GRAPH EXPO WRAP-UP -- Digital Integration Takes the Stage

BY MARK SMITH

Job Definition Format (JDF) support came the closest to being a theme among prepress exhibits at the recent Graph Expo and Converting Expo 02 in Chicago. The competitive pressure to beat the drum for JDF compliance may be causing an unintended complication, however.

There are signs of a growing trend toward JDF being equated with all efforts to digitally integrate the entire print production process, a concept also known as computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM). That leap is not completely accurate, or at least premature.