Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, – Avanti's Graphic Arts Management System V12.2 has passed stringent testing by the Printing Industries of America to become the 50th product to be certified by the CIP4 Organization (International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress Organization).

Avanti's software was specifically certified for its ability to facilitate automation by electronically communicating with prepress equipment using Job Messaging Format (JMF) communications, while transferring the appropriate JDF requirements for prepress workflow completion.

The 50 certified products move the industry closer to realizing the full potential of the Job Definition Format (JDF) specification, created in 2001 to allow integrations between automated workflows of different manufacturers' equipment. JDF-certified equipment has proven its ability to accurately receive and pass on electronic job information in an effort to help print providers speed production and minimize mistakes and touch points during production.

"By using JDF certified solutions, print providers can be confident that their entire workflow will run smoothly from prepress to press and postpress. Companies like Avanti invested a lot of time and money to achieve this certification so their customers will have a 'Quality Assurance Stamp' ensuring that the different applications they count on to run their shop, can work together," said Dr. Mark Bohan, Vice President, Technology and Research, Printing Industries of America.

"This is an important milestone for an important program," said James Harvey, Executive Director of CIP4 Organization. "InfoTrends recently reported that automation is a priority for over 60% of printers, and we know that over 40% of printers have started to implement JDF-enabled automation. The recent recession has made productivity gains more critical than ever for printers, and the JDF Product Certification Program provides clear and unmistakable guidance for those printers working towards production automation."

There are 17 additional companies who have shown JDF/JMF integration specialties in multiple Interoperability Conformance Specifications (ICS) documents and JDF versions. A complete list of certified products is online at http://www.printing.org/jdfcertified. More information on the certification process can be obtained by contacting Brandon Iskey at 800-910-4283 x 787 or [email protected].