GRAPH EXPO & CONVERTING EXPO 2003--Prepress and Digital Printin

In big and small ways, JDF (Job Definition Format) was a recurring theme in manufacturer announcements, presentations and booth displays. The question that went unanswered was, "What will JDF compliance at the product level really mean in terms of interoperability at the systems level?"

There were seemingly contradictory statements made about the degree to which compliant products will be able to interface in a plug-and-play fashion. Or, conversely, the extent to which manufacturers must work together to coordinate their implementations of the JDF specification.