JDF - Recipe for Soup ... and a Sandwich

According to James Mauro, Prinect product manager, Heidelberg USA, "Besides the openness of the format, JDF's function is similar to that of a hot folder, although it is far more intelligent because it knows the sequence in which job parts must be produced and does not release the job from one stage to the next until the appropriate time. JDF 'knows,' for example, that XYZ 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. JDF also is used for collecting and reporting job status and final production data for cost analysis in a print management system." While a PDF file, which can be very large—especially in packaging workflows—can contain the so-called metadata (job name, colors, etc.) used in the JDF, a JDF file would not contain a PDF.