JDF solves the key to digital workflow

It may sound ironic that the printing industry is in the communications industry. However, we are struggling to communicate information between our business and the production process. Bad communication often leads to extra work burdens and delays the delivery cycle. Increase production costs.

How can it be conducive to the comprehensive communication between business and production and realize the digital workflow? JDF (Job Description Format) and JMF (Job Message Format) are their solutions. JDF is a format based on XML (Extensible Markup Language) and is recommended as an industry standard. It is based on the existing technology of PPP (print production format) of CIP3 and Adobe PJTF (portable tag format). According to the official description, JDF can be used for administrative management and follow-up production. The converted data format, from management to production, produces a combination of printed products.

JDF provides a way to describe the print job production process, so this format allows the user to clearly specify the necessary controls in each process.

JDF has three significant advantages

1. It standardizes the prepress, print and postpress formats of any printing job.

2. It bridges the gap between production and processing services and Management Information Services (MIS);

3. It can achieve the above two functions regardless of the site structure or the production method.

Adobe, Agfa, Heidelberg, and Manroland have jointly assumed initial development work for JDF, but since the fall of 2001, JDF's research and development work has been handed over to the CIP4 organization, which is the successor to CIP3 and is headquartered in Switzerland. ).

The JDF 1.0 version was launched in April 2001. The new version has also been successfully developed and will be launched one after another. Regardless of the old or new, JDF developers will always ensure the convenience and compatibility of the JDF, and have now adopted the JDF. PPF and PJTF users are assured of basic solutions.

What makes JDF different

JDF is quite different from some of the standards or specifications that have emerged over the past few years. PDF and TIFF-IT are issues concerning the format of the documents. SWOP, GRACOL and SNAP provide guidelines for printing characteristics to ensure collaboration within the factory.

TIFF-IT, PDF-X and SWOP are all developed into official standards under the auspices of national or international standards groups. On the other hand, PDF and TIFF began with proprietary technology and evolved into de facto standards.

JDF is to put together many different standards or specifications and become a more effective and great program. Become one of the best demonstrations in this area. It is the brainchild of Adobe, Agfa, Heidelberg and Manroland, as well as major contributions from CIP4, IFRA, Fraunhofer IDF and PRINT Talk. The results of these joint efforts made JDF become a formal standard in a little more than a year. Compared with the establishment of most standards, the achievements are staggering. At the same time, it also contradicts that this unprecedented international cooperation is precisely the pressing needs of the industry. Just six months after approval, JDF has demonstrated its capabilities in the development of new products. The Heidelberg meta Dimension and Agfa's Apogee Series 3 workflows are adapted to the JDF standard. So far, not only have most major printer manufacturers applied such software in the ink fountain key control, but some nailing machines and cutting machines in the postpress industry can also be automatically set according to CIP3 files, including folding and cutting. Such as automatic positioning and so on.

Can be further expanded:

Since JDF is based on XML language, and XML is an extensible standard format that is controlled by 3W Group for many industries, JDF can be further expanded for the needs of the industry's development and exchange. The CIP4 Group has signed new cooperation agreements with it and has also worked hard to ensure the compatibility of the standards.

CIP4 has more than 100 large companies, of which 73% are suppliers and the remaining 25% are users. At the 2001 Chicago Printing Expo and the San Francisco Seybold Conference, public meetings were held to allow users to post feedback and brainstorm ideas to further eliminate neglected or missing deficiencies.

JDF will play an important role in achieving a fully automated printing workflow. Of course, it also has to make individual adjustments based on the specific workflow requirements of the users and the structure of the production system. For suppliers of different equipment or systems, it may take some time for them to make some necessary adjustments of software and hardware for current or future products. Ultimately, however, JDF has demonstrated its effectiveness or power to achieve a fully automated workflow. For many years, the printing industry has been looking for a comprehensive solution that can solve the problems in all workflows. Now it seems that JDF is paving the way for this and is looking forward to success.