Adding a new custom mark

A custom mark consists of an image file and the SMK file that stores its positioning rules.

1. Skip this step if your workflow does not require a TIFF mark in the output. If your workflow requires TIFF marks, you must wrap the image in both an EPS file and a PDF file.
   1. Prepare the TIFF image in your source software.
   2. Use Adobe Illustrator to create a new document with the exact dimensions as the TIFF image.
   3. Place the TIFF image into the document.
2. Save the image document as a EPS file.
   Set the preview as recommended for your software version, and enable the option for including linked files. 
3. Save the image document as a PDF file, ensuring that the PDF has exactly the same dimensions as the EPS file.
   Because Adobe Illustrator saves EPS file dimensions to the artwork bounding box, you should create the PDF the same way. 
   • Select the Artboard Tool. In the Artboard Options dialog box, under Presets, select Fit to Artwork Bounds, and save the file as a PDF file.
   • Or, use Acrobat Distiller to create a PDF version of the EPS file with exactly the same dimensions.
4. Place the PDF and EPS image files into the Marks folder.
5. Select Resources > New SmartMark > Custom Mark.
6. Edit the properties:
   1. Give the new mark file a suitable name.
   2. Locate and select the mark image file.
   3. Edit the anchor and placement details as needed.
   4. Use the Duplicate fields to easily duplicate the mark. Enter the number of times to duplicate the mark, select the direction of the duplicates (horizontal or vertical), and enter the distance (gap) between them.
7. Save the mark to the SmartMarks folder in the configured Preferences folder location for marks.
   Mark image files can reside anywhere in the Marks folder or subfolders.
   Note: If you add a custom EPS mark image file with the same file name as an existing mark image file, the original file is overwritten.

The new custom mark is added to the Marks list.

When you add the custom mark to a job, the SmartMark rules will retrieve the correct image file for previewing and printing.

To use PostScript-based marks such as the collation marks and bar code marks, you must enable the Output PS marks flats for PJTF/JDF option on the Output tab in the Preferences dialog box.