Undestanding JDF

Process automation is the key to success. Particularly in the modern printing world, where the customer expectation about a printed product is very high, where the run length is minimal and where the war on price is becoming a continual affair. Process automation means automating all the processes right from placing an order to delivery and collection of payment. Automation in all levels will minimize human errors and speed up the processes involved. Let us look into the present way of processing a job and then we will see how it will look like once it is automated.

A typical scenario

• The client calls up the salesman or fax/e-mail the specification of a print order asking for a quotation.
• The salesman submits the quotation, sometimes after getting back to him for any incomplete information.
• Once the client approves the quotation, the job is passed onto booking where the details will be entered to the computer and on the job docket, manually.
• The job is now passed on to the next department, in this case, to pre-press.
• Pre-press department do the designing of the job or prepare and pass the file to CTP for out put.
• Job is planned by production
• The plates and job order is passed to production where the first station to process the job could be the cutting, where the economic size is calculated and cutting size is entered manually.
• The paper is cut to the specification on the job order.
• The printing is done as per the job specification.
  
• The printed material is passed onto the post-press, where the special requirements like pasting or foiling or lamination etc. are looked into and is forwarded to the finishing.
  
• From finishing the job is now passed onto delivery where packing and labeling will be done.
  
• Now the delivery order and invoice are prepared and followed by the printed material.
  
• It's time for accounts to follow up for payment.
  
  

An ideal scenario (with full automation)

• The client logs onto our website and places the order for the item. The order form insists for all the required specification to fulfill the job. For example the client can't submit the order without answering the colors involved or size of the material.
  
• The quotation is presented online, and if the
  client is insisting on a better price, the order is passed onto the salesman to rework the price, which can be done in a matter or minutes.
• Once the quotation is approved by the client, all the information is automatically passed onto the booking and the necessary details are printed onto the job docket.
• On booking the job, the other departments are aware that the job is in queue. The jobs are all well defined as per the priority and delivery date. Now the pre-press is well aware that the job is booked and is informed about the deadline to pass it onto production.
• The prepress software cross-checks the job with the original job specification and the CTP machine automatically selects the required plate and exposes. Any mismatch or problem will be duly informed to the concerned.
• Planning of the job will be done automatically while making the quotation and booking. No need of further planning.
• The cutting machine will be all set to cut paper for the job once it is released from pre-press. No need of entering the cutting specification again, or no fears of cutting the paper on wrong side. Because, the most economical size is decided by the machine.
• Now the printing machine is automatically setting the ink zones and doing all the necessary settings to print the job.
• The printed material is passed onto post press, where all the machines will be set automatically to process the job as seen with the cutting machine.
• Once the job is ready for delivery the DO and invoices are produced automatically.
• Now its time for the client to pay online by his electronic card.

Do you feel that it's a wild dream? Hold on, when you consider it a dream, the world out there has already implemented it. More than a dozen of printers in the world are already benefiting from this full automation. And it is beyond doubt that process automation will be appreciated and implemented in a bigger and better way in the years to come. .

Islands in a stream

The process stations what we have today on the path of a job completion is described as 'islands in a stream'. There are two big blocs which are inseparable in the process but are separate. The biggest islands in this stream is Management Information System (MIS) and production processes. Once a bridge between these two blocs is built, a lot of manual labour and data waste is eliminated. Importantly at every step the MIS will be able to inform us where exactly do we stand in terms of production expenses and process status, which is very important for profitability. On completion of the job, the MIS can present a complete analysis of the same.

The JDF Bridge
The bridge between, not only the two main lands called MIS & Production but between all the marooned process lands, is JDF. Job Definition Format or JDF in short, is a file format that bridges the processes. JDF is developed by CIP4 (see box article), a non-profit organization of vendors, prepress and press, companies, research, institutes, consultants and system integrators. world wide. JDF is based on a programming language called XML (Xtensible Markup Language). You can't buy JDF. But you can buy JDF complaint equipments. That means, JDF is nothing but a common industry communication standard for all the devices involved in a printing process.

Implementing JDF
Implementation of a total workflow with JDF will not happen in a day or two. It will take years for a total implementation. The problem here is that all the devices involved in the process have to be capable of communicating each other with the help of JDF. The devices are for example CTP, Cutting Machine, Printing machine, packing machine etc. It is hard to replace all the machines with new ones just for JDF compatibility. So we have to think, plan and start implementing JDF step by step. Deciding where and how to start the war is half the job done. Now whenever we are adding up machineries, we have to ensure JDF compatibility.