Reston, VA - NPES-The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies announces the revision of IT8.6, Graphic technology—Prepress digital data exchange—Diecutting data (DDES3). The updated standard establishes a data exchange format to enable the transfer of numerical control information between diecutting systems and electronic prepress systems used in the manufacture of dies.

The original document published in 2002 was developed by the International Association of Diecutting & Diemaking (IADD) Technical Committee, DDES3 Subcommittee, a working group under the ANSI-accredited Committee for Graphic Arts Technologies.

“As the current President of the IADD, I see the constant evolution of our industry and its technology,” said Jeremy T. Guest, President of Diansuply Inc. “IT8.6 and its ability to advance communications to the machines used in the production process will improve our members’ ability to integrate and improve their processes in order to produce their finished products in a more efficient and economic manner. Also, at Diansuply Inc. we frequently do custom waterjet cutting and this revision will greatly enhance our customers’ ability to provide us with accurate and complete files,” he continued.

Officially named IT8.6, and more commonly referred to in the industry as DDES3, the newly revised standard was originally intended to be a much more powerful version of its simplistic predecessor, DDES2, which was created decades earlier. Some standards tend to be utilized mainly as a method to communicate between software applications, whereas the DDES3 format was intended to be far more—to communicate with the machines used in the production process.

“We are very pleased to have implemented a revision to the IT8.6 standard to enhance its capabilities so that it can be utilized much more effectively with the needs of 2017 as opposed to the needs of 2002,” said Andrew Carey, President of Cimex, who chairs the CGATS subcommittee that developed this standard. “Machine manufacturers have gone from being hesitant to expectant, and are looking forward to the new IT8.6 revision just as much as the software vendors,” he continued.

The new IT8.6 revision was completed by the ANSI-accredited Committee for Graphic Arts Technology (CGATS), which works to improve the efficiency of national standards development, facilitates information exchange, coordinates multi-discipline standards activities and provides liaison for international standards development.

IT8.6 is available for purchase from NPES. For more information or to order, visit the NPES Standards Workroom or contact Debbie Orf, NPES Senior Director ICC and Standards at phone: 703/264-7200, or e-mail: [email protected].