ABC s of Workflow A GUIDE TO STREAMLINED PRODUCTION

Transcription

1 ABC s of Workflow A GUIDE TO STREAMLINED PRODUCTION

2 ABC s of Workflow A Guide to Streamlined Production iii

3 Contents Introduction Introduction 1 Enabling Factors 3 What is Workflow Workflow: What It Is and What It Is Not 5 It s More Than a Box It s a Toolbox 6 Receiving and Preparing Files 7 Composition 8 It s All About the Customer Artwork, Images and Fonts 11 Preflighting 12 PDF or PostScript? 12 Processing Jobs Proofing 15 Remote Proofing 16 Soft Proofing 16 Color Management 16 Trapping 17 Imposition and Preparing for Print 18 RIP 19 Output Management 19 Variable Data Printing 19 Archiving 20 Post-Press 20 Focus on Finishing First 20 The Business of Workflow Estimating 21 Quoting 22 Planning 22 Scheduling 23 Getting Paid 23 Supply Chain Management 24 The Role of JDF and CIM The Role of JDF and CIM 25 iv v

4 Making the Right Choices What About Existing Equipment and Software? 29 Build or Buy? 29 The Hidden Costs of Workflow 31 Staff Training 31 Customer Education 31 Infrastructure Investments 32 Planning a Smooth Implementation 32 Selling and Marketing Your New Capabilities 32 EFI Workflow Solutions Interoperability a Critical Consideration 34 EFI PrinterSite, EFI PrinterSite Exchange, EFI PrintSmith Site 34 EFI Digital StoreFront 34 Third Party Web, Prepress and VDP Applications 35 EFI Print MIS Solutions: Hagen, Logic, PSI and PrintSmith 35 EFI JDF Connector 36 EFI OneFlow 36 EFI ColorProof with Best Technology 37 EFI PrintFlow and AutoCount 37 EFI Balance and EFI MicroPress 38 EFI Fiery 38 EFI Fiery Graphic Arts Package 38 Glossary Introduction Introduction Shorter runs. Reduced turnaround times. Increased pricing pressure. Viable alternatives to print. These are just a few of the trends that are affecting the printing industry. And none of them are going away anytime soon. While suppliers to the industry are continuing to deliver more hardware features and functionality at a better price performance as technology continues to evolve, suppliers and service providers alike have come to the conclusion that better, faster, cheaper hardware, while important, is not the ultimate solution to addressing the impact of these trends. Instead, increased focus is being placed on improving the flow of work through the printing operation, from the initial customer inquiry through shipping of final product. Producing more work with the same resources that is, improving efficiency throughout the entire That is what workflow is all operation is the key to running a more profitable operation. And a the process of manufacturing guaranteed method for achieving that printed products to ensure a result is the deployment of a rational, logical path for work coming into the operation, using as much integration customer engagement through and automation as possible. about automating and integrating rational, logical flow of work from delivery of the printed piece. Of course, manufacturing a printed product has not historically lent itself to deploying process automation in the same way that manufacturers of appliances, apparel and automobiles have been doing for years. But the good news for the graphic arts industry is that process automation is finally feasible, despite the fact that we are still essentially in the business of manufacturing custom products. vi Introduction 1

5 And that is what workflow is all about automating and integrating the process of manufacturing printed products to ensure a rational, logical flow of work from customer engagement through delivery of the printed piece. It s about doing more with less and delivering more customer value. It s about differentiating yourself in a marketplace where high quality and competitive price levels are a given. It s about relieving your staff of the burden of performing non-productive repetitive tasks and unleashing their creativity to develop value-added services that will generate new revenue streams. It s about better positioning yourself for continued growth in the future regardless of the accelerating changes that are coming your way in an industry that is more dynamic than ever before. The good news for the graphic arts industry is that process automation is finally feasible, Enabling Factors What are the major developments that have made possible a more streamlined print manufacturing process in an industry where it sometimes feels as though nothing has changed since Johannes Gutenberg invented movable type or at least since offset printing began to gain ground in the early part of the last century? There are two critical enablers that have contributed to the accelerated pace of change and brought more efficient manufacturing processes within our reach: A print production process that is increasingly driven by digital the submission of digital files, digital proofing, digital print devices, the flow of information to computer systems that manage both production and the back office; and The development of and compliance with a robust set of industry standards that ensures that the disparate parts of the production and management process can communicate amongst themselves in a meaningful way. Suppliers to the graphic arts industry have embraced the work of CIP4 (The International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress, an industry standards body founded in 1995 as a joint initiative of vendors for the graphic arts industry). And you can barely open a trade publication or read a press release without reading about JDF (Job Definition Format) whose most prominent features, according to CIP4, are its ability to carry a print job from genesis through completion, its ability to bridge the communication gap between production and Management Information Services, and its ability to do so under nearly any precondition. This is a powerful confluence of factors that has changed the printing industry forever. It is enabling us to deploy more flexible manufacturing configurations and to gain more control over the production process in a constantly changing environment. And workflow is at the heart of it. This is a powerful confluence of factors that has changed the printing industry forever. 2 Introduction Introduction 3

