JDF BASICS -- It's Just the Ticket

PPF can be thought of as providing a subset of the functionality in JDF and as a precursor to it. A new JDF-enabled system should enable the same capabilities of PPF, but doesn't necessarily replace it. Legacy systems will dictate that the two formats continue down parallel tracks for some time.

Because of the position its products occupy in the workflow, ScenicSoft Inc. had been the nexus of much of the activity related to PPF implementation. Having since been acquired by Creo Inc., the company reportedly plans to continue its development efforts with regard to PPF and JDF. "We will continue to offer support for PPF even after we add full support for JDF output to finishing equipment," says Caycee Holt, product marketing manager for Print Planning Software at Creo Inc.