JDF is an international standard maintained by the CIP4 organization and covers most print shop activities in pre-press, press and post-press. This JDF SDK focuses on the integrated digital printing portion of the print shop environment, specifically around the HP Indigo Labels & Packaging presses and the HP PrintOS Production Pro for Labels & Packaging digital front end (DFE).
NOTE: This information applies only to the HP PrintOS Production Pro for Labels & Packaging DFE, not the Labels & Packaging print server powered by ESKO.
JDF can be used to improve efficiency in your print shop environment by automating the submission of print jobs, and monitoring the status of job and devices connected to the HP Production Pro DFE.
The list below defines some of the capabilities of the JDF interface:
JDF (Job Definition Format) - Submit electronic job tickets to automate job settings including:
- Print Quantity
- Ticket Template selection (through an Internet Input Method)
- Color Management (select an Esko Color Strategy and define input colorants)
- Select Step and Repeat Templates
- Select a media for printing
- Create basic batches by defining multiple "documents" and individual quantities for those documents
JMF (Job Messaging Format) - Query the DFE and attached Press(es) for current information including:
- A list of active Jobs and their current statuses
- Current state of the press(es)
- Automatically submit, cancel and delete jobs
- Query resources on the DFE (Step and Repeat templates, Color Strategies, Ticket Templates etc.) and Press (Media, Inks etc.)
JDF AuditPool (historical job information) - Capture production information about the job including:
- Start and Stop times for the various phases of a job (Download, RIP, Routing, Printing)
- Printed length of media
- Number of frames printed
- Number of impressions per ink
- Number of spreads per number of impressions
What's contained in the JDF SDK
The JDF SDK for the HP PrintOS Production Pro for Labels & Packaging contains documentation, samples and useful tools for helping with development of a JDF workflow within your print shop environment. Since JDF is an international standard maintained by the CIP4 organization, HP Inc. does not provide libraries for generating JDF/JMF, nor information on the overall JDF specification. Please visit the CIP4 Confluence website for development code samples, additional useful tools and the JDF specifications.
The JDF SDK is specific to HP's JDF implementation and contains the following information:
Documentation
- JDF SDK Overview - A brief overview of JDF and the contents of the SDK
- Developer's Guide - Descriptions of JDF, common Use Cases and Troubleshooting
- Implementation Specification - In-depth specification of HP's JDF capabilities.
- Detailed Documentation - Documents detailing common use cases.
Samples
- JDF Tickets for setting individual features
- MIME packages for setting individual features
- JMF queries and sample responses
Tools
- MIME Util - a simple JAVA application for creating MIME packages
- Send JMF - A simple script for sending JMF messages and capturing the response