Dieline Colors
Manage line type colors with CMYK values, spot color names, and editor hex mappings for Print CAD standards.
Dieline Colors define the visual appearance and print specification for each line type used in parametric dielines. Every line in a packaging dieline has a specific purpose — cut lines define where the material is die-cut, crease lines define where it folds, perforation lines define tear-away sections, and so on. Each line type needs distinct colors for two contexts: the on-screen editor display (hex color) and the print-ready PDF output (spot color with CMYK fallback).
Access Dieline Colors
- From the Print CAD (Custom Libraries) list, click the ⋮ menu in the toolbar and select Dieline.
- The Dieline Colors page opens with a list of all configured line types.
Dieline Colors Grid
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Line Type | The structural purpose of the line: Cut, Crease, Perf (perforation), Bleed, Glue, Mask, or one of the flexible packaging types Seal, Window, Zipper, Valve and Tear notch. Each type has a single color configuration per storefront. Custom styles you add appear as Custom: style name (see Custom Styles). |
| Spot Name | The spot color name used in PDF output (e.g., "CutContour", "CreaseLine"). Print production equipment uses this name to identify the separation layer. |
| Editor HEX | The hex color code used to display this line type in the Print Editor canvas and SVG previews (e.g., #FF0000 for red cut lines). |
| PDF RGB | The RGB color values (R, G, B) used as a visual representation in the PDF when spot colors are not available. |
| PDF CMYK | The CMYK color values (C, M, Y, K) used as the process color fallback in PDF output. |
| Spot RGB | Checkbox indicating whether the spot color should use RGB values instead of CMYK in the PDF output. |
| Preview | A color swatch showing the Editor HEX color for quick visual identification. |
| Action | Edit to modify the color configuration. Custom styles also have Delete. |
Edit a Dieline Color
Click Edit on any line type to open the edit form.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Spot Name | Name of the spot color channel in PDF output. Required. This is the separation name that pre-press and die-cutting equipment reads to identify the line type. It is saved exactly as typed, including spaces, accents and symbols, so it can match the converter's separation names. Each dieline color needs its own spot name; the admin refuses a spot name that another line type or custom style already uses. |
| R | Red channel (0-255). Required. Used for PDF RGB color and as a visual reference. |
| G | Green channel (0-255). Required. |
| B | Blue channel (0-255). Required. |
| C | Cyan channel (0-100). Required. Used for PDF CMYK process color. |
| M | Magenta channel (0-100). Required. |
| Y | Yellow channel (0-100). Required. |
| K | Key/Black channel (0-100). Required. |
| Spot RGB | Checkbox. When checked, the PDF spot color uses RGB values instead of CMYK. Use this when your production workflow requires RGB-based spot colors. |
| Editor Hex Color | Color picker for the hex color displayed in the Print Editor canvas and SVG previews. Choose distinct, easily distinguishable colors so designers can visually differentiate line types on screen. |
Flexible Packaging Line Types
Five line types support flexible packaging (pouches and bags). Each one prints on its own spot plate in the print-ready PDF, so a converter can image seals, windows and zippers separately.
| Line Type | Marks |
|---|---|
| Seal | Heat-seal bands, where the film layers are bonded |
| Window | The outline of a clear or frosted window |
| Zipper | Where the reclosable zipper sits |
| Valve | A one-way degassing valve position |
| Tear notch | Tear notch marks |
Set a spot name for each one that matches your converter's separation names. In the Print Editor, each type shows in its Editor Hex Color, which is separate from the spot color.
Custom Styles
A designer can draw lines in a custom style of their own in the Print CAD app, for example "Spot UV" or "Braille" (see Line Styles). A custom style stays hidden in the Print Editor and is left out of the PDF until you map it here.
To map a custom style:
- Click Add custom style.
- In PrintCAD Style Name, pick a style found in an uploaded PrintCAD file, or type its name exactly as it is in Print CAD. Picking a suggestion fills in its RGB and Editor Hex Color, ticks Spot RGB, and fills Spot Name if it is empty.
- Enter or check the Spot Name and colors, the same as for any line type.
- Click Save.
The style now prints on its own spot plate. Custom styles are drawn as lines only (stroke, no fill).
Each PrintCAD style can have only one entry. If you add a style that already has one, the admin says the style "already has a dieline color. Edit that entry instead."
To rename a custom style, delete its entry and add it again with the new name. Deleting a custom style asks Delete custom style?; once deleted, the style no longer shows on dielines or prints on its own plate.
Associations
Print Store
| Area | Effect |
|---|---|
| Dieline images | The storefront's DielineService reads the dieline color configuration to render SVG dieline images with the correct colors for each line type. These images display on product pages and in the editor. |
| PDF export | When customers or admins export print-ready PDFs (including from the Sandbox), the spot color names and CMYK/RGB values from this configuration are embedded in the PDF as named spot color separations. |
Print Editor
| Area | Effect |
|---|---|
| Canvas rendering | The editor uses dielineStrokeColor and dielineTextColor from the configuration service to render dieline panel boundaries. The Editor HEX color controls how cut, crease, and other line types appear on the design canvas. |
| Line type identification | Distinct colors per line type help customers and designers visually identify structural elements on the canvas — red for cut lines, blue for creases, green for perforations, etc. |
Related Pages
- Line Styles — Assign the line types in Print CAD that map to these color configurations
- Panels — Panel boundaries use dieline colors when rendering in the editor
- Sandbox — Preview how configured colors appear in SVG and PDF exports