System for creating an artwork

1. A system for creating an artwork, said system having:

artwork creation means for creating an artwork incorporating an art object;

control means for controlling the manner in which an art object can be incorporated into said artwork in accordance with a rule,

wherein when said artwork creation means is creating an artwork incorporating an art object, said art object control means controls the incorporation of said art object into the artwork to ensure that it is in accordance with said rule, wherein the artwork creation means defines a template corresponding to a package and creates said artwork by incorporating art objects into said template, and wherein said template corresponds to a blank layout of the package; and

rule update means for updating a rule associated with an artwork,

whereafter said art object control means controls said artwork to be updated in accordance with the updated rule, wherein said system is used to create a plurality of artworks and said artworks are maintained in a artwork database, and wherein said rule update means includes a rule database and when a rule change is made to said rule database said rule update means examines said artwork database and updates artworks relating to said rule change in accordance with said rule change.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said artwork is packaging artwork.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said artwork creation means divides said template into a plurality of areas which correspond to panels of said package.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said control means controls the manner in which an art object can be incorporated in said template in accordance with a rule associated with said template.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said control means controls the manner in which an art object can be incorporated in accordance with a rule associated with said object.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said artwork creation means can modify an existing artwork and said art object control means controls the modification to ensure that it is in accordance with any rules associated with any art objects incorporated in said artwork.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein when the modification of said artwork involves a change from a first template to a second template, said art object control means controls the modification so that an art object is incorporated within the second template in accordance with the manner in which it was incorporated within the first template.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the modification is controlled to preserve the relative position of the art object.

9. A system as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the modification is controlled to preserve the relative scaling of the art object.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said rule is selected from one of:

a colour rule;

a logo rule;

a scale rule;

a placement rule;

a trapping rule;

an overprint rule;

a size rule;

a panel rule; and

a blank space rule.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said artwork creation means defines a grid relative to which art objects can be located.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said system has an input means and said artwork is at least partly created by a user using said input means.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said system has an output means in the form of a display and said artwork is displayed on said display.

14. A method of creating an artwork, said method including:

creating an artwork by incorporating an art object into an artwork,

controlling the manner in which said art object can be incorporated into the artwork in accordance with a rule, whereby when an artwork is created incorporating an art object, the incorporation of said art object is controlled to ensure that it is in accordance with said rule,

defining a template corresponding to a package, wherein creating said artwork includes incorporating art objects into said template, and wherein said template corresponds to a blank layout of said package,

updating a rule associated with an artwork and controlling said artwork to be updated in accordance with the updated rule,

using said system to create a plurality of artworks and maintaining said artworks in an artwork database, and

examining said artwork database and updating artworks relating to a rule change in accordance with said rule change when said rule change is made to a rule database.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein said artwork is packaging artwork.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14 , further including dividing said template into a plurality of areas which correspond to panels of said package and locating art objects within said panels.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said method involves controlling the manner in which an art object can be incorporated in accordance with a rule associated with said template.

18. A method as claimed in claim 14 , involving controlling the manner in which an art object can be incorporated in accordance with a rule associated with said art object.

19. A method as claimed in claim 14 further including:

modifying an artwork and controlling the modification of the artwork to ensure that it is in accordance with any rules associated with any art objects incorporated in said artwork.

20. A method as claimed in claim 14 , further including:

modifying an artwork and controlling the modification so that when an art object is incorporated within a changed template it is incorporated in accordance with the manner in which it was incorporated within the original template.

21. A method of dividing an area of an electronic document into a plurality of selectable regions, the method including the steps of:

establishing an electronic document area;

locating within the document area an object to form part of an electronic document;

surrounding said object with a plurality of grid lines to bound said object into a region;

said grid lines extending to the perimeter of said document area to thereby divide said document area into a plurality of regions;

permitting selection of any one of said plurality of regions; and

generating a plurality of further grid lines parallel to the edges of said area, whereby said further lines co-operate with the grid lines surrounding each object to divide said area into a plurality of regions.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein said regions are rectangular.

23. A method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein involving surrounding said object with grid lines which are parallel to respective edges of said area.

24. A method as claimed in claim 21 , wherein selection of a plurality of regions is permitted.

25. A method as claimed in claim 21 , including locating a plurality of objects within said area and surrounding each said object with a plurality of grid lines, whereby the grid lines which surround each object co-operate to divide said area into a plurality of regions.

26. A method of dividing an area of an electronic document into a plurality of selectable regions, the method including the steps of:

establishing an electronic document area;

locating within the document area an object to form part of an electronic document;

surrounding said object with a plurality of grid lines to bound said object into a region;

said grid lines extending to the perimeter of said document area to thereby divide said document area into a plurality of regions; and

permitting selection of any one of said plurality of regions,

wherein surrounding said object with grid lines involves surrounding said object by the smallest rectangle into which said object fits.

27. A system for dividing an area of an electronic document into a plurality of selectable regions, the system including:

a display means;

a computer programmed to establish an electronic document area and to display said document area by means of said display,

said computer being operable by a user to locate within the document area an object to form part of an electronic document,

said computer being programmed to surround said object with a plurality of grid lines to bound said object into a region,

said grid lines extending to the perimeter of said document area to thereby divide said document area into a plurality of regions, and

said computer being operable to permit selection of any one of said plurality of regions by a user,

wherein said computer is operable to generate a plurality of further grid lines parallel to the edges of said area in response to a user command, whereby said further lines co-operate with the grid lines surrounding each object to divide said area into a plurality of regions.

28. A system as claimed in claim 27 , wherein said computer is programmed to surround said object with grid lines which are parallel to respective edges of said area.

29. A system as claimed in claim 27 , wherein said computer is operable to permit the selection of a plurality of regions.

30. A system as claimed in claim 27 , wherein said computer is operable to locate a plurality of objects within said area and said computer is programmed to surround said object with a plurality of grid lines, whereby the grid lines which surround each object cooperate to divide said area into a plurality of regions.

31. A system as claimed in claim 27 , wherein said system includes a pointing device operable to select a region by being operated to point within said region.

32. A system as claimed in claim 27 , wherein said system includes a pointing device operable to select a region by being operated to point which the grid lines which comprise the perimeter of said region.

33. A system for dividing an area of an electronic document into a plurality of selectable regions, the system including:

a display means;

a computer programmed to establish an electronic document area and to display said document area by means of said display,

said computer being operable by a user to locate within the document area an object to form part of an electronic document,

said computer being programmed to surround said object with a plurality of grid lines to bound said object into a region,

said grid lines extending to the perimeter of said document area to thereby divide said document area into a plurality of regions, and

said computer being operable to permit selection of any one of said plurality of regions by a user,

wherein said computer is programmed so that said grid lines surrounding said object bound said object by the smallest rectangle into which said object fits.