Speaking at The PPA's Magazines 2005 conference in a session entitled JDF myth or reality?, the pre-media group and the print group revealed the results of the work they have done to link their systems together.

"JDF is a reality, it just depends how far we want to take it," said Dominic Duffy, managing director of Fresh Media's systems integration business Applecart.

The two firms showed how they had linked together their MIS via a JDF interface; and how that allowed users of FMG's remote workflow tool VIP to view the status of jobs at St Ives print sites.  From within the VIP interface publishers could track the progress at the print site from receipt through ripping, plating, printing, binding all the way to despatch.

"JDF works, it's not sexy and exciting, it just sinks into the background, but it does allow you to open up workflows," said Duffy.

St Ives group technical director John Charnock said that JDF's ability to allow communication across the publishing workflow, including a common interface to link to advertisers, distributors and retailers would be key in keeping print publishing a competitive medium.

Duffy said that to reap those benefits publishers "need to join the gang".

"Unless publishers join in it's a production tool rather than a supply chain tool," he added.

He called on publishers to ensure their internal MIS were JDF compliant and to realise that the format is only a framework. He said that to make it work required development and integration and that needed investment.

Story by Barney Cox