6 What is Workflow Workflow: What It Is and What It Is Not Workflow is not a brand or a boxed solution although a number of suppliers do offer workflow product suites with excellent functionality and productivity. While one of these workflow suites might very well meet all your needs, it is important to understand how they stack up relative to flexibility, scalability and compliance with standards so that you can ensure that workflow solutions you invest in today will meet your needs tomorrow as well. An effective workflow will comprehend all aspects of production and business management, incorporating as much automation as possible across products and solutions from multiple vendors. Above all, an effective workflow will eliminate unnecessary rekeying or better yet, the need for any keying at all, reducing errors and speeding the job through the production process. Workflow is The execution of and the interaction between Receiving and preparing files Proofing Imposition and Preparing for Print RIP and Print Post-Press (Finishing) Archiving The Business of Print Supply Chain Management The key is not to key! Capture data at the source, or only key in once 4 Introduction What is Workflow 5

7 It s More Than a Box It s a Toolbox Whether you buy a pre-packaged workflow or build your own, there is obviously more to implementation than cracking the shrink wrap on a box and running Set-Up from a CD. Workflow lies at the heart of your business it is, in fact, your business. And changing the way your company manufactures print will affect every corner of your organization people, processes, and technology. This is not a trivial task and should not be taken lightly. And regardless of the approach you choose, you will find a need to customize the workflow to the needs of your particular business and your customers. The important thing is to establish a standardized workflow with operating procedures that can be applied no matter what type of job you receive. EFI s OneFlow provides the operator with a graphical interface that unifies all the tools you need for Digital and Analog prepress work into one easyto-use control center. Receiving and Preparing Files The majority of work today is being received or could be received in electronic form. Files can be delivered on electronic media, uploaded to an FTP site, attached to an or provided via a Web job submission tool. Receiving files electronically versus in hardcopy or film format eliminates steps and time from the production process, for both you and the customer. Even if customers are starting with paper documents, it can often be easier for them to scan their files and transmit them electronically than to deliver hardcopy originals. Scanners are inexpensive, and accessible in most offices. And most networked copier/printers these days have a scan-to-file feature that makes conversion of paper to digital easy. Many scanning solutions, whether using a standalone scanner or a networked copier/printer, have the ability to produce PDF files a de facto file transmission standard that can be viewed on almost any computing platform and edited with readily available software. Developed by Adobe but placed in the public domain to encourage third party development, PDF delivers smaller file sizes than native scan formats because it has file compression built in to it. Let s take a look at the individual process steps and the implications of automating workflow. You are no doubt already performing all of these activities; the goal of implementing an integrated, automated workflow is to allow you to perform them better faster and with less human intervention and opportunity for error, ultimately saving you time and money, positioning you to provide exceptional customer service. Let s face it, one of the most significant differentiators for any business in any industry is customer service. If you don t provide an exceptional customer experience (and the bar is being raised every day), your customers will seek other alternatives. Don t lose sight of the customer as you reinvent your production workflow. 6 What is Workflow What is Workflow 7

