JDF Certification Is Golden
The JDF (Job Definition Format) Product Certification program has reached an incredible milestone. The current CIP4 (International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress) JDF Product Certification program has reached 50 JDF certifications. Certified products will make it easier to integrate by reducing touch points while maintaining a live digital job ticket accessible at any time by all who are working on the job. JDF Product Certification and integration is successful because JDF quality has become a top priority.
Evolution of JDF Quality
One of the underpinning goals of CIP4 is for JDF to evolve and expand throughout the entire printing process. The initial JDF specification was very fragmented and incomplete and did not allow for proper workflow integration, so it could not be tested very efficiently. This led to multiple interpretations, which led to inefficient workflow integrations and left the “islands of automation” problem. This was going to change.
The release of the JDF 1.2 Specification in 2004 marked a milestone in JDF Specification development. JDF 1.2 was the first stable, complete JDF workflow platform on which software and automation systems could be developed to exploit the benefits of the specification. JDF 1.3 was released in 2005 and the main improvements can be grouped into several sections; MIS (management information systems) upgrades were one of the main areas with improved job tracking, consumable tracking and JMF communication improvements. Layouts have been updated in prepress, while in digital printing the capabilities for variable data printing have been improved. All of these changes have expanded the applicability and robustness of the JDF-enabled systems.
As implementation took place using the JDF 1.3 specification, yet another major advancement took place for the subsequent release of JDF 1.4—reliable signals which allow for better cost estimation and production numbers because the signals will not be lost when a connection failure occurs. Once the connection is restored (up to 48 hours after the connection is lost) the JMF messages will be delivered to the MIS system for proper job costing.
The development of the specification has led to considerable cooperation between competing vendors in producing systems that provide a benefit to the customer and changes have been made to be backward compatible. In other words, the developments have to allow JDF legacy systems, designed under earlier specifications, to still operate. The objective of the expanding specification is improving interoperability between devices.
Benefits to the Printer
For printers who are integrating and utilizing automation supported by JDF technology, it’s a winning situation. One of the production benefits relates to the integration of new software and hardware. Traditionally the choice of software and hardware would be limited by the support offered by vendors of the existing equipment. The obstacle of introducing new equipment outweighed the potential benefits, especially in the short to medium term. Challenges of integration have been reduced with the introduction of the current batch of JDF-enabled systems by those that have gone through the CIP4 JDF certification process.
Operating with this technology gives printers the structure and architecture needed to expand their automation capabilities. It will also reduce touch points and re-keying of information throughout the workflow. Finally, JMF data collection reduces the need for custom data collection applications to translate information.
JDF Certification is meant to be an aid for systems evaluation and purchasing programs. Buying JDF-Certified systems and software should save you time and money when installing new equipment.
Excerpted from an article that first appeared in the July 2011 issue of Printing Industries of America The Magazine.
