Spot colour separation & N-up

Your artwork, separated
into printable plates.

SpotSep reads the spot colours already in your file, builds a clean plate for each one, and nests them onto a single sheet ready for output. Trapping, black generation and dot-gain compensation are all yours to set — not guessed at.

How it works

Four steps from artwork to plates. No colour theory required, but every setting is exposed if you want it.

Open your artworkPDF, Illustrator, EPS, SVG, PSD, TIFF or any image. Vector artwork stays vector.
Spot colours are detectedEvery distinct ink in the file is found and listed. Merge ones that should share a screen, or lock exact inks so they are never altered.
Tune the separationTrapping and choke, GCR and black generation, dot gain, minimum and maximum dot, coverage floor, highlight hold.
Nest and exportPlates are laid out N-up with your gutter and frame margin, registration marks added, and exported as PDF, PNG, or 1-bit films.

What you get control of

Spot detection & merging

Every ink in the file is listed. Set a merge tolerance to combine near-identical colours, or lock exact inks so a brand colour is never touched.

Trapping & choke

Per-plate spread and choke in pixels, so adjoining colours overlap enough to survive registration drift on press.

GCR and black generation

Set black start, black ink percentage and colour ink percentage. Pull the neutrals into black instead of laying down three inks to make grey.

Dot gain compensation

Compensate for the gain your mesh and emulsion actually produce, with minimum and maximum dot limits and a coverage floor so thin tints do not disappear.

N-up nesting

Plates arranged in columns with your own gutter and frame margin, so one sheet carries the whole job rather than one plate per sheet.

Registration marks

Frame and registration marks in your chosen style, placed consistently on every plate so they line up on the press.

ICC colour matching

Assign an input profile so what you see corresponds to the artwork's intended colour, rather than whatever the file happens to carry.

Flexible output

Export the sheet as PDF or PNG, the plates as a PNG set, or screened 1-bit films at 2400 dpi.

Specifications

Input formats
PDF, AI, EPS, SVG, SVGZ, PSD, TIFF, and standard image formats
Output
PDF sheet, PNG sheet, PNG plate set (zip), 1-bit films at 2400 dpi
Separation
Spot detection with merge tolerance, exact-ink locking, trapping and choke
Screening
Adjustable dot shape, angle, output resolution, min/max dot, dot-gain compensation
Layout
N-up nesting with configurable columns, gutter, frame margin and registration marks
Colour
ICC input profile, GCR with black start and ink limits

Interested?

Tell us what you print and we'll get you set up. SpotSep is also built into Unclouded RIP, where separated plates go straight to film.