8 Composition Print shops have varying levels of involvement in document composition. Some shops simply receive print ready files or camera ready paper-based materials, faithfully reproducing them according to customer direction. Others may offer graphic design or other types of creative services. Besides Adobe Acrobat to handle PDF files, there are a few other native or document creation applications that are commonly used to create files for print. These include: Adobe InDesign. Relatively new to the market but experiencing a high rate of adoption, this desktop publishing package integrates with other popular Adobe products, including Acrobat (which generates PDF), Illustrator and PhotoShop, which are staples in the graphic arts industry. Adobe products all utilize a similar user interface, including menus, keystrokes and tools, making it easy for users familiar with one package to quickly learn another. InDesign also supports publishing to other media than print, including Web, e-books and more. Page layout applications like Adobe s InDesign have long been a staple for professional users creating documents for print production. Your workflow environment must be flexible enough to work with your customer s input files no matter what application they use to create them. Microsoft Office. Consisting of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, Microsoft Office is the most widely used application suite in the corporate world. As powerful and convenient as these applications are for the office user, they are not designed to create complex, high-production-value documents for commercial printing. Nonetheless, printers have little choice but to accept files generated by Microsoft Office applications and to learn how to process them efficiently. Microsoft Publisher. This is a Windows-only application (does not operate on the Apple Macintosh) and is commonly bundled with PCs. It is a low-end document layout application that is not known for its print friendliness, but like Office, is in increasingly common use in the corporate and home markets, and thus processes for handling Publisher files should be in place. QuarkXPress. QuarkXPress has long been the leading electronic publishing software, although Adobe InDesign has been gaining in popularity. Quark has encouraged the third-party development community to develop what the company calls XTensions, software plug-ins that can add increased functionality to the base product. With QuarkXPress and a set of XTensions, the graphic arts service provider has the tools required to create, design and deliver high-quality documents for both print and electronic media. It is important for the graphic arts service provider to have these applications as well as any other applications common to the service provider s customer base on hand in order to deal with not only last minute changes to native files in lieu of sending them back to the originator, but also to properly process the files for printing. For example, a customer might want to produce a catalog in Macromedia Freehand. While this could be the printer s worst nightmare, it is even more of a nightmare if the printer does not have access to Macromedia Freehand! Thus, these applications become a key element of the workflow toolbox. One potential way to avoid the necessity of maintaining copies of a large number of document creation packages is to advocate that your customers submit their jobs in PDF format. For those that are willing to do so, you may need to help them do this, either through training or provision of tools an investment that will be well worth your time. As a further note, along with Web submission of print projects comes an opportunity to add more services, including the establishment of a Web document repository to make it easier for customers to manage their files and to submit work for reprinting. The graphic arts service provider who has this capability may also wish to offer customers the ability to work with a database of pre-designed templates that protect their brand integrity but allow dealers, franchisees, agents and sales staff to localize brochures within a defined set of guidelines. This can significant increase the volume of work the print service provider receives, as well as deliver market differentiation. Templates can be created using the native application packages we have discussed here. 8 What is Workflow What is Workflow 9

9 It s All About the Customer Artwork, Images and Fonts Managing images and fonts is critical to a smooth production process. Missing images or fonts can cause a job to print or image incorrectly, or even cause the printing or imaging process to fail, resulting in delays and added costs. Tools such as Extensis Suitcase and Font Reserve, both popular font managers, allow the management of fonts in both Windows and Macintosh environments, are used in most prepress environments and are widely used by designers as well. These products make it easy to manage, organize, preview and work with fonts. These tools are especially important when using Mac OS X. For the print service provider who accepts print-ready PDF files, it is important to ensure that the PDF is created with fonts embedded in order to guarantee accurate printing. Artwork and images are primarily provided in digital format in today s world. These could be digital photos or other imagery in raster or bitmap format, or illustrations (drawings) created in applications such as Adobe Illustrator, in vector format. Vector files tend to be much smaller in size than bitmap or raster images. Bitmap images can be stored in either CMYK or RGB format. Historically, images were primarily delivered in CMYK format, but with the increased prevalence of digital cameras, which produce images in RGB format, RGB workflows are an increasing requirement for management and processing of images. Materials provided on hardcopy or film can be scanned to a bitmap format. Leaving RGB images in RGB format offers the most workflow flexibility. Images can be fine-tuned in RGB, and then converted to CMYK at the last minute for printing (if conversion is necessary at all if your intended output device is a digital printer, you might be able to skip this step entirely). As the number of images, artwork files and even fonts that the graphic arts service provider must manage continues to grow exponentially, simply storing 10 What is Workflow It's All About the Customer 11

