One of the most over used terms within this industry today is workflow. Almost every week we hear announcements of yet another workflow product or enhancements to existing workflow products. We have workflow products from the digital prepress market for systems to drive CtP devices and subsequently offset press set up. We have workflow from the digital printing suppliers to allow these devices to be driven to the optimum potential. The latest trend is unified or hybrid workflows where the same workflow is used to drive both offset and digital presses without having to change the data. We are also finding most of these workflows are now linking up to the Internet to allow for better communication with customers. This can be for submission and approval of work and for ordering of work. In the latter case we are then linking the MIS systems world into the production world. Within all of this the new wonder word, JDF, is frequently sprinkled like stardust to ensure everything interacts smoothly to allow for systems from a range of suppliers to all seamlessly work together.

Well that’s what the suppliers and the industry gurus tell us is happening, and that JDF easily allows for the seamless communication and interaction between systems. In certain cases it is true, but in the majority it is not and we have islands of automation where communication between them is limited in electronic form and predominantly in paper or verbal form.

JDF is a great tool in creating a standard that all suppliers support that allows different applications to communicate with each other. This is through passing of data and by having a communications capability that will allow two-way messaging between these systems. It is not however “plug and play.” With JDF there are so many variations in terms of data that can be passed between systems that there is no such defined standard of elements fully supported by all suppliers. Each supplier implements those parts of the JDF specification that applies to their applications. If two systems with different requirements are connecting it needs systems specialists to create the connection that fits the needs of those systems and the needs of the customers. Hopefully that is what the suppliers will do but it is very likely a printer will have to arrange for this specific customization.