JDF certification

•Mark Bohan

GATF

Overview

• CIP4 / JDF background– What it is– Why use it?

• JDF certification– Why?– What does it mean?

• Limitations

– Procedure– Timescales

Islands of automation

June 11, 2003June 11, 2003

© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Dr. Peter Leu • page 6

JDF InteroperabilityJDF Interoperability

Print Management need to interoperate with Print Management need to interoperate with

ProductionProduction

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Digital P

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Print P

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flow

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anagement Work

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Leu, P “Prinect: Heidelberg's path to JDF based Interoperability” Seybold 2003Prinect: Heidelberg's path to JDF based Interoperability” Seybold 2003Kampe, W “JDF tour”, Seybold 2004

JDF connectivity

CIM and CIP4

CIP4 status, JDF 1.2

• CIP4 developing the JDF specifications (1.2)• Allow to describe the product

– Supports JDF– JDF enabled– JDF capable

• Not– JDF certified– JDF conforming

• Why: it infers CIP4 have reviewed / endorsed the product

ICS – Why?

JDFVendor A Vendor B

Why certification?

• Why not self certified

– Anyone could say certified

– Weaken the strength and integrity of CIP4

• Provides confidence to the user

– Knowledge the systems can integrate

– Don’t want ‘islands of automation’

• Ensure connectivity and integration

– Key objective of JDF

Why GATF?

•Independent

•Extensive experience in graphic arts

–Since 1924

•Have large testing facility–Expanding JDF enabled products

•Planning

•Workflow

•MIS

•Press

•Bindery

ICS

•Provide basis for conformance

•Draft format at present

–Confirmed shortly

•They can include several levels

–Base conformance

–Built upon

•MIS base conformance–Level 1

–Level 2

–Level 3

ICS – a number of documents

BASE

MIS

Non MIS

PrepressConventional

PrintingDigital

PrintingFinishing

ICS – what they discuss

•Structure, rules and regulations

•Need to know basis

•Testing needs to ensure these are followed

Testing procedure

• Dependent on product that is tested

– ICS

– Functionality

• Is the product send / receive or both

• Additional functionality testing

– Syntax

– Attributes

– etc

Quick benchmark

•Test a sample files

–Fast, quick, cheap

•Problems

–Everyone would check

against the basic files

–Would not detect

interoperability

–Pseudo certification

•e.g. …..

Complete evaluation

•Test every possible specification with ICS and every other system

–Check everything approach

•Problems

–Development time

–Testing time

–Cost

–NO ONE WOULD TRY TO BE

JDF CERTIFIED

The balancing act

Commercial considerations

Completeevaluation

Testing procedure

•GATF to be a central facility

•Have extensive equipment

–Throughout the full workflow

•Continually expanding and

upgrading

–Access to others

•Will develop / use testing code

–Different possibilities

Summary

• JDF certification will occur

• Practical balance

• Tests will evolve with time

– With updates to the JDF specification

Thank you for your attention

• Graphic Arts Technical Foundation

– 412-741-6860

– mbohan@gatf.org

– www.gain.org

• CIP4

– www.cip4.org

JDF – Goals (www.cip4.org)

• JDF is designed to streamline information exchange between different applications and systems.

• JDF is intended to enable the entire industry, including media, design, graphic arts, on demand and e-commerce companies to implement and work with individual workflow solutions.

• JDF will allow integration of heterogeneous products from diverse vendors to seamless workflow solutions.