The Missing Link

By now, job definition format (JDF) is part of the lexicon of commercial printing, and with good reason. The addition of JDF production language to PDF-based print workflows has been shown to dramatically reduce production time and costs while ensuring consistent, reliable output, even when last-minute changes are required. However, despite these benefits, JDF has not enjoyed the same level of adoption by package printers for a variety of reasons.

Its use in the commercial realm has proven that using JDF streamlines production by enabling RIPs, imagesetters, presses, finishing, and other equipment and software to speak a common language and combine JDF-enabled products from different vendors into a workflow suitable for the type of work a printer is producing. JDF is also used for collecting and reporting job status and final production data for cost analysis in a print management system.

Additionally, an integrated JDF workflow allows changes to any job specification to be accommodated and updated in real time, which leads to higher efficiencies and less waste.

The JDF advantage

In packaging applications, JDF-enabled workflows can translate to better customer service, faster time to market, better management of collaborative workflows, and greater facility in the automated handling of labor-intensive functions like trapping, color mapping, step-and-repeat, and complex files containing large amounts of graphical and structural data. For example, JDF “knows” that a particular job is received as a PDF. It also knows that this PDF has to be preflighted, processed, printed, packaged, and delivered to the print buyer. Since job information is input just once, the same specs will be used throughout the workflow, greatly reducing the potential for human error. Jobs can flow accurately throughout the process to all JDF- enabled equipment with little human interaction.

Despite these advantages, and despite the yeoman work of the CIP4 organization’s JDF Packaging and Labels Workgroup to refine JDF specifications for packaging applications, package printers have been slow to implement JDF-enhanced design, preproduction, and production workflows. The reasons why this may be are among the findings of a 2007’s “Trends and Innovations in Packaging,” a white paper published by Ryerson University (Toronto, Canada). The report examines, in part, the effect of the JDF standard on packaging workflows and technology; describes how JDF is currently being applied in the packaging industry; and highlights areas of the JDF standard requiring additional development to address the requirements of the packaging sector “in a more practical and complete fashion.”

Bumpy road to adoption

The study observes that although JDF-driven automated workflows have generally been shown to streamline production and maximize the profitability of print operations, the needs of package printers can differ sharply from those of their commercial counterparts. These differences range from “home-grown” ink formulations and custom diecutting and finishing to the use of diverse substrates. The packaging realm also relies on a variety of “non-standard” operations specific to the packaging segment that are not yet fully supported by the JDF specification, such as ganged jobs or the need to provide text in different languages.

The white paper also identifies a number of persistent barriers to implementation, including lack of knowledgeable personnel and time, in addition to the cost of training, equipment, and IT. Absent “significant resource investment on the part of all members of an organization,” the report cautions, JDF process implementation in packaging environments can present a steep learning curve made more difficult by needed capital investments in JDF hardware and software applications.

“JDF, and the automation it provides, has the potential to significantly impact the packaging industry,” the study found. “Currently, there are few examples of the standard in use in this field, primarily due to issues of resource investment, general technology acceptance, and other limitations of JDF in regards to packaging needs.”

Implementation is a loaded word

Among the significant barriers to JDF implementation is a lack of strategic resource investment at all levels of an organization. Once a decision has been made about which vendor to use and which software or software package to purchase, companies must negotiate a number of subsequent hurdles to gain buy-in from their employees. Among the obstacles that remain, the study found, are lack of knowledgeable personnel; lack of time; and cost of equipment, training, and IT; as well the stubborn perception that “JDF is not a notable technology.” Citing a 2005 analysis of a partial JDF implementation at a printer/publisher, the study estimated JDF implementation time at 9-15 months, divided into three phases: negotiation between management and vendor regarding technical issues and pricing; employee training to enhance receptivity toward JDF; and the actual installation and tailoring of the JDF solution to a given environment.

Shape of things to come

Based on findings like these, the Ryerson study concludes that widespread implementation of the JDF standard in packaging environments is still several years away because it will take that long for the JDF specification to evolve to meet the needs of the industry. At present, for example, the data stored in JDF files describe the parameters of a given job, but not the visual elements of that job. As a result, “the human element of visual inspection is still required to ensure that all information contained in the JDF file is correct,” and third-party extensions are used to supplement existing JDF specifications, according to the study. At the same time, the CIP4 Packaging and Label Workgroup is laying the foundation for future iterations of the standard that will be more compatible with real-world packaging environments.

“The workgroup has already provided feedback and input on JDF specifications such as bar code definition, conventional diecutter interface definition, and folder/gluer interface definition. . .Workflow solutions with specialized packaging offerings and features such as JDF-driven imposition are also popular options for companies seeking automation and integration in this field,” notes the study.

With more time and research, the study concludes, lingering uncertainty about the usefulness of existing JDF applications for packaging will be offset by a general consensus that JDF is a strong future direction for the industry as a whole. pP