MONTREAL, Canada, October 6th, 2004 Ultimate Technographics Inc, the leading imposition software developer and the inventor of digital imposition is giving a presentation on “Imposition and JDF” every day of Graph Expo in the JDF Pavilion Presentations Theater. The invited JDF guest speaker for imposition presentations is Ultimate’s Andre Valentine, Director of Product Marketing.   The presentation will focus on the key role imposition plays in the JDF workflow process. “To make a printing plate in a JDF workflow requires independent imposition software as a separate application to define the actual structure of the job,” Valentine says. “But when preparing the job for a JDF workflow, all imposition solutions are not been created equal users need to look beyond the ‘JDF’ logo and actually look at what the software does with JDF.”   Impostrip does a number of things with JDF that competing solutions cannot. Impostrip generates a complete job with different plate sizes this is used in many jobs where there is a Work and Turn, and other printing needs. Impostrip keeps the whole job together without having to generate multiple JDFs. Impostrip supports complicated web impositions where fractional webs are used, again, this kind of setup is impossible in some software and would be unsupported in JDF output from other imposition solutions.   Imposition software places pages and required marks  on the printing plate. No imposition software supports the range of marks of Impostrip, and many do not incorporate the marks file in the JDF output.   One of the most unique features of Impostrip marks is its Color Bar Editor. Color bars are problematic in any imposition workflow, but even more so in a JDF workflow. Only Impostrip has the ability for the user to design his own color bar and to correctly map the colors in the JDF file to the relating workflow system. This one feature can save hours of time and prevent costly mistakes on press.   “We are just witnessing the beginning of the integration of imposition in JDF ,” explains David Watson, President and CEO of Ultimate. “Historically, prepress systems, workflows, have concentrated on the production of pages not plates. Even the CTP workflows do not have imposition built-in directly. As a consequence, the MIS to CTP workflow links today are missing a key component - imposition. Imposition is an integral part of estimation and production planning. Many decisions about the job and how it will be printed are made at the MIS stage but today that information is not passed through to any imposition software. It has to be re-keyed. Imposition is the control point in printing production. It is where the decisions are made and executed for the page size, sheet size, press used and bindery methods applied. Real CIM requires more effort to link from MIS through to the imposition software, to the CTP workflow, the printing press, and the finishing equipment.”   David Watson has been elected to the CIP4 Advisory Board for a two year term commencing at Graph Expo. Ultimate was a founding member of CIP3. “I am returning to the board,” Watson explains, “to lobby for a better appreciation of what processes need to be linked and implemented for a real-world JDF enabled CIM System.  JDF cannot be seen as simply a communication method between islands of automated production points; a more comprehensive approach needs to be examined. Although many companies are working on increasing this level of automation I think the key role of imposition is not fully appreciated today to the detriment of the customer, who knows better than anyone he can’t print without imposed plates.”   The Imposition and JDF presentation will be given in the JDF Pavilion, booth 5087, on Sunday at 2:40 pm, on Monday at 10:20 am, on Tuesday at 1:00 pm and Wednesday at 2:00 pm. It will last 15 minutes followed by a five minute Q&A.   Ultimate is also one of the stops on the JDF Show Floor Tours. Ultimate is the first stop on Tour 2, JDF in Prepress. You can sign up on line for these tours at www.cip4.org