Technology & Research

CIP4 History

CIP4‘s predecessor, CIP3, was formed by Heidelberg and was managed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics. CIP3 created the Print Production Format or “PPF,” which has found success in ink key pre-setting and postpress operations.

Adobe, Agfa, Heidelberg and manroland created the first draft of JDF and offered it to CIP3 on the contingency that CIP3 be reorganized as an open and international standards association, and this reorganization led to the creation of CIP4 in 2001. Once the  transfer was completed, JDF 1.0 was published. It was not possible to implement JDF 1.0, rather it served as a “straw man” document that members of CIP4 could shape, change, and improve, a definitive starting point. JDF 1.1 and 1.1a were published in April and October of 2002, resulting in the first version of JDF that could be implemented by vendors, and at drupa 2004 the first wave of JDF-enabled products hit the market.

Since then, JDF has been updated several times. Each time the basic structure of JDF has been preserved and the specification was expanded to include broader aspects of print production. Initially optimized for sheetfed offset printing, JDF has been expanded to include digital printing, preflighting, web offset printing, packaging, layout applications, newsprint, and more. JDF is also recognized as a nominal reference in several ISO and ANSI standards. Furthermore, PrintTalk, another XML-based specification, in this case focused on the business transactions of print buying and sell, was transferred by NPES in 2005 to be maintained by CIP4. Since then it has been brought inline with JDF so that data captured in business transactions can later be carried forward as needed in print production.

CIP4 Mission Statement

The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press, and Postpress Organization or “CIP4” is a not-for-profit standards association, that creates standards to facilitate automation in the printing industry and that, to support that goal, does education and marketing for these standards.

Quick Facts

• 60% Printers who have prioritized investing in Workflow Automation
• 277% Average ROI for JDF-enabled automation
• 480% Average ROI for fully automated, end-to-end automation
• 6979 Average labor hours saved/year by printers who implement JDF
  (Sources: InfoTrends’ Production Software Investment Outlook and CIP4 CIPPI Case Studies)