Adobe and Quark say the electronic job ticketing technology is important and helpful, but publishers are slow to adopt.While the Job Definition Format may send the hearts of commercial printers, press and postpress machine manufacturers aflutter, most publishers don't know, don't use and don't care about JDF—at all.
But should they?
"We strongly believe that people in the industry need to learn about JDF and how it can help them," Glen Turpin, director of communications for Quark Inc., e-mailed.
Commonly referred to as an electronic job ticket, JDF is a standard data interchange method that promises to reduce communication errors and further automate commercial printing processes. Basically, JDF describes the specs of a print job. It's not something a publisher goes out and buys, but they may start bumping into this JDF thing pretty soon.
In theory, publishers will never actually see the machinations of JDF but instead benefit from it by using electronic job tickets. Instead of e-mailing or writing down print job specifications in pen on an envelope or stapling a form to a folder, software that supports JDF allows publishers to enter (or receive) instructions about a print job such as page size and paper stock.
The printer receives this file, reviews the contents and may add additional info (like specific paper stock information). More information may be added to the job ticket by employees and by machines that can read a JDF job ticket, act upon it, and add additional information to the file automatically (such as when the job was completed). When the print job is done, employees in the mail room or loading dock know where to send the finished piece by reading the job ticket.
The ramifications of keeping job information digitized haven't been truly explored. Publishers may benefit from having better preflight checks. Printers can collect data to check quality control as well as audit workflow. Because jobs can be tracked, that information could be made available on the Web so that customers could check on the exact status of their print job.
Support for JDF is starting to appear in desktop publishing applications including the latest Adobe Systems Inc. Creative Suite products and in the next version of QuarkXPress. According to Adobe literature, JDF "is the print communication industry's most highly anticipated standard since Adobe PostScript and Portable Document Format (PDF)."
Saving time and money and avoiding costly errors are perhaps the main motivations for using and exploring JDF. Simple communication errors cost publishers and printers time and money every day.
PitStop Pro heads off costly glitches. Click here to read more.
Robin Tobin, senior manager of print industry marketing for Adobe, e-mailed that, "Publishers will run into JDF during document creation and submission. Adobe Creative Suite 2 incorporates JDF to offer reliable and predictable job ticketing and job submission, but also incorporates functionality to ensure that PDF conversion and preflight of submitted files are handled according to print provider specifications. Moreover, CS2 cross-checks submitted files against the JDF job specification, a first in the industry."
Tobin added, "It's the next logical step for publishers faced with the challenge of adapting their processes to deliver more jobs, faster and at a lower cost than ever before. JDF is the workflow technology that allows publishers to meet these challenges by linking together and automating the diverse systems and processes required to produce a printed piece."
"For designers, this is huge," Marc Horne, marketing strategist for QuarkXPress e-mailed. "It's like they [publishers] have all of the wisdom of their printer built into their layouts once they fire up the Job Ticket that the printer sends them. They can avoid costly mistakes, not just fix them."
Horne added, "Collaboration via automated communication is one of the most ignored areas of potential ROI in our industry. What if instead of being metadata about an already finished file, JDF could be used to set up that file, evaluate its fitness for output throughout design and allow designers to synchronize their design and production settings in real time? That's what we will implement in QuarkXPress 7 with our Quark Job Jackets feature."
Next Page: Printing devices are like islands in a stream.
Typically, a printer has many big machines in their shop such as presses, binders, folders and collators. While technology has improved the performance of these machines, they are like "islands in the stream" that don't connect to each other requiring human intervention.
While a printer can purchase many of these big machines from the same manufacturer (that may function together), most print shops have a mixed bag of equipment from different vendors—none of which can communicate with each other and automate pressroom workflows.
As a graphics arts technical standard based on a special form of XML (Extensible Markup Language), JDF can be used not only to describe the specifications of a printed piece, but the intent and each process step required to achieve that intent, according to Adobe literature.
When pressroom machines from different vendors understand the same JDF information, they can be unified in a workflow, connected to an MIS (management information system) and CIM (computer integrated manufacturing) can be achieved: Delivering faster, cheaper and more dependable print services to publishers.
Additionally, estimating, shipping, invoicing, ordering and scheduling software can potentially use information gleaned from information entered on JDF standard job tickets.
The JDF standard is defined and maintained by the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress Organization (CIP4), a virtual association with more than 300 members.
JDF builds upon a number of earlier efforts, including Adobe's PJTF (Portable Job Ticket Format) and the PPF (Print Production Format) by CIP3 (which was formed by press maker Heidelberg in 1995).
Adobe, Heidelberg, Agfa and MAN Roland joined forces and created JDF but then handed stewardship of the specification off to CIP3 with the stipulation they reorganize as public not-for-profit entity. CIP4 was formed for that purpose.
Grooming tomorrow's graphic designers. Click here to read more.
"As a publisher, you shouldn't need to care," Margaret Motamed, marketing officer for CIP4 and director of product planning and design at EFI, e-mailed. "This stuff should all connect seamlessly and transparently. Unfortunately, as an industry we aren't there yet."
Motamed explained that JDF should work behind the scenes and is not something to worry about. Motamed wrote, "The publisher is just supposed to see that 'Wow, it's getting easier to type in my job requirements into my desktop application' and 'voila, everyone downstream understands all of my needs with respect to printing and proofing.' And 'I can view the status of other people's work with respect to my piece.' "
JDF implementations are still emerging despite a decade of development. Motamed wrote, "It is exciting to see the technology come together, but in several years, publishers won't need to care about terms like JDF!"
