option is selected in the General Preferences dialog box, a double set of crop marks is displayed.

To include printer's marks on the separations:

  1. In the Separation Setup dialog box, select Use Printer's Marks.
  2. Specify another separation option, or click OK.