Workflow
CIP4 Announces New JDF Integration Matrix
Monday 09. June 2008 - ... and a complete new look and feel for CIP4
The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) Organization today announced that it has completed the convergence of NGP with CIP4, and as a result has released a new and expanded version of the JDF Integration Matrix (“the Matrix”). The JDF Integration Matrix is a table that illustrates the integrations that various vendors have developed or installed between their products with other vendors, which use JDF as the interface language between the systems. There are four levels of integration; “In Progress”, “Available”, “Installed,” and “Customer Confirmed”, with Customer Confirmed indicating that a CIP4 staff member contacted a printer directly to verify that the integration is installed and in use for daily production and meeting the expectations of the customer. The underlying database was ready for entries within the last three weeks, yet this first preview edition of the new Matrix already exceeds it predecessor with 283 integration listings. There are another 118 integration pairs already pending confirmation and 32 “created but not completed” listings.
“The response has been overwhelming,” said CIP4 CEO Margaret Motamed of EFI. “It’s a huge amount of work since we didn’t accept legacy listings and reconfirmed each integration listing from scratch. In spite of the effort, the Matrix now answers the most common question from printers, ‘Who is working with whom?’ and answers it simply and effectively. Though this isn’t a technical reference, it is a very, very useful tool for printers looking at JDF automation.”
The online version of the Matrix (available at http://www.cip4.org/matrix) will be updated frequently and the next printed version will be released at Graph Expo in October.
As part of completing the convergence, CIP4 has adopted the slogan, “Integration through Cooperation” and has completely revised the look and feel of all of its print and electronic communications. This includes:
* A new look and feel for the CIP4 website and navigation for the CIP4 website home page
* New branding for all CIP4 collateral with JDF Brochures in English and German
* A newly formatted JDF Roadmap for drupa 2008
* Redesigned JDF Marketplace cover and redesigned JDF Bulletin
* PowerPoint Templates
* “Ask Me How” badges and lanyards
* CIP4 Member placards
“Literally everything that CIP4 distributes to the public, in print or electronic communications, such as the JDF Bulletin, has been redesigned,” said CIP4 Education and Marketing Officer, Mark Wilton of Kodak. “All members had a chance to provide input and it was big effort for the designer, Matt Rayner of Flow Creative, as well as CIP4 staff Barbara McGowan and Stefan Daun; but this effort provides a fresh new look and a new level of consistency for CIP4 with the completion of the convergence.”
“Mark Wilton has taken on a huge project in the redesign of CIP4’s look and feel,” said CIP4 Executive Director James Harvey. “The design effort was donated by Kodak as part of their commitment to a successful convergence of NGP and CIP4, and on behalf of everyone at CIP4 I’d like to say thank you! It looks great.”
Samples of all printed products with the new design are available for the duration of drupa 2008 and will also be available at Graph Expo 2008, and of course the website’s new look and feel can be seen at www.cip4.org.