Postpress Automation — Backing into IT

Even existing systems with such capabilities are likely based on the PPF (Print Production Format) and not the JDF (Job Definition Format), which is seen as the basis for industry automation efforts going forward.

One of the main reasons for making a switch is that the JDF specification, with its Job Messaging Format (JMF), is designed for bi-directional communication. PPF was developed only to communicate job data from prepress to downstream operations for use in automating device makeready and setup. JDF adds the capability for devices to potentially report back their capabilities, status and progress toward completing a job.