JDF & CIM -- Issues Are Not so CIMple

The term computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) has been borrowed from other industries because of the notoriety it gained as a business philosophy. In some ways, it doesn't project the right connotation for process automation in the printing process, though.

In broad terms, the automation concept being debated starts with job information captured electronically up front so it can be passed along the workflow as digital data that is used to direct production steps. JDF-enabled workflow components (hardware and software) can also generate process data—such as start/stop times, counts, operating speeds or, in the case of prepress systems/RIPs, color information for ink-key presetting—for consumption, most often by MIS applications.