1. A computer-implemented method for generating specialty imaging effects from layered documents, comprising: providing a layered document to computer memory, the layered document comprising at least one page including: at least one layer designated as an effect layer, and at least one layer designated as a visual layer; for the at least one page of the layered document, identifying the at least one visual layer; for each of the at least one identified visual layers: identifying at least one visual graphical element within the at least one identified visual layer; and for each of the at least one identified visual graphical element in a visual layer: (i) using a computer processor, identifying, as a next effect layer, a closest effect layer above the visual layer which includes an effect graphical element that overlaps, at least in part, the at least one identified visual graphical element; (ii) cropping the effect graphical element that overlaps to more closely match a size and a location of the identified visual graphical element; (iii) creating a new graphical element by merging at least part of the identified visual graphical element with at least part of the overlapping effect graphical element of the identified next effect layer, such that the resulting new graphical element is printable by a printer configured to print both the visual graphical element and the effect graphical element; and (iv) transforming the input layered document to form a transformed document by replacing the identified visual graphical element on the visual layer with the new graphical element; and outputting the transformed document.
1. A computer-implemented method for generating specialty imaging effects from layered documents, comprising: providing a layered document to computer memory, the layered document comprising at least one page including: at least one layer designated as an effect layer, and at least one layer designated as a visual layer; for the at least one page of the layered document, identifying the at least one visual layer; for each of the at least one identified visual layers: identifying at least one visual graphical element within the at least one identified visual layer; and for each of the at least one identified visual graphical element in a visual layer: (i) using a computer processor, identifying, as a next effect layer, a closest effect layer above the visual layer which includes an effect graphical element that overlaps, at least in part, the at least one identified visual graphical element; (ii) cropping the effect graphical element that overlaps to more closely match a size and a location of the identified visual graphical element; (iii) creating a new graphical element by merging at least part of the identified visual graphical element with at least part of the overlapping effect graphical element of the identified next effect layer, such that the resulting new graphical element is printable by a printer configured to print both the visual graphical element and the effect graphical element; and (iv) transforming the input layered document to form a transformed document by replacing the identified visual graphical element on the visual layer with the new graphical element; and outputting the transformed document. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one effect layers is designated with a predetermined identifier that corresponds to a specialty imaging effect.