Automation without Limits

(NPES International E-commerce Website, August 20, 2008) Over recent decades there has been scarcely any other industry that has undergone so much change as the printing industry. Nowadays, can anyone comprehend that in the 80s separated lithographic films were still etched in order to touch up images? Who now disappears into the darkroom to enlarge or reduce the size of a graphic or photo with a process camera?
Even photograph and copy scanners appear to be on the verge of extinction, given the extent to which digital photos are now used. Alongside prepress and press, order processing too has altered greatly. To begin with one worked with manageable estimating software but now the talk is of MIS (management information systems) and the solutions have become correspondingly more pervasive and complex. More is expected too from estimators and planners, who now, for example, must enter key data precisely for automated imposition, whereas in the past this was something that would have been handled during assembly and production.

More efficient workflow thanks to JDF
However, all of this has only been a beginning. With increasing computer-based networking within print and media service providers, the need to link a diverse array of resources grows. Why should job-related data entered into the MIS not also be used directly and built on by prepress rather than it simply being sent in a printed job ticket on which one has to make entries by hand for job costing? How might one link the systems of different manufacturers using proprietary technology? Enter JDF. The lob Definition Format, which is specified and documented by the CIP4 consortium, is a lingua franca that ideally all participants understand. The underlying technologies of the systems, however, remain proprietary and are not altered. Since JDF is based on the self-definable XML mark-up language, the information it conveys is freely accessible, readable and amendable. Even now, Drupa 2004 is still referred to as the JDF Drupa, since virtually every manufacturer confirmed its migration towards JDF. Four years on, at Drupa 2008, it will become apparent to what extent this commitment has been translated into practice. Virtually every supplier advertizes JDF support and so paints a picture of openness, but it shouldn't be forgotten that JDF is undergoing constant development and that it was only with version 1.3 that packaging printing, newspaper printing and web offset were specified in much greater detail. There is certainly room for future improvement.

JDF and the future
However, one should not fall into the trap of thinking that different JDF-supporting systems simply need to be connected together for them to work in the way that current flows when a plug is pushed into a socket. As a rule, adjustments need to be made because although the syntax is standardized, the semantics is not always unambiguous. Just think of the various estimating and MI systems, each with their own history and each of which has been developed to meet different customer requirements. Drupa 2008 may not be the JDF Drupa, but the subject remains a hot one because it is on JDF and JMF (Job Messaging Format) that the efforts for the fullest possible process integration in printing depend. A current question in JDF is the extent to which bidirectional data exchange will be possible and so, for example, whether and how data will flow back from production to the MIS. The link between order processing and prepress via JDF and JMF was the first step, and in practice imposition parameters (stripping parameters) in particular are communicated. Naturally, the imposition software must also process these parameters. The days of copy-based imposition schemes are history in a full JDF workflow at any rate. However, this does require the appropriate expertise at the order processing stage so as to avoid incorrect entries leading to chaos.
Postpress is an important question for the full networking of a printing company. In many firms this area continues to be an island in relation to networking technology. At Drupa, suppliers such as Heidelberger Druckmaschinen are showing their expanded offering for the integration of this important area of activity and it will be particularly interesting to see to what extent postpress systems that do not originate from the system supplier can be integrated.

Further potential for optimization
Anyone who thinks that the potential for automation is played out will know better by the time Drupa is over. From job acceptance, data checking and color adjustment on to platesetting, postpress and logistics, software tools large and small and systems will show just what further scope for optimization there is. One unmistaken-able trend is for 'small' solutions such as PDF preflighters to be integrated into a larger whole through open interfaces. An example of this is provided by the command line versions of Callas' CLI software, since command line control makes it very easy to integrate them into in-house developed workflows. No longer can solutions be islands. The trend to developing workflows in-house was recognized at an early stage by Gradual Software. which has recently been taken over by EskoArtwork. With its Switch product range it offers a basic framework for automation that can be combined and expanded in almost any way with tools from third party suppliers. These efforts have been publicized and compatible tools presented through the Crossroads initiative. On the other side of the coin there are complete solutions from major manufacturers such as Heidelberg, Kodak, Fujifilm, Agfa and Screen. One advantage of such solutions is that there is only one contact for all major questions and one person who is responsible in the event of problems, Furthermore, the components have been configured and tested for each other from the outset. In the in-house workflow corner, on the other hand, are the advantages flexibility and responsiveness to special requirements, provided, of course, one has the right experts at hand.

The web-to-print challenge
Web-to-print not only increases the potential customer base but the knowledge required for a suitable workflow rises exponentially. Introducing a web-to-print system without gearing the internal systems up to it is like buying a rocket without the launch pad. The greater the change, the more important it is that the entire workforce pulls on the same rope - and ideally in the same direction. Do not forget that many projects have foundered on internal resistance.
There is, however, no mistaking the fact that cost pressure in the printing industry is forcing rationalization wherever it is possible. At the end of the day, web-to-print binds the customer to you in the workflow, and the customer accepts this willingly because he or she has more control and can communicate directly with the service provider.

Approval processes
In the course of the production of print ready copy (whether or not web-to-print is involved) efficient approval processes are becoming increasingly important and unambiguous and comprehensible instructions for corrections are an absolute must for this. It is becoming more and more vital to be able to check color as accurately as possible over the Internet. Here, the key term is remote proofing. In order to fulfil all these requirements the standard exchange and printing format, PDF, Acrobat, and the available add-on tools must become more intelligent. Drupa 2008 will undoubtedly spring a few surprises, which the manufacturers have held back from their previews.