10 these files within a hierarchical (or folder) file structure rapidly becomes inadequate. To overcome this inefficiency, many graphic arts service providers have implemented some type of content management database solution. Full details about content management are beyond the scope of this booklet, but a simple Internet search will generate significant information on the subject. Preflighting It is no surprise that graphic arts service providers commonly receive problem files files that are missing images, artwork or fonts or have other errors that affect their ability to print correctly. Processes should be in place to address the most common file errors, and in promising delivery dates, extra time should be allowed where possible to deal with unexpected file There are a number of tools available problems. There are a number of tools available to automatically process incoming identifying errors and often fixes for files, identifying errors and those errors as well. often fixes for those errors as well. This process is called preflighting. Some preflighting software even has self healing properties that can automatically fix problems during preflight. Common preflight applications include Enfocus PitStop (a PDF preflight tool), Extensis Preflight Pro and Markzware FlightCheck. PDF or PostScript? to automatically process incoming files, PDF has become an industry standard in corporate environments for document distribution and now for pre-production workflow applications. Regardless of whether customers are supplying PDF files as input to the print production process, PDF can be employed as a labor- and time-saving tool in the workflow. And there are many advantages that can be gained by converting files to PDF as they enter the production workflow. Whereas a PostScript workflow makes you reprocess the entire file (or job) to fix something on a page, with a PDF workflow you can select, view, and modify a particular page or the entire job. The ability to process jobs in this way has been important in high end production workflow for some time, and now it is just as important for smaller shops that also need the ability to work on jobs in the most efficient manner possible. Before PDF workflow, jobs would be sent to a proprietary workflow system as PostScript and converted to an internal format. An example of such a legacy proprietary format would be the CT/LW format employed by Creo s Brisque workflow. Workflow processes would then be applied and problems fixed within the proprietary format. Once the file was converted to the internal format, job files were no longer susceptible to the problems associated with the native applications that created them. However, because the format that these workflow systems employ is proprietary, only the tools within the workflow system can be used to perform operations on the job i.e., preflighting, trapping, imposition, etc., all needed to be performed using proprietary technology. PDF workflow, on the other hand, offers all of the advantages of working with the job in one convenient format, but adds the benefit of the ability to use a large variety of tools from multiple vendors because the PDF format has become an industry standard. There are a wide variety of PDF tools and plugins readily available in the market that can meet just about every need. Workstation Workstation File Server Workstation RIP Internet Workflow Server Laser RIP Plotter Imagesetter Modern PDF workflows provide numerous advantages over legacy Postscript RIP workflows. Jobs enter the workflow either as PDF, or from a variety of native files customers don t have to supply PDF files, but they can. Other advantages include the ability to work on customer jobs using your choice of off-the-shelf tools, and the ability to change pages for revisions and corrections at any point before output. 12 It's All About the Customer It's All About the Customer 13

11 Processing Jobs Proofing The importance of proofing in the print production cycle cannot be underestimated. Basically, with a proof you are presenting the customer with a prototype of the final product you are going to manufacture. And the customer will expect the final product to look like the proof in one way or another. Proofing is how you communicate what you are going to produce and set customer expectations. Most graphic arts workflows encompass three different types of proofing processes: Content, or Preliminary Position, or Page Imposition Contract the final proof against which the job is produced A Summary of proofing technologies and their appropriateness for customer applications. Proof Type Color Laser B&W Laser Inkjet Halftone PDF Monitor Content X X X X X Position X X X X X Contract X X X Depending upon the complexity of the job and the individual customer requirements, some or all of these proofing stages may need to be included. Your workflow system needs to provide the ability to generate any and all of the different types of proofs your customer relationships will require. It should also be noted that as color calibration tools continue to improve, you can expect to see a migration to PDF or monitor proofs for certain types of contract proofs, particularly in short-run, quick-turn applications where moving hardcopy proofs around adversely affects an already tight cycle time. 14 It's All About the Customer Processing Jobs 15

12 Remote Proofing With the proliferation of high-quality, relatively inexpensive inkjet proofing devices, much of the proofing that was historically done at the print production plant can now by done at the customer site. This is called remote proofing and it requires careful color management on the part of the printer and the customer to ensure color integrity between the two sites. Inkjet/Laser Prepress Workstation Soft Proofing Prepress Workstation Proofing Server Internet Inkjet Proofer Corporate Customer New York Corporate Customer San Francisco Inkjet/Laser Remote and Soft proofing can help save time and money by significantly reducing the time between proofs and approvals, and by reducing courier charges. Soft proofing, or proofing on a computer screen, is gaining in popularity and there are a number of products available that make it easy to incorporate soft proofing into the production workflow. By its very nature, soft proofing is less expensive and time consuming than other proofing methods. Soft proofing can easily be used for the content and position steps of the process, and with appropriate color calibration of computer monitors, may also be acceptable for contract proofing as well. print devices and presses. Color management profiles, sometimes called lookup tables or LUTs, are digital representations of each device s ability to process the color information it receives from other devices in the workflow. Color values are mapped from one device to another to maintain color integrity from input to output. While color management still requires a fair amount of expertise to ensure the best color integrity throughout the entire process, color management solutions are becoming smarter and more capable and can even allow customer involvement in color-managed operations. Nonetheless, it is important to ensure that you have a solid process in places to deliver color quality, consistency and repeatability. Standards play a role in color management as well, with the International Color Consortium (ICC) playing a leading role. The ICC has established standards for creating ICC profiles, which are digital files with embedded information that adjusts or corrects color and grayscale information based on the characteristics or deficiencies of a device in a digital workflow, such as a scanner, digital camera, monitor, digital printer, or printing press. ICC profiles can be interpreted by any operating system or application that is compliant with the specification and can also be embedded in images and documents to facilitate the movement of color information among devices and networks. Trapping One final and important step in preparing a file for print is trapping the process of controlling how two colors that meet in a printed piece will interact with one another. Trapping prevents inappropriate overlapping of colors, as well as white spaces appearing between adjacent color elements. In a digital workflow, trapping is an automated part of the process, although some manual inspection may still be required. Color Management A brief word about the complex topic of color management, an essential element of digital workflow, is appropriate here. The purpose of color management is to ensure that color values remain the same throughout the entire process, including scanners, monitors, proofing devices, plate setters, digital Without Trap With Overprint With.5 point trap (magnified) Trapping determines how two colors interact when they meet on the page. Trapping software built into a workflow system can automatically set the parameters of traps where the colors meet. 16 Processing Jobs Processing Jobs 17

