lualatex-digipack

This repository provides a modular template for creating a Digipack album cover using LuaLaTeX. The template is customizable and can be adapted for different design needs. It was created using the standard digipack template available at x-disc.pl.

• Requirements
• Features
• Setup and Usage
  • Download Required Fonts
  • Editing the Content
    • cover.tex
    • disc.tex
  • Customizing the Template
  • Compile the Template
    • Compiling the Files
    • Color Profile
  • Convert Fonts into Lines
• Contributing

REQUIREMENTS

To use this template, ensure you have the following installed on your system :

• LuaLaTeX (used to compile .tex files).
• Lua (required for the utility scripts in the tools/ folder).
• ImageMagick (for image processing tasks).
• Ghostscript (for converting embedded fonts to vector outlines).
• wget and unzip (required to fetch fonts and ICC profiles).

FEATURES

• Modular Structure : The template consists of multiple LaTeX files for flexibility and easy customization.
• Barcode Generation : Integrates barcode creation for your album from the barcode number.
• Tracklist and Artist Information : Automatic formatting for tracklists and artist details.
• Bleed and Cutting Lines : Defined lines for print production, ensuring correct trimming and alignment.
• Color Profile Conversion : RGB to CMYK conversion for high-quality print output (via the ./tools/rgb2cmyk script).
• Font Outline Conversion: Converts embedded fonts into vector outlines for PDFs (via the ./tootls/fonts2lines script).

SETUP AND USAGE

Download required fonts

The Compact Disc logo used in the template is hardcoded and requires specific fonts that are not included by default. To download these fonts, run the following Lua script to fetch them and save them in the ./fonts/ directory:

./tools/download-fonts

This script will download the necessary font files:

• Disc font: Used for the "disc" text in the logo.
• Eurostile Bold: Used for the "DIGITAL AUDIO" text in the logo.

Editing the Content

Main Input Files : cover.tex and disc.tex

The primary content of the digipack design is defined in the following files :

cover.tex

This file is used to specify the details of the album's cover, including :

• The album title.
• Tracklist (using the \newTrack command).
• Artist lineup (using the \newArtist command).
• Additional graphic elements such as barcodes or custom decorations.

Example :

\newTrack{Track Title}{Duration}
\newArtist{Artist Name}{Instrument}

disc.tex

This file is dedicated to the design of the CD label, such as:

• Text placement (e.g., album name, artist, release year).
• Compact Disc logo.
• Legal phrase.

Customizing the Template

Modify the LaTeX files to adjust the layout, design, and content for your album cover:

• lib/cover.tex : The main layout for the album cover, including the folding lines and cutting marks.
• lib/disc.tex : The layout for the disc label, with customizable logo placement.
• lib/global.tex : Global settings such as fonts, color definitions, and reusable commands.

Compile the Template

Once you've customized your template, compile it using LuaLaTeX :

lualatex cover.tex
lualatex disc.tex

You can remove the cut lines and safety margins by commenting out or deleting the \showframes command located at the end of the cover.tex and disc.tex documents.

Important

COMPILING THE FILES

Each .tex file must be compiled twice with lualatex. This is necessary because the layout heavily relies on TikZ, specifically its remember picture and overlay options.

When using remember picture, TikZ processes require precise coordinates from previous pages or layers, which are only available after the first pass of compilation. The second pass ensures that all elements are correctly aligned and rendered at their intended positions.

Without the second compilation, you may encounter issues like misaligned graphics, incorrect text placement, or missing elements in the overlay.

COLOR PROFILE

Every image embedded in the PDF must use the CMYK color profile. You can use the provided script tools/rgb2cmyk to convert images or PDFs to the ISOcoated_v2_300_FOGRA_39L CMYK profile, which is optimized for professional printing and recommended by x-disc.pl.

To perform the conversion, run :

./tools/rgb2cmyk [input_file]

• Supported input formats: PNG, JPG, and PDF.
• The script automatically checks for the required ICC profile in the ./lib/ directory. If it is missing, the script will download it from the x-disc website.
• The converted file will be saved in the same directory as the input, with .cmyk appended to the filename (e.g., image.cmyk.jpg or document.cmyk.pdf). Note that the png format does not work with the CMYK profile, the output will be a jpg file

You can check if your cover.pdf or disc.pdf has the correct color profil using this command :

magick identify -verbose [input_file] | grep "Colorspace"

Convert fonts into lines

The script ./tools/fonts2lines converts all embedded fonts in a PDF to vector outlines, ensuring print-ready files with no font embedding issues.

Usage :

./tools/fonts2lines input.pdf

CONTRIBUTING

Feel free to fork this template and make modifications to suit your needs. Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome !