Examensarbetet har gjorts utifrån Företaget AB där kundnyttan med JDF har utretts. Rapporten presenterar de för- och nackdelar med JDF-flöde som framkommit under projektets gång.Man kan välja att utnyttja JDF på olika sätt. I rapporten har tre hypoteser ställts mot varandra där utnyttjandegraden av JDF kontra för- och nackdelar för kunder och tryckeri presenterats.

<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p> / Report code: LIU-TEK-LIC-2006:66.

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.

Automatisierung und Standardisierung prägten in den letzten Dekaden die Entwicklung in allen maßgeblichen Industriezweigen. Den Anforderungen dieser Entwicklung muss sich auch die grafische Industrie stellen. Vielfältige Initiativen reflektieren diesen Prozess, allen voran die Durchsetzung der Anforderungen einer standardisierten Produktion nach ISO 12647 und die Entwicklung und Einführung des branchenweit einheitlichen Kommunikationsstandards für Produkt- und Prozessbeschreibungen in der grafischen Industrie, dem Job Definition Format (JDF). Eine maßgebliche Voraussetzung für die Automatisierung von Fertigungsprozessen ist eine eindeutige und technisch-abstrakte Beschreibung der Einzelprozesse, aus denen letztendlich die Prozessketten gebildet werden. Allerdings ist zu beobachten, dass die Entwicklung der Standards und Empfehlungen stark praxisorientiert, d.h. nach einer Bottom-Up-Methodik, erfolgt. Damit fließen zwar viele praktische Erfahrungen in die Standards ein, die Abstraktion erreicht aber nicht den Grad, der eine eindeutige Vorhersage über eine zumindest effektive Umsetzung eines Automatisierungsvorhabens zulässt. Die vorliegende Arbeit diskutiert einen Ansatz, der es ermöglicht, die technologischen Hauptprozesse der grafischen Industrie auf eine abstrakt-mathematische Weise beschreiben zu können. Damit soll es möglich sein, Prozessketten über die relevanten Parameter so genau zu definieren, dass eine Effektivitätsaussage möglich ist. / During the last decades both automation and standardisation have had great impact to the development in all industries. The Graphic Industry must become able to meet these demands, too. Diverse initiatives are reflecting this process, mainly the implementation of the requirements of standardised production methods according to ISO 12647 as well as the development und introduction of the industry-wide communication standard for the description of products and processes in the Grapic Industry, known as the Job Definiton Format (JDF). One of the main conditions for the automation of production processes is the unambiguous and technical-abstract description of the single processes forming the process chain. However, it can be recognised that the development of both standards and recommendations are carried out in a practice-oriented way, i.e. using mainly bottom-up methods. Therefore on the one hand practical knowledge is introduced to the standards but, on the other hand, the degree of abstraction becomes not good enough for a clear prediction of the efficiency of the effects of the automation of a production process. The paper provides a basic approach for the description of the main technological processes of the Graphic Industry using abstract mathematical methods. Using this method it should be possible to describe process chains by the relevant parameters so that predictions about effectivity can be made.

