CIP4 Releases Specifications for Print eCommerce and Automation

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organization announced the release of the PrintTalk 1.3 Schema and Reference Implementation, and the release of a new set of Interoperability Conformance Specifications (ICS) based on version 1.3 of the JDF specification and the new PrintTalk 1.3.

PrintTalk is a specification for the exchange of print eCommerce information that is useful for the exchange of data between customer systems, Web-to-print eCommerce systems, and print estimating, scheduling and MIS. The PrintTalk specification was developed in the 1990s and early 2000s by the PrintTalk organization, which was managed by NPES. It covers a myriad of print buying transactions such as requests for estimates, estimates, approvals, etc. PrintTalk’s early cooperation with CIP4 ensured that data gathered in the print buying process could be moved forward into production via JDF, thereby directly linking a print buyer’s intent with production, and eliminating the need for re-keying of critical job parameters.

In 2005 the PrintTalk organization completed its mission of defining all the transactions that may be part of the print buying process, and worked to ensure that PrintTalk was kept in sync with JDF. PrintTalk 1.3 is the first version of the PrintTalk Schema and Reference Implementation to be entirely developed under the auspices of CIP4. The versioning “1.3” indicates that this version of PrintTalk is tightly integrated to the 1.3 version of JDF.

“Extending automation and the benefits of automation to the customer is a priority for many printers,” said CIP4 Chair, Margaret Motamed. “One of the promises of automation is to eliminate redundant work, such as re-keying job specifications, and to make the entire process of designing, buying, producing and delivering print faster, more reliable, and more immediate to the ultimate consumer of the printed message. This version of PrintTalk, with its tight coordination with JDF, is an important integration milestone on the path to that objective.”

Concurrently, CIP4 released a new series of ICS documents based on version 1.3 of the JDF Specifications. JDF product certification testing, managed by PIA/GATF, is based on JDF ICS documents and these guidelines define subsets of the JDF specification that graphic arts systems and software must implement to establish a minimum level of JDF support. Each ICS guideline is specific to a production step or connectivity between a system that is managing the print job and a system that is executing that process step.

“Today’s ICS releases significantly round out the library of ICS support documents,” said CIP4 Technical Officer Dr. Rainer Prosi of Heidelberg. “For the first time, developers can determine a consistent level of JDF implementation and JMF support from customer input through prepress, printing and finishing, and extract from the ICS the criteria their systems need to meet product certification. More importantly, the development of these ICS documents means printers will have access to products that will interact smoothly throughout their operations.”

For more information about the ICS releases, visit www.cip4.org/certification/intro.php . Vendors of JDF products with questions regarding certification may also contact Brandon Iskey, PIA/GATF Computational Research Scientist and JDF Product Certification Program Manager, at 412-259-1787 or via email at biskey@piagatf.org.