13 Imposition and Preparing for Print Now that you have an error-free color-managed file in hand, the next step is to actually produce the output, either by generating plates for an offset press or preparing the file for printing on a digital output device, or in the case of a hybrid workflow, quite possibly to both. Flexibility in this stage of the production process is critical. With the reduced cycle times inherent in a fast-paced environment, it is increasingly common for a buyer to request a shorter (digital) run of, for example, a brochure required for a trade show with a tight turnaround time, Imposition is the process of arranging a document or job s pages for the particular configuration of a press, so they can be finished without requiring much manual intervention. Imposition software is necessary to take advantage of output devices that print more than a single page on a sheet, and can automate the sheet layout and/or let the operator manually control how the document is imaged. while at the same a longer production run (offset) is produced for later distribution. Or in the case of a variable data project, static data may be printed using offset (often termed offset shells ) with variable data overprinted on a black & white or color digital output device. An effective digital workflow must be structured to accommodate this increasingly common hybrid approach. Depending upon the job content, finishing requirements and target output device, an imposition step will most likely be required. Imposition is the arrangement of pages on a press sheet so that they will be in correct order after the printed sheets are gathered, cut and bound. Imposition is also used to make the most effective use of a press sheet; for example, an A4 two-sided brochure may be printed twoup (two images on a sheet), four-up (four images on a sheet), or even eight-up (eight images on a sheet) depending upon the size of sheet the digital or offset press can accommodate and the unit count being produced. RIP The final phase prior to actually producing images on plates or digital presses is the RIP or Raster Image Processor. This step transforms the preflighted, trapped, imposed, and color managed file into a format that is understandable by the output device, whether it is a plate maker or digital press. Most RIPs are PostScript based and either license technology from Adobe or utilize clone software developed based on published Adobe PostScript standards. Many RIPs support distributed processing for workload balancing and improved productivity. Some vendors have created software that separates the RIP, screening and output device-driver processes so that screening the file and driving the output device don t cause a bottleneck in a particular server. The RIPping process is generally output-device specific, which could result in the file being RIPped twice in some workflows. However, post-ripped files can be stored for later reprinting by most print servers. Output Management Once the file is RIPped, it is important to have maximum control over how it is output, regardless of whether it is being output to a digital print engine, CTP device, proofing device or a monitor for soft proofing. Some output management solutions are capable of separating color from black & white pages to ensure utilization of the most cost effective printing technology on a page-by-page basis, including insertion of appropriate commands to ensure proper reassembly of the job later in the workflow. Variable Data Printing As customer databases and the price/performance of color digital print engines improve, one-to-one communications using variable data printing is gaining ground. Please refer to EFI s ABC s of VDP: A Variable Data Printing Basics Guide, for more information on this topic. 18 Processing Jobs Processing Jobs 19

