Many networked, automated production capabilities are now built into the operating systems of the latest digitally controlled offset presses, but there has been no universal movement toward adoption, and printers still need guidance about what workflow is, how to implement it, and how to make the best use of it. Building a software-based workflow for offset production starts with understanding how the idea of workflow originated and what functions and features it now consists of.

The CIP3 organization was formed in the late 1990s by a consortium of industry suppliers, and workflow’s roots are in CIP3’s print production format (PPF), a software-based specification for presetting press and postpress equipment from prepress data.

PPF’s initial application was for presetting offset ink fountain keys. Hal Stratton, Director Aftersales Service & Support, Manroland Inc., notes that a digital CIP3 job ticket now also tells the press job ID number and customer name; how much to print; what substrates and ink sequences the job will use; how much ink coverage will be needed; and what the machine settings for the feeder, delivery, coating unit, and air systems should be.