ALEXANDRIA, Va. — July 5, 2016 — Idealliance, developer of industry specifications in the media industry and a global industry association of brands, printers, mailers and technology companies, announces that a draft of the Print Quality eXchange (PQX) Specification has been posted for public comment. According to Idealliance policy, a specification must be posted for 45 days before a final vote of approval may be taken. Comments are welcome from any interested party. Global participation is encouraged.
The Print Quality eXchange Specification was developed by the Idealliance PQX Working Group, along with invited global experts from ISO TC130 WG2. The effort was launched in a response to an urgent requirement coming from Idealliance members engaged in the print quality ecosystem, which is made up of print service providers (printers) and print buyers (brands), along with third party print quality service providers employed by the brands to act as intermediaries to manage print quality on behalf of a brand.
PQX is an XML print-quality exchange specification designed to serve as a standard message format for printers to report print quality to print buyers. Marc Levine of Schawk! and Gary Russell of Phototype Inc., serve as co-chairs of the Working Group.
“More than ever, brands need transparency to print quality data that tells them if they are meeting their design intent,” says Levine. “Today, collecting data can be difficult and expensive because different printers use different measurement tools. Tools from different manufacturers do not interconnect and do not report print quality in the same format. In some cases, printers must use multiple sets of tools to service different brands, which have different specifications and requirements, reducing their efficiency and increasing cost.
“By using a standardized exchange format, brands can ask all of their print suppliers to submit print quality data, using their own preferred tools, and then aggregate that data into standardized reports,” Levine continues. “The brand gets the transparency it wants and the ability to collect data against its requirements from a broader set of suppliers. The printer gets to use the tools that it prefers, allowing it to print for lower cost, and enabling it to be more competitive and efficient.”
According to Dianne Kennedy, Idealliance PQX program manager and editor of the PQX Specification, “PQX was developed using an agile software development methodology. We began with a clear statement of scope and by developing design principles to guide us. Over the past year we have developed 47 iterations of the schema, along with data samples. By working directly with programming staff from those interested in implementing PQX, we feel confident that PQX interfaces can be built to make PQX adoption possible across the globe.”
The Public Draft of PQX can be downloaded from the PQX Specification page of the Idealliance website (www.idealliance.org). That page also contains links where interested parties can comment on the Specification. Comment resolution will begin July 18, 2016, so that PQX can be published in the early fall.
For more information, contact Idealliance Senior VP, Programming and Marketing Steve Bonoff at sbonoff@idealliance.org or (952) 896-1908.
About Idealliance
Idealliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization that has been a leader in information technology and publishing since 1966. Idealliance advances core technology to develop standards and best practices to enhance efficiency and speed information across the end-to-end digital media supply chain — creation, production, management and delivery of knowledge-based multimedia content — digitally and in print. Through its 2016 merger with Epicomm, the Association for Leaders in Print, Mail, Fulfillment and Marketing Services, Idealliance also provides industry advocacy, management training, and a comprehensive slate of business-building solutions for companies in an evolving graphic communications industry environment.
Its members represent a unique convergence of the leading brand owners, agencies, publishers, printers, mailers, marketers, fulfillment services providers, materials suppliers, and solution providers. Idealliance provides a user-driven, cross-industry, open environment in which its members can strategize, innovate, standardize, and implement solutions to real business challenges in graphic communications. Idealliance is headquartered at 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 320, Alexandria, VA, 22314. For more information, call (703) 837-1070.
Source: Idealliance.
Idealliance Posts Print Quality eXchange (PQX) Specification for Public Comment
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — July 5, 2016 — Idealliance, developer of industry specifications in the media industry and a global industry association of brands, printers, mailers and technology companies, announces that a draft of the Print Quality eXchange (PQX) Specification has been posted for public comment. According to Idealliance policy, a specification must be posted for 45 days before a final vote of approval may be taken. Comments are welcome from any interested party. Global participation is encouraged.
The Print Quality eXchange Specification was developed by the Idealliance PQX Working Group, along with invited global experts from ISO TC130 WG2. The effort was launched in a response to an urgent requirement coming from Idealliance members engaged in the print quality ecosystem, which is made up of print service providers (printers) and print buyers (brands), along with third party print quality service providers employed by the brands to act as intermediaries to manage print quality on behalf of a brand.
PQX is an XML print-quality exchange specification designed to serve as a standard message format for printers to report print quality to print buyers. Marc Levine of Schawk! and Gary Russell of Phototype Inc., serve as co-chairs of the Working Group.
“More than ever, brands need transparency to print quality data that tells them if they are meeting their design intent,” says Levine. “Today, collecting data can be difficult and expensive because different printers use different measurement tools. Tools from different manufacturers do not interconnect and do not report print quality in the same format. In some cases, printers must use multiple sets of tools to service different brands, which have different specifications and requirements, reducing their efficiency and increasing cost.
“By using a standardized exchange format, brands can ask all of their print suppliers to submit print quality data, using their own preferred tools, and then aggregate that data into standardized reports,” Levine continues. “The brand gets the transparency it wants and the ability to collect data against its requirements from a broader set of suppliers. The printer gets to use the tools that it prefers, allowing it to print for lower cost, and enabling it to be more competitive and efficient.”
According to Dianne Kennedy, Idealliance PQX program manager and editor of the PQX Specification, “PQX was developed using an agile software development methodology. We began with a clear statement of scope and by developing design principles to guide us. Over the past year we have developed 47 iterations of the schema, along with data samples. By working directly with programming staff from those interested in implementing PQX, we feel confident that PQX interfaces can be built to make PQX adoption possible across the globe.”
The Public Draft of PQX can be downloaded from the PQX Specification page of the Idealliance website (www.idealliance.org). That page also contains links where interested parties can comment on the Specification. Comment resolution will begin July 18, 2016, so that PQX can be published in the early fall.
For more information, contact Idealliance Senior VP, Programming and Marketing Steve Bonoff at sbonoff@idealliance.org or (952) 896-1908.
About Idealliance
Idealliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization that has been a leader in information technology and publishing since 1966. Idealliance advances core technology to develop standards and best practices to enhance efficiency and speed information across the end-to-end digital media supply chain — creation, production, management and delivery of knowledge-based multimedia content — digitally and in print. Through its 2016 merger with Epicomm, the Association for Leaders in Print, Mail, Fulfillment and Marketing Services, Idealliance also provides industry advocacy, management training, and a comprehensive slate of business-building solutions for companies in an evolving graphic communications industry environment.
Its members represent a unique convergence of the leading brand owners, agencies, publishers, printers, mailers, marketers, fulfillment services providers, materials suppliers, and solution providers. Idealliance provides a user-driven, cross-industry, open environment in which its members can strategize, innovate, standardize, and implement solutions to real business challenges in graphic communications. Idealliance is headquartered at 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 320, Alexandria, VA, 22314. For more information, call (703) 837-1070.
Source: Idealliance.