© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 1
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Print Shop of the FuturePrint Shop of the Future
An open System Architecture to link An open System Architecture to link
Conventional and Digital Print Media Conventional and Digital Print Media
Production Systems for Digital Production Production Systems for Digital Production
PrintingPrinting
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 2
Hybrid Printing – Some Definitions?Hybrid Printing – Some Definitions?
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 3
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
The Graphic Arts WorkflowThe Graphic Arts Workflow
Request
Estimate
Production planning
Production control
Tracking
Order Intake
Quote
Job Costing
Shop FloorData Collection
Delivery
Process planning
Billing
Product Intent
Normalizing
Impositioning
Rendering
Plate making(offline)
Preflighting
Color Separating
Image including
Presetting
Image Control
Printing
Cutting
Folding
Stitching
Print Control
PostPress Control
Plate making(inline)
Forms Proofing
Trapping
Page Proofing
Color Conversion
Collating
Variable data authoring
Print Control
Variable data merging
Rendering
Color Separating
Trapping
Printing
Cutting
Binding
Variable data
Pages
Impositioning
MIS / PPS
Conventio
nal Pro
duction
Digital P
roducti
on
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 4
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Normalizing
Impositioning
Rendering
Plate making(offline)
Preflighting
Color Separating
Image including
Presetting
Image Control
Printing
Cutting
Folding
Stitching
Print Control
PostPress Control
Plate making(inline)
Forms Proofing
Trapping
Page Proofing
Color Conversion
Pages
Conventional SheetfedConventional Sheetfed
Offset WorkflowOffset Workflow
Page Preparation
Page Proofing
Imposition
Platemaking
Sheet Printing
Cutting
Folding
Collecting
Binding
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 5
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Collating
Variable data authoring
Print Control
Variable data merging
Rendering
Color Separating
Trapping
Printing
Cutting
Binding
Variable data
Impositioning
Digital WorkflowDigital Workflow
Page Preparation
Page Proofing
Imposition
RIPing
Document Printing
Collating
Cutting
Binding
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 6
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Comparison of the workflowsComparison of the workflows
• Page Preparation• Page Proofing• Imposition• Platemaking• Sheet Printing• Cutting• Folding• Collecting• Binding
• Page Preparation• Page Proofing• Imposition• RIPing• Document Printing• Collating• Cutting• Binding
Why are they still so different?
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 7
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Customer MIS
Conventional Printing
Prepress
CIP4 / JDF System Reference Model – A Current ViewCIP4 / JDF System Reference Model – A Current View
Postpress
Customer Facility
Print Shop Management Print Shop
Press
Prepress
Publishing
DocumentCreation
Prepress WorkflowSystem
(Gray Box Expander)
Binding System
JDF IntentCreation
ContentCreation
Estimating &Order Entry
SubmitContent
IntegratedDigital
Printing
DigitalPrepress
IntegratedFinishing
DigitalPrinter
Sheet-fedOffset Press
PressController
Imposition
Print ShopScheduling &Management
Digital PrintController
OtherPrepress
RIP
ImpositionCreator
PostpressDevice
PostpressController
BindingDevice
Production Workflow Mgmt
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 8
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Issues with the current ViewIssues with the current View
• Decision whether to produce Digital or Conventional is made early in the workflow
• Work for conventional is lost when switching to digital and vice versa
• Work in device color spaces is useless on other devices• Imposition defines sheet size which defines the output device
• Shipping Workflow and MIS products tend to focus on only one of the two workflows
• Sheet / Plate oriented conventional workflow systems• High level Imposition specified in JDF as Stripping
• Document oriented digital workflow systems• High level Imposition specified in JDF as LayoutPreparation
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 9
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Customer MIS
Hybrid Printing
Prepress
Enhanced System Reference Model – The Future Enhanced System Reference Model – The Future
Customer Facility
Print Shop Management Print Shop
Press
Publishing
DocumentCreation
Prepress WorkflowSystem
(Gray Box Expander)
Binding System
JDF IntentCreation
ContentCreation
Estimating &Order Entry
SubmitContent
Sheet-fedOffset Press
Hybrid PressController
Imposition
Print ShopScheduling &Management
OtherPrepress
RIP
ImpositionCreator
PostpressDevice
PostpressController
BindingDevice
Production Workflow Mgmt
Digital Press
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 10
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Imposition Requirements for late stage workflow decisionsImposition Requirements for late stage workflow decisions
• Need both (or n) impositions to be defined within JDF:• Multiple explicit Layout Definitions, only one of which is active
+ Exact, predictable positions
- verbose, inflexible
• Parametric Layout – no common definition in JDF 1.4+ flexible, concise
- Implementation specific execution
• Product Intent Layout only (no Sheet imposition specified originally)- Cost relevant decisions are made in production
- MIS has no control over resource usage
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 11
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Parametric Layout RequirementsParametric Layout Requirements
• Digital Printing / LayoutPreparationParams• Emulate typical Device UI features
• NUp• Booklet Mode
• Little Media size variability / Small Media sizes• Fully automated, single device, inline finishing
• Conventional Prepress / StrippingParams• Specify Cost relevant features of Imposition
• Media Size variation / Waste reduction• Folding scheme assignment
• Semi-automated• Multiple devices, offline finishing
• CIP4 is working to merge the two concepts
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 12
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Color Requirements for late stage workflow decisionsColor Requirements for late stage workflow decisions
• Device independent Color – Color Managed Workflow• Device Gamut• Device specific Spot Color handling• Traditional Color Workflow
• Conventional: • ICC Color Management • Device CMYK
• Digital: • sRGB Workflows• Moving towards more color management
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April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Finishing Requirements for late stage workflow decisionsFinishing Requirements for late stage workflow decisions
• Inline or Offline Digital Finishing?• Inline: Finishing follows a different path after digital print
• Mixed Digital and Conventional inputs are possible • post fuser inserters
• Offline: Finishing may be identical to Conventional workflow• Merging point is in the Bindery• Mixed Digital and Conventional inputs are possible
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 14
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
MIS Requirements for late stage workflow decisionsMIS Requirements for late stage workflow decisions
• JDF and JMF are sufficiently abstract and flexible to model any workflow combination
• Cost Auditing is already possible today
• MIS need to plan both workflows in advance and select one late in the workflow
• Estimated costs vary with Workflow and must be based on realistic probabilities
• MIS need to support multiple workflow models for one product• Sweet Spot: This capability may be used to model multiple Digital
or Multiple Conventional devices/workflows
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 15
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Next steps in a hybrid workflowNext steps in a hybrid workflow
Page Preparation Page Proofing• Imposition• Platemaking• Sheet Printing• Cutting• Folding• Collecting Binding
• Page Preparation• Page Proofing• Imposition• RIPing• Document Printing• Collating• Cutting
• Binding
Common
Page Handling
Separate
Sheet
To
Signature
Handling
Common
Binding
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 16
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
Future steps for hybrid workflowsFuture steps for hybrid workflows
• Full Variable data in a hybrid workflow• Archiving for a hybrid Workflow
• E.g. rerun short reprints of a conventional job on a digital device
• Hybrid Conventional Web and Digital Workflows
• Moving from Hybrid to Cross Media• Solutions that work for Hybrid have potential for Cross Media
• Color Independence• Size Independence
• Additional Difficulty: No common pages as links between the two
© Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG • Rainer Prosi • page 17
April 18, 2023April 18, 2023
An open System Architecture to link An open System Architecture to link Conventional and Digital Print Media Conventional and Digital Print Media Production Systems for Digital Production Systems for Digital Production PrintingProduction Printing
[email protected]@Heidelberg.com
Thank you very much for your attention!