14 Archiving Once the job is complete, the chances are that you may either produce the same job again or the customer may ask you to deliver digital media containing the job as it was printed. Your workflow must include an easy way to save a job and put it on the shelf for later use. In the old days, printers stored film on a shelf, and when a job reprint was required, the film was used to create new plates. Today s equivalent of on the shelf for later use. film is a print-ready document stored on digital media, either a CD, DVD or tape, or within the context of a content management (CM) or hierarchical storage management (HSM) solution. The latter two CM and HSM are database solutions that enable more effective tracking, storage and retrieval of digital files, or digital assets, than simply storing CDs, DVDs or tapes on a shelf. Your workflow must include an easy way to save a job and put it Post-Press Printers like to say that a job is not finished until it is finished. Finishing includes cutting, collating, folding, stapling or stitching, and binding in a variety of until it is finished. ways: saddle stitched booklets, perfect bound books, wire or plastic comb binding, even tape binding. Finishing can be either in-line (connected directly to the print output device or press); near-line (with finishing completed at or near the location of printing) or off-line, meaning that binding or finishing is completed as a separate process, usually in a different location within the printing operation or even as an outsourced activity. Focus on Finishing First A job is not finished While a job is not finished until it is finished, an effective workflow must focus on finishing first. What are the requirements for the job? How does that affect the page imposition? What sheet size(s) lend themselves to the most effective processing of the job in the bindery? What bindery equipment is located onsite versus work that must be outsourced? What is the bindery workload; will a bottleneck in that department cause the job to be late? What makes most sense for an individual job, in-line or off-line? These are just a few of the aspects of finishing an automated digital workflow must take into consideration early in the workflow process. The Business of Workflow In a perfect world, a print job arrives at the shop and is put through its paces with no delays, delivered to the customer on time or even early and customer payment is received promptly. We don t, of course, live in a perfect world, and workloads experience peaks and valleys. Management of the business aspects of printing estimating, quoting, planning, scheduling, invoicing, and management of the supply chain, including inventory management and material purchasing are critical elements that must be taken into consideration when implementing an end-to-end digital workflow. Estimating A balance must Estimating plays several roles in the print production operation. First and foremost, estimating be struck between determines how much a particular job will cost to produce, and what the optimum customer price for when the customer the job will be. During the course of developing needs the product an estimate, all of the components of the job are identified, and a determination must be made as to whether all components are available in inventory or some elements might need to be ordered and what those order lead times are. The estimator must also determine whether certain operations need to be outsourced, and what prices and lead times are for those operations. And a balance must be struck between when the customer needs the product and the availability of production resources in order to establish a feasible delivery date. and the availability of production resources in order to establish a feasible delivery date. There are a wide range of estimating tools and procedures in place in the graphic arts industry; not all of them are automated or efficient! In many shops, the estimator relies on his or her knowledge and expertise more than system capabilities, and may use anything from a pencil and calculator to a spreadsheet to a formal estimating package, with the corresponding levels of accuracy, productivity and process cost inherent in each. 20 Processing Jobs The Business of Workflow 21

15 Quoting Once the estimate has been completed, a formal quote can be prepared for the customer. A quote might be generated real time during the course of a Web inquiry; it might be formally typed based on work the estimator has done; or it could be generated automatically by the estimating system and presented for review, modification and approval by an operations manager, sales representative, customer service representative or other key staff member. Timely and accurate generation of a quote could make the difference between securing a job, or not; and it could make the difference between a profitable, or not-so-profitable, job. An estimating system can help you return quotes to customers more quickly. Just as important, it will help to ensure that quotes accurately reflect your real costs-- resulting in improved profitability on each job. Scheduling A scheduler will then examine the overall shop load, the due dates of the various jobs in the queue and strike a scheduling balance that hopefully has everything in the shop going out the door on time. Schedulers commonly use a white board, post-it notes, constant monitoring of the shop floor and other ad hoc procedures to keep things moving smoothly. Individual scheduling elements for a job may change multiple times during the process as various priorities are balanced. In an increasingly complex and fast-paced world, these ad hoc scheduling methods can cause significant workflow inefficiencies. As a result, many shops are moving to more automated procedures utilizing dynamic scheduling software. Such automation can enable the consolidation of the planning and scheduling steps. Getting Paid Finally, generating an accurate and timely invoice, either for delivery with the job, for inclusion on account-based billing or for separate delivery by mail or other means, is critical in an environment where margins may be literally paper-thin and cash flows uneven. An inaccurate invoice can cause significant delays in getting paid, eat up margins on what might have ordinarily been a profitable job, and even result in a frustrated customer. Planning An inaccurate invoice can cause significant delays in getting paid, eat up margins on what might have ordinarily been a profitable job, and even result in a frustrated customer. Once the customer gives the go-ahead, the planning function must determine the most effective way to produce the job. Sometimes the production methodologies will align perfectly with the way the job is estimated; often they do not, based on actual workload and production capacity available at the time. Planners will also often be responsible for creating imposition schema, ordering materials not available in inventory and scheduling outsourced tasks. 22 The Business of Workflow The Business of Workflow 23

