"We're increasingly finding customers are waiting for us to deliver what they want," said Duplo vice president of marketing Dominic Quennell. "As soon as the front-end people can generate job tickets we're in. It's not going to be JDF-lite, as far as I'm concerned it's a two-way street, unless we do that you can't know what to do next, if we don't we break the JDF chain."

The firm has been working with workflow consultancy Objective Advantage of Houston on implementing JDF. It will first demonstrate JDF compatibility on its new DC-645 slitter/creaser/trimmer at the Oc open house in Poing, Germany, which takes place from 28 February to 4 March.

At the event Duplo plans to show a two-job demonstration, with the changeover between jobs being controlled by a JDF job ticket, although the details of how the JDF job ticket will be created have yet to be finalised.

The next milestone for the firm's JDF plans will be at US digital print show On Demand in Philadelphia in May.

"By then we plan to have full JDF integration," said Quennell. "We're having to work very closely with printer vendors and CIP4."
Following the DC-645 it will then JDF-enable the DBM 500 booklet maker and DSF 2000 sheet feeder, which will be ready for next Autumn's Digital Print World.

JDF is being used for nearline equipment. Duplo has also been working on integrating its products inline with digital presses using the UP3i interface, which it will also roll out in 2005.

Story by Barney Cox