Welcome

Koen Van de PoelChairman Origination&Prepress WG @ CIP4

Technology Staff @ AGFA

Prepress

Today’s Agenda

• Introduction

• Creating the Ticket

• Gray Boxes

• Extras

• Processing

• Output: Proofs, Plates, Ink key settings

• JMF Messages

• General: ICS, approvals

Position

Print Manufacturing

Customer

Creating the Ticket

Life of a Job Ticket

• First for estimating purpose – by CSR or estimator / or submitted– only details that have influence on cost are

specified (no color names, no content)

• If accepted, upgraded to production ticket – by production planner or CSR– more details added (final devices, scheduling)

• Updated later with prepress details– color names, exact number of pages, content

references

EstimatingProductionPlanning

ProductionController

PrepressController

PressController

Trapping ImageSetting

ProoferA PlateSetterB

MIS

SW Device

Controller

HW Device

Legend

Known at Creation

• Info available when MIS creates prod. ticket

• administrative and job info

• product nodes (part structure) and layout: binds info to sheets

• imposition, number of pages

• number of colors for each sheet side

• processes: gray boxes

Missing

• Some info is often missing when the job is created because:

• Content (PDF) arrives later

• PDF is needed to extract Spot color names

• Number of content pages for Cover often doesn't match description: 2 pages are combined in one

Introduction to Prepress

Steps in Prepress

• Creative part

• Prepress preparation (page level)– preparing content files ready to RIP

• obtaining content files

– preparing imposition

• Production prepress (sheet level)– RIP– Proofs– Plate making and Preview for ink key

Workflow

PrePressPreparation Gray box

ImpositionPreparation Gray box

Plate Making Gray box

Prepress Preparation

• Goal: no errors or interactions in prepress production part (except mapping colors)

• Steps for content (not in order)– obtaining content files (Asset Transfer)– conversion from native to standard formats– trapping– creating production quality standard formats– preflighting / fixing files– page proofs / approvals

Imposition Preparation

• Activities needed to create a description of where the pages and marks need to go on the sheet resulting in the Layout

Production prepress

• Controlled environment– nearly fixed processing times– few operator interventions/errors if well prepared– scheduling possible for plate making

• Includes Imposition Proof– often needed before starting plate making– internal or external (takes extra time) approval

Parts

Brochure

BodyCover

Black&White Color

16 pp2x

8 pp

Product

Process

Prepress

Prepress

In and Outs

• In– job ticket (+imposition info)– content files

• Intermediate– Proofs (hard copy or soft proof)

• Out– plates (film)– previews for ink key settings (ex PPF)

Building a Workflow

Gray Boxes

• Easy way to let MIS define what prepress should do– PrePressPreparation, ImpositionPrepreparation– PlateMaking, xxProofing

• MIS provides– input : available job info, more or less detailed– output: detailed info (sheet structure, plates,

components)

• Prepress operator (or defaults) will fill in remaining details

Drawing

Gray Box“PrePressPreparation”

Gray Box“PlateMaking”

Gray Box“ImpositionPreparation”

RunListcontent

LayoutMarks

Plate

Preview

Nr ofpages

Separations Media

Stripping

PrePressPreparation Gray Box

In/Out PrePressPreparation

• In– indication of nr of pages

• can be different from what prepress needs

• Out– populated RunList

Snippet Node

<JDF Type="ProcessGroup" Types="PrePressPreparation" Category="PrePressPreparation" …"> <ResourceLinkPool> <RunListLink rRef="R0_I" ProcessUsage="Document" Usage="Input"/> <RunListLink rRef="R0_D" ProcessUsage="Document" Usage="Output"/> …>

Snippet Input RunList

<RunList Class="Parameter" ID="R0_I" Status="Available" NPage="6"/>

<RunList Class="Parameter" ID="R0_D" Status="Incomplete"/>

ImpositionPreparation Gray Box

In/Out ImpositionPreparation

• In– Stripping resources– If not available, operator intervention

• selecting a template

• recommended to give Instruction Comment

– Future

• reference to external template

• Out– Completed Layout– References to Marks

Stripping

• High-level imposition related information from MIS to Prepress

• avoids redoing imposition 3 times: – Estimating– Production planning– Prepress

• allows bi-directional communication: prepress updating imposition info

Sample: Stripping

Sheet

BinderySignature

Pages / Cells

<StrippingParams …>

<BinderySignature FoldCatalog="F8-7"/>

<Position RelativeBox="0 0 0.5 1"/> <Position RelativeBox="0 0.5 1 1"/>

</StrippingParams>

Snippet ImpoPrep

<JDF Type="ProcessGroup" Types="ImpositionPreparation" Category="ImpositionPreparation">

<Comment Name="Instruction">Imposition: folder with 6 pages folded using F6-1, WorkAndTurn</Comment>

<ResourceLinkPool> <LayoutLink rRef="LAY000" Usage="Output"/> <RunListLink rRef="RNL000_M" ProcessUsage="Marks" Usage="Output"/> </ResourceLinkPool></JDF>

Snippet Layout

<Layout …"> <Signature Name="SIG1"> <Sheet Name="SHT1"> <Surface Side="Front"/> <Surface Side="Back"/> <MediaRef rRef="PAPMSVA_880x630"/> </Sheet> </Signature> <Signature Name="SIG2"> <Sheet Name="SHT2"> <Surface Side="Front"/> <MediaRef rRef="PAPMSVA_880x630"/> </Sheet> </Signature></Layout>

PlateMaking Gray Box

In/Out Platemaking

• In– Media (plate)– Colors– RunLists

• document (content)

• marks

– Layout

• Out– Ink key setting preview (PPF)– ExposedMedia (plate)

Snippet PlateMaking

<JDF Type="ProcessGroup" Types="Imposition RIPing PreviewGeneration ImageSetting" Category="FinalImaging" … > <ResourceLinkPool>

<RunListLink rRef="R0_D" Usage="Input" ProcessUsage="Document"/> <RunListLink rRef="R0_M" Usage="Input" ProcessUsage="Marks"/> <LayoutLink rRef="LAYBody01" Usage="Input"/> <ColorantControlLink rRef="ColorantControl" Usage="Input"/> <MediaLink rRef="Plate000001" Usage="Input"/> <ExposedMediaLink rRef="ExposedMedia" Usage="Output"> <Part SignatureName="SIG1" SheetName="SHT1"/> … <PreviewLink rRef="Preview" Usage="Output"> <Part SignatureName="SIG1" SheetName="SHT1"/>… …

References

• JDF 1.2 spec

• MIS-Prepress ICS

• MIS-Prepress ICS summary

• Proofing Application note

Thanks for Listening