CIP4 Interoperability Conference Meets at Heidelberg
01/31/2005
Establishment of JDF as industry standard takes step forward /
Countless workflow products now JDF-based
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) recently hosted the seventh CIP4* Interoperability (IOP) Conference in the Print Media Academy in Heidelberg from January 24 through 29. A total of 85 participants from more than 30 international print media companies met with the aim of further establishing the job definition format (JDF) as the open industry standard and enhancing its functionality. The participants, mainly from the development departments of participating companies, worked on increasing the possibilities for exchanging the data format between individual workflow systems from different manufacturers. They also reached an agreement on enhancements for the next JDF version 1.3, where in particular the functions for packaging printing and for security when exchanging JDF data online are to be entended.
Greater precision in describing JDF interfaces
JDF can be used to describe almost any work process in graphics companies, though similar workflows can be described in different ways. If a JDF writer uses method A, but the reader expects method B, there is no interoperability. CIP4 is addressing this problem through Interoperability Conformance Specification (ICS) documents, which describe individual interfaces clearly and in detail. This means that workflow systems and/or components from various manufacturers that conform to the same ICS are compatible.
The key difference to previous conferences was the high level of detail involved when verifying the exchanged information. ICS documents were described and tested in detail using fixed criteria, e.g. for the imposition layout, customer information and machine presettings, to ensure ICS-compliant interfaces.
"The conference has provided a clear boost to efforts by CIP4 to further establish JDF in the print media industry. It became clear that JDF is currently being incorporated across the board into products from workflow providers and, in a few years' time, will be as common as PDF format, for example," said Rainer Prosi, Chief Technical Officer at CIP4. The Heidelberg Prinect workflow is also based on JDF. "Heidelberg will continue to fully support the further development of JDF through its far-reaching commitment to CIP4," explained Jörg Bauer, Vice President Prinect Product Management at Heidelberg.
The next IOP Conference held by the CIP4 organization takes place from March 24 through 30, 2005 in Pittsburgh, USA. The key focus will be on developing a certification process for the JDF format. * CIP4: International Cooperation for Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress.
Image:
85 participants from 30 international companies in the print media industry met at the seventh CIP4 Interoperability (IOP) Conference in the Print Media Academy in Heidelberg with the aim of further increasing the functionality of JDF.
For further information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Matthias Hartung
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 50 77
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 46
E-mail: matthias.hartung@heidelberg.com
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) recently hosted the seventh CIP4* Interoperability (IOP) Conference in the Print Media Academy in Heidelberg from January 24 through 29. A total of 85 participants from more than 30 international print media companies met with the aim of further establishing the job definition format (JDF) as the open industry standard and enhancing its functionality. The participants, mainly from the development departments of participating companies, worked on increasing the possibilities for exchanging the data format between individual workflow systems from different manufacturers. They also reached an agreement on enhancements for the next JDF version 1.3, where in particular the functions for packaging printing and for security when exchanging JDF data online are to be entended.
Greater precision in describing JDF interfaces
JDF can be used to describe almost any work process in graphics companies, though similar workflows can be described in different ways. If a JDF writer uses method A, but the reader expects method B, there is no interoperability. CIP4 is addressing this problem through Interoperability Conformance Specification (ICS) documents, which describe individual interfaces clearly and in detail. This means that workflow systems and/or components from various manufacturers that conform to the same ICS are compatible.
The key difference to previous conferences was the high level of detail involved when verifying the exchanged information. ICS documents were described and tested in detail using fixed criteria, e.g. for the imposition layout, customer information and machine presettings, to ensure ICS-compliant interfaces.
"The conference has provided a clear boost to efforts by CIP4 to further establish JDF in the print media industry. It became clear that JDF is currently being incorporated across the board into products from workflow providers and, in a few years' time, will be as common as PDF format, for example," said Rainer Prosi, Chief Technical Officer at CIP4. The Heidelberg Prinect workflow is also based on JDF. "Heidelberg will continue to fully support the further development of JDF through its far-reaching commitment to CIP4," explained Jörg Bauer, Vice President Prinect Product Management at Heidelberg.
The next IOP Conference held by the CIP4 organization takes place from March 24 through 30, 2005 in Pittsburgh, USA. The key focus will be on developing a certification process for the JDF format. * CIP4: International Cooperation for Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress.
Image:
85 participants from 30 international companies in the print media industry met at the seventh CIP4 Interoperability (IOP) Conference in the Print Media Academy in Heidelberg with the aim of further increasing the functionality of JDF.
For further information:
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
Corporate Communications
Matthias Hartung
Tel.: +49 (0)6221 92 50 77
Fax: +49 (0)6221 92 50 46
E-mail: matthias.hartung@heidelberg.com
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