Automatisierung und Standardisierung prägten in den letzten Dekaden die Entwicklung in allen maßgeblichen Industriezweigen. Den Anforderungen dieser Entwicklung muss sich auch die grafische Industrie stellen. Vielfältige Initiativen reflektieren diesen Prozess, allen voran die Durchsetzung der Anforderungen einer standardisierten Produktion nach ISO 12647 und die Entwicklung und Einführung des branchenweit einheitlichen Kommunikationsstandards für Produkt- und Prozessbeschreibungen in der grafischen Industrie, dem Job Definition Format (JDF). Eine maßgebliche Voraussetzung für die Automatisierung von Fertigungsprozessen ist eine eindeutige und technisch-abstrakte Beschreibung der Einzelprozesse, aus denen letztendlich die Prozessketten gebildet werden. Allerdings ist zu beobachten, dass die Entwicklung der Standards und Empfehlungen stark praxisorientiert, d.h. nach einer Bottom-Up-Methodik, erfolgt. Damit fließen zwar viele praktische Erfahrungen in die Standards ein, die Abstraktion erreicht aber nicht den Grad, der eine eindeutige Vorhersage über eine zumindest effektive Umsetzung eines Automatisierungsvorhabens zulässt. Die vorliegende Arbeit diskutiert einen Ansatz, der es ermöglicht, die technologischen Hauptprozesse der grafischen Industrie auf eine abstrakt-mathematische Weise beschreiben zu können. Damit soll es möglich sein, Prozessketten über die relevanten Parameter so genau zu definieren, dass eine Effektivitätsaussage möglich ist. / During the last decades both automation and standardisation have had great impact to the development in all industries. The Graphic Industry must become able to meet these demands, too. Diverse initiatives are reflecting this process, mainly the implementation of the requirements of standardised production methods according to ISO 12647 as well as the development und introduction of the industry-wide communication standard for the description of products and processes in the Grapic Industry, known as the Job Definiton Format (JDF). One of the main conditions for the automation of production processes is the unambiguous and technical-abstract description of the single processes forming the process chain. However, it can be recognised that the development of both standards and recommendations are carried out in a practice-oriented way, i.e. using mainly bottom-up methods. Therefore on the one hand practical knowledge is introduced to the standards but, on the other hand, the degree of abstraction becomes not good enough for a clear prediction of the efficiency of the effects of the automation of a production process. The paper provides a basic approach for the description of the main technological processes of the Graphic Industry using abstract mathematical methods. Using this method it should be possible to describe process chains by the relevant parameters so that predictions about effectivity can be made.

<p>More and more print jobs are delivered from customer to printer digitally over the Internet. Although Internet-based job delivery can be highly efficient, companies in the graphic arts and printing industry often suffer unnecessary costs related to this type of inflow of print jobs to their production workflows. One of the reasons for this is the lack of a well-defined infrastructure for delivering print jobs digitally over the Internet. </p><p>This thesis presents INFLOW - a prototype for a print job delivery system for the graphic arts and printing industry. INFLOW is a web-based job delivery system that is hosted on an Internet-connected server by the organization receiving the print jobs. Focus has been on creating a system that is easy to use, highly customizable, secure, and easy to integrate with existing and future systems from third-party vendors. INFLOW has been implemented using open standards, such as XML and JDF (Job Definition Format). </p><p>The requirements for ease-of-use, high customizability and security are met by choosing a web-based architecture. The client side is implemented using standard web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript while the serverside is based on J2EE, Java Servlets and Java Server Pages (JSP). Using a web browser as a job delivery client provides a highly customizable user interface and built in support for encrypted file transfers using HTTPS (HTTP over SSL). </p><p>Process automation and easy integration with other print production systems is facilitated with CIP4’s JDF (Job Definition Format). INFLOW also supports"hot folder workflows"for integration with older preflight software and other hot folder-based software common in prepress workflows.</p>

More and more print jobs are delivered from customer to printer digitally over the Internet. Although Internet-based job delivery can be highly efficient, companies in the graphic arts and printing industry often suffer unnecessary costs related to this type of inflow of print jobs to their production workflows. One of the reasons for this is the lack of a well-defined infrastructure for delivering print jobs digitally over the Internet. This thesis presents INFLOW - a prototype for a print job delivery system for the graphic arts and printing industry. INFLOW is a web-based job delivery system that is hosted on an Internet-connected server by the organization receiving the print jobs. Focus has been on creating a system that is easy to use, highly customizable, secure, and easy to integrate with existing and future systems from third-party vendors. INFLOW has been implemented using open standards, such as XML and JDF (Job Definition Format). The requirements for ease-of-use, high customizability and security are met by choosing a web-based architecture. The client side is implemented using standard web technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript while the serverside is based on J2EE, Java Servlets and Java Server Pages (JSP). Using a web browser as a job delivery client provides a highly customizable user interface and built in support for encrypted file transfers using HTTPS (HTTP over SSL). Process automation and easy integration with other print production systems is facilitated with CIP4’s JDF (Job Definition Format). INFLOW also supports"hot folder workflows"for integration with older preflight software and other hot folder-based software common in prepress workflows.