Interoperability and Certification Overview

No single device (i.e., printer, press, imagesetter) is likely to implement all that the JDF specification provides for. For instance, if you are in the digital printing business, you may not care to facilitate data on hard case binding. A RIP need not facilitate JDF preflighting. A Stitcher probably doesn't need to handle image rendering data. To specify exactly what individual classes of devices need to do with JDF, CIP4 members introduced continually developing "Interoperability Conformance Specifications" (ICS) documents that provide the standard for individual classes of devices.

ICS documents look at the interface between the manager of a job, (i.e., a workflow system, Print MIS, pressroom management system), and the worker (e.g, the system or software that will perform the desired process). In addition to a base ICS document that applies to all JDF-enabled devices, ICS documents have been published to cover a variety of interfaces, including:

• Binding
• MIS to Prepress
• Prepress to Conventional Printing
• MIS to Conventional Printing - Sheetfed
• Integrated Digital Printing
• Layout Creator to Imposition

These ICS documents define the roles of the "manager" and "worker," including their ability to read (manager) and write (worker) JDF, minimum support for Job Messaging Format (JMF) options as well as additional data typing, defining how jobs files are to be exchanged or identified, and required support for particular JDF processes and resources. It's important to note ICS documents do not add to the JDF specification, but they
provide additional constraints and are specific to the interface they define. (ICS documents are available to the public as PDF files for download. Please see http://www.cip4.org/document_archive/ics.php.)

More ICS documents are in development and ICS documents will be used as the basis for product certification testing. CIP4 has signed on PIA/GATF as the first product certification testing facility and others will be added in Europe and Asia. You will start seeing products labeled "JDF Certified" and each certification test will be focused on a specific ICS document.

Further Information:

• ICS Registry — a repository of all ICS Specifications
• Overview ICS Sheet — a brief explanation of the conventions used in the ICS conformance tables
• A presentation and some notes from the Product Certification meeting on January 26, 2006, are available in the White Papers section
• List of JDF Certified Products — a list of all products which have successfully passed JDF Certification testing.
• Certification Registration Form
• JDF System Users' FAQ and JDF System Vendors' FAQ