16 Supply Chain Management In addition to managing interactions with customers and the progress of a job through production, workflow solutions also play a role in the management of the rest of the supply chain. This includes careful management of inventory and of the data that flows back and forth between your operation and that of your suppliers. For example, effective management of your paper supply can result in significant cost savings. Paper is the most expensive single component of a print job and it costs money to have excess paper in storage. Effective supply chain management will ensure that the appropriate paper is available when a job is scheduled to be produced without requiring an excessive paper inventory. It is important to understand all costs throughout the entire production process, whether the costs are incurred internally or via an outside supplier. Another aspect of supply chain management is managing outsourced service providers such as bindery trade shops. It is important to understand all costs throughout the entire production process, whether the costs are incurred internally or via an outside supplier. Waiting for suppliers to invoice you before you, in turn, can invoice your customer can have a significant, negative impact on cash flow. Supply chain management also encompasses managing downstream suppliers such as mailing services and shippers. Timely exchange of information is critical to ensuring customer satisfaction if the job gets delivered a week late or if the mailing doesn t drop on time, it doesn t matter how beautiful the printed piece is; the customer will be unhappy and may choose to eliminate your firm from his or her supplier base. The Role of JDF and CIM The Role of JDF and CIM The key to managing the business of print effectively is the same as the key to managing production workflows efficiently and that is, don t key at all. Or certainly, absolutely minimize the amount of rekeying of data required throughout the process. The good news for the graphic arts service provider is that this for both production and business management is getting easier every day. Thanks to the efforts of CIP4 and its members, huge strides have been made toward the finalization of the Job Definition Format (JDF) standard which is the cornerstone of the ability to implement computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) in the printing industry. The printing industry has been slow to adopt computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) techniques which have been in use in the manufacturing industry at large for quite some time. Because we are a custom manufacturing industry, automation can be somewhat problematic as compared to manufacturing of such items as food products, apparel and automobiles. A further complication has been the lack of consistent communication standards in a multivendor environment that would allow disparate systems to easily talk with each other as a job is being processed. That s where JDF comes in. Customers are part of the supply chain, too. An effective workflow solution will help you in managing the process of change orders and authorized alterations (AAs) from customers. When a customer sends you a change, that change needs to be noted and tracked so you can charge for it as appropriate. In implementing a workflow solution, be sure to think through the entire process, from start to finish, involved in producing a customer job, leveraging automation and integration to cut time and cost out of the process, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of data and materials throughout the entire supply chain. 24 The Business of Workflow The Role of JDF and CIM 25

17 JDF (Job Description Format) is a comprehensive XML-based file format and emerging industry standard for end-to-end job ticket specifications, combined with a message description standard and message interchange protocol called JMF or Job Messaging Format. JDF is designed to streamline information exchange between different applications and systems. JDF is intended to enable the entire industry, including media, design, graphic arts, on demand and e-commerce companies, to implement and work with individual workflow solutions. JDF will allow integration of heterogeneous products from diverse vendors to seamless workflow solutions. And JDF, through its Job Messaging Format (JMF) component, offers the ability for two-way communication between business and production systems. Creation Business Systems Management Systems Pre-Press Press CIP3 Post Press & Delivery JDF is emerging as the most important technology for interoperability between equipment and software in the print manufacturing environment. It creates a link between business systems, prepress workflow systems and production equipment, from digital output devices to presses to finishing equipment. But as depicted above, JDF doesn t stand alone; it is part of a suite of things that make CIM possible in printing. JDF is a technology that is enabling us to automate workflows and it is an enabler for CIM. One often overlooked benefit of JDF is its ability to drive increased customer satisfaction for the print service provider. Increasing profits is not always about cutting costs. Most printers would agree that if they could increase the amount of business flowing into the firm, driving up revenues while utilizing the same fixed cost base, the result will be an increase in profits. If they could increase business volume, they could make up costs. With its full implementation, JDF can help increase customer satisfaction and increase business volume. The automation offered by JDFenabled products presents the print service provider with a better view, for example, of when a job will be completed, improving the ability to comply with promised due dates. Thus, it is important to think and increase about JDF not only in terms of automation or cutting business volume. costs, but also in terms of its ability to drive increased customer satisfaction. JDF can help increase customer satisfaction With JDF, graphic arts service providers are able to extend an automated communications capability to the customer, increasing the ability to implement a self-service model. While human interaction and relationships will always be important in a service business such as ours, customers are increasingly desirous of taking advantage of the Internet at a time and from a location that is most convenient for them. This includes such capabilities as viewing online proofs, checking job status, entering orders, uploading files and accessing activity reports. With a fully implemented cross-vendor JDF-enabled workflow, customers can even assess the viability of a job prior to submitting it will the design result in the job being too expensive, too time-consuming? These are the types of things that often inform the buying decisions for a savvy buyer. To the extent an effective self-service model is utilized, productivity is enhanced for both the customer and the service provider. The end result is improved cash flow and job throughput for the service provider, and improved customer convenience contributing to higher retention rates for the customer. Of course, the service provider can still choose to filter information as appropriate. But the traditional separation between customer interfaces and the production operation begins to erode, making the entire process much more customer-oriented, and much more convenient for all parties to use. In a nutshell, JDF, and its JMF component, bring the notion of computer-based integration and automation to the printing industry, reducing bottlenecks and improving overall business practices. It also comprehends the need to produce 26 The Role of JDF and CIM The Role of JDF and CIM 27

