German newspaper and commercial web press maker manroland web systems is pressing ahead with workflow systems development, the company says.
The Augsburg-based company has been back in the CIP4 consortium since May 2012, following the February reorganisation of the manroland companies.
In a global printing environment, networking of international production sites and installing uncompromising workflows are important components, with standards for process automation defined and published by CIP4, the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress.
Open interfaces such as JDF/JMF permit comprehensively networked and thus efficient production and administration.
manroland web systems head of automation Gregor Enke says the company is “very pleased” to be active again in the CIP4 consortium. “Their work has always inspired the industry, and moving forward we want to use our knowledge to refine workflows for web offset and digital printing machines all over the world,” he says.
As a foundation member of CIP4 with Adobe, Agfa and Heidelberg, manroland formulated an initial concept for a JDF format. The idea was to create an open, international standard for the entire process chain which, as CIP4 sets the global benchmark for process automation.
An example of manroland web’s use of JDF in development work is open, modular system architecture of printnetwork. Printing companies can use CIP4/JDF interface standards at all levels of administration and production right through to MIS systems.
Printnetwork Bridge software is based on the new manroland web systems operating concept and communicates completely with digital printing workflows – such as Prisma from Océ – via JDF and JMF. This ensures sustainable and open interfaces.
Bridge integrates postpress in a digital printing workflow and controls components like the new digital book and signature folds or a digital pin-type fold from manroland web systems.