Integrating Systems in the Print Production Workflow

[Pages:49]Link?ping Studies in Science and Technology Thesis No. 1285

Integrating Systems in the Print Production Workflow

Aspects of Implementing JDF Claes Buckwalter

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LIU-TEK-LIC-2006:66 Digital Media Division Department of Science and Technology Link?ping University, SE-581 83 Link?ping, Sweden

Norrk?ping 2006

Integrating Systems in the Print Production Workflow Aspects of Implementing JDF

? Claes Buckwalter 2006

Department of Science and Technology Campus Norrk?ping, Link?ping University

SE-601 74 Norrk?ping, Sweden

ISBN 91-85643-26-2

ISSN 0280-7971

Printed by LiU-Tryck, Link?ping, Sweden, 2006

Abstract

The print production workflow consists of various disparate systems--from production equipment to management information systems. During the production of a printed product, information regarding the product must be communicated between the systems in the workflow. Job Definition Format (JDF) is an industry standard that specifies this information interchange. It specifies a digital job ticket format for exchanging administrative and technical information related to a print job, and a messaging protocol for communicating information between the systems in the workflow. This licentiate thesis explores different aspects of integrating systems in a JDF-enabled print production workflow. Paper III and Paper IV analyze the properties of JDF's messaging protocol--Job Messaging Format (JMF)--and discuss design solutions for a JMF integration layer. Paper I presents a software tool for simulating systems in the print production workflow. The tool is based on an open source software library, called the Elk Framework, which has been developed within the framework of these licentiate studies. The Elk Framework provides the base services required by a piece of JDF-enabled production equipment, called a Device/Worker in JDF parlance. Paper II presents a software tool that was developed for testing the simulation tool presented in Paper I. The test tool, named Alces, can be used for testing if JDFenabled systems conform to the JDF Specification.

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Contents

LIST OF ENCLOSED PAPERS .................................................................................................................. V RELATED WORK.....................................................................................................................................VII LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................... IX PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................... XI 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW ................................................................................................1

1.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................1 1.2 OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................................1 2 BACKGROUND .....................................................................................................................................3 2.1 PRINT PRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................3 2.2 JOB TICKETS......................................................................................................................................................4 2.3 JOB TRACKING .................................................................................................................................................5 3 JOB DEFINITION FORMAT (JDF) ...................................................................................................7 3.1 HISTORY AND PRIOR INTEGRATION STANDARDS ...................................................................................7 3.2 THE CIP4 ORGANIZATION ...........................................................................................................................8 3.3 THE JDF SPECIFICATION AND ITS ANCILLARY SPECIFICATIONS...........................................................9 4 THE JDF JOB TICKET FORMAT .....................................................................................................11 4.1 PRODUCT MODEL .........................................................................................................................................11 4.2 PROCESS MODEL ...........................................................................................................................................12 4.3 RESOURCE MODEL ........................................................................................................................................15 4.4 COMPARISON WITH OTHER WORKFLOW MODELS ................................................................................16 5 JDF-ENABLED WORKFLOWS AND THEIR SYSTEMS..............................................................19 5.1 WORKFLOW COMPONENT ROLES ..............................................................................................................19 5.2 SYSTEM INTEROPERABILITY........................................................................................................................21 5.3 MIS MANAGED PRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................23 6 JDF TOOLS...........................................................................................................................................25 6.1 JDFLIB .............................................................................................................................................................25 6.2 THE ELK FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................................................25 6.3 ALCES...............................................................................................................................................................27 7 SUMMARY OF INCLUDED PAPERS..............................................................................................29 7.1 PAPER I ...........................................................................................................................................................29 7.2 PAPER II..........................................................................................................................................................29 7.3 PAPER III.........................................................................................................................................................29 7.4 PAPER IV ........................................................................................................................................................29 8 DISCUSSION........................................................................................................................................31 REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................33

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List of Enclosed Papers

i. A JDF-enabled Workflow Simulation Tool TAGA 57th Annual Technical Conference 2005 Toronto, Ontario, Canada; April 17-20, 2005; p. 271-281

ii. A Tool for Testing Compliance with CIP4's Interoperability Conformance Specifications 2005 International Conference on Digital Production Printing and Industrial Applications Amsterdam, The Netherlands; May 9, 2005; p. 83-84; ISBN/ISSN 0-89208-256-9

iii. Integration Patterns Applied to Print Production TAGA 58th Annual Technical Conference 2006 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; March 19-21, 2006; p. 54-68

iv. A Messaging-Based Integration Architecture for Print Production Workflow Systems Printing Technology SPb'06 Saint Petersburg, Russia; June 26-30, 2006; p. 13-17

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