Integrating Systems in the Print Production Workflow : Aspects of Implementing JDF

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 JDF-enabled systems conform to the JDF Specification. Report code: LIU-TEK-LIC-2006:66.