18 business communications in media other than print, helping customers make appropriate choices about what is and what is not printed, and placing the service provider in the position of managing an entire range of multimedia communications on behalf of the customer. In a time when the printing industry is experiencing negligible growth and stiff competition from outside the industry, this functionality offers a logical way for graphic arts service providers to diversify their portfolio of services, experiencing growth in spite of the pressures on print. Making the Right Choices What About Existing Equipment and Software? As you look toward incorporating JDF-enabled solutions into your workflow, you should be looking for solutions that will take into account your existing operation, helping you incorporate your existing equipment into a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment. In other words, a JDF-enabled workflow should work with your existing equipment and make it better in some way. Solutions that include dynamic scheduling and direct machine interfaces can enhance data collection and improve your overall production process. JDF compliance will Keep in mind that with effective workflow, the key is not to key. With direct machine interfaces, sensors, attached to presses and finishing equipment, and mandatory enable a flow of real-time information about the job being produced to management and workflow solutions. Prepress operators should be able to record arts solutions: work they have done on a particular job right from their Mac without logging it on paper and have that information roll right to the business systems. Over time, JDF compliance will become an accepted and mandatory element of all graphic arts solutions; but as that transition takes place, and as you are implementing your own workflow solutions, look for opportunities to begin taking advantage of the power of JDF with each new component you acquire. become an accepted element of all graphic Build or Buy? There are several major vendors who offer pre-packaged or modular workflow solutions, from EFI s Balance, Fiery, MicroPress and OneFlow workflow solutions to Creo s Prinergy or Brisque, to Agfa s Apogee, to Heidelberg s Prinect. While these solutions will offer answers to some of the knottiest problems faced when transitioning a production operation to a digital workflow, the likelihood is high that they will not provide all the answers. Thus, while pre-packaged solutions may form the basic scaffolding for a customized, end- 28 The Role of JDF and CIM Making the Right Choices 29

19 to-end digital workflow, they must also be able to be used in conjunction with elements from other vendors that will fill out the functionality a shop ultimately needs to put in place. So first and foremost, solutions should be assessed in terms of their compliance with standards and the ease with which foreign elements can be integrated. At the same time, manufacturers of these solutions should be assessed The initial cash relative to their overall support of standards, the outlay in a workflow likelihood that they will continue to be heavily involved in the development and implementation investment isn t the of emerging standards, and, of course, their financial viability will they be around to support their only consideration products in the future. when calculating a return on investment And keep in mind that the initial cash outlay in a workflow investment isn t the only consideration (ROI). when calculating a return on investment (ROI). The solution must improve production and business efficiencies and enable you to accomplish things you could not do before faster and more cost effectively. In addition to implementing a digital workflow off of a pre-packaged base, the graphic arts service provider has the option to approach workflow from a doit-yourself perspective. Here again, vendors supplying individual components must have a heritage of support for standards and a demonstrated ability to work well in multivendor environments. And in either scenario, make sure the vendor or vendors you select can provide the appropriate level of support for your applications, whether by telephone or on-site visits, through thorough training and allowing you to act as your own parts depot, or any other combination of reliable support metrics that you believe will be required to meet your needs. The Hidden Costs of Workflow No discussion of workflow is complete without an examination of what could be categorized as the hidden costs. Acquisition of the hardware and software components is a clear hard dollar cost, but there are other elements you should keep in mind as you build an investment strategy and consider your true return on investment. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself and your vendors relative to hidden costs. Staff Training How easy are the new solutions going to be for your staff to use? Are they complex and difficult to learn or do they build on a base of knowledge your staff already has? Who supplies the training, and are there fees associated with those training services? When a trained employee leaves, how difficult will it be to train a replacement, and what will be the impact on organizational efficiency? Customer Education What impact will new operating processes have on customers? One of the goals of implementing a digital workflow is to make it easier for customers to interact with you; make sure you are achieving that goal. What level of training will customers require and how will that training be deployed? How will you recover costs incurred in customer training activities? 30 Making the Right Choices Making the Right Choices 31