Prepress Tutorial CIP4/GATF

1
Welcome
Prepress and Gray boxes
Koen Van de Poel Chairman OriginationPrepress
WG _at_ CIP4 Technology Staff _at_ Agfa Tutorial
Foster City 2007-10-07
2
Todays Agenda

• Creating the Ticket
• Gray Boxes
• Stripping
• Output Proofs, Plates, Ink key settings
• ICS
• PressltgtPrepress

3
Position
Customer
Print Manufacturing
4
MIS
Estimating
Production Planning
Production Controller
Press Controller
Prepress Controller
Legend
Trapping
ImageSetting
Controller
SW Device
PlateSetterB
ProoferA
HW Device
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Creating the Ticket
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Known at Creation

• Info available when MIS creates prod. ticket
• administrative and job info
• product nodes (part structure) and layout binds
  info to sheets
• Imposition?, number of pages
• number of colors for each sheet side
• processes gray boxes

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Missing

• Some info is often missing when the job is
  created because
• Content (PDF) arrives later
• PDF is needed to extract Spot color names
• Number of content pages for Cover often doesn't
  match description 2 pages are combined in one

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Introduction to Prepress
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Steps in Prepress

• Creative part
• Prepress preparation (page level)
• preparing content files ready to RIP
• obtaining content files
• preparing imposition
• Production prepress (sheet level)
• RIP
• Proofs
• Plate making and Preview for ink key

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Workflow
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Prepress Preparation

• Goal no errors or interactions in prepress
  production part (except mapping colors)
• Steps for content (not in order)
• obtaining content files (Asset Transfer)
• conversion from native to standard formats
• trapping
• creating production quality standard formats
• preflighting / fixing files
• page proofs / approvals

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Imposition Preparation

• Activities needed to create a description of
  where the pages and marks need to go on the sheet
  resulting in the Layout

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Production prepress

• Controlled environment
• nearly fixed processing times
• few operator interventions/errors if well
  prepared
• scheduling possible for plate making
• Includes Imposition Proof
• often needed before starting plate making
• internal or external (takes extra time) approval

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Parts
Prepress
Product
Brochure
Prepress
Process
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Building a Workflow
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Gray Boxes

• Easy way to let MIS define what prepress should
  do
• PrePressPreparation, ImpositionPrepreparation
• PlateMaking, xxProofing
• MIS provides
• input available job info, more or less detailed
• output detailed info (sheet structure, plates,
  components)
• Prepress operator (or defaults) will fill in
  remaining details

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Drawing
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PrePressPreparation Gray Box
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In/Out PrePressPreparation

• In
• indication of nr of pages
• can be different from what prepress needs
• Out
• populated RunList

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Snippet Node
ltJDF Type"ProcessGroup" Types"PrePressPreparatio
n" Category"PrePressPreparation" "gt
ltResourceLinkPoolgt ltRunListLink rRef"R0_I"
ProcessUsage"Document" Usage"Input"/gt
ltRunListLink rRef"R0_D" ProcessUsage"Document"
Usage"Output"/gt gt
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Snippet Input RunList
ltRunList Class"Parameter" ID"R0_I"
Status"Available" NPage"6"/gt ltRunList
Class"Parameter" ID"R0_D" Status"Incomplete"/gt
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ImpositionPreparation Gray Box
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In/Out ImpositionPreparation

• In
• Stripping resources
• If not available, operator intervention
• Out
• Completed Layout
• References to Marks

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Stripping

• High-level imposition related information from
  MIS to Prepress
• avoids redoing imposition 3 times
• Estimating
• Production planning
• Prepress
• allows bi-directional communication prepress
  updating imposition info

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Sample Stripping
1 1
0.5 1
Sheet
BinderySignature
Pages / Cells
0 0
0.5 0
ltStrippingParams gt ltBinderySignature
FoldCatalog"F8-7"/gt ltPosition RelativeBox"0 0
0.5 1"/gt ltPosition RelativeBox"0.5 0 1
1"/gt lt/StrippingParamsgt
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FoldCatalog

• Describes how the sheet will be folded
• Needed for Pagination
• CIP4 spec has Fold Catalog list

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Stripping details

• Depending on MIS and prepress capa.
• Rich Stripping info
• All gutters/margins specified
• Gripper / color bar / no image area specified
• Shallow Stripping info
• FoldCatalog / NumberUp
• Cut boxes or just nr of boxes

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Snippet ImpoPrep
ltJDF Type"ProcessGroup" Types"ImpositionPreparat
ion" Category"ImpositionPreparation"gt ltComment
Name"Instruction"gtImposition folder with 6
pages folded using F6-1, WorkAndTurnlt/Commentgt
ltResourceLinkPoolgt ltLayoutLink rRef"LAY000"
Usage"Output"/gt ltRunListLink rRef"RNL000_M"
ProcessUsage"Marks" Usage"Output"/gt
lt/ResourceLinkPoolgt lt/JDFgt
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Snippet Layout
ltLayout "gt ltSignature Name"SIG1"gt ltSheet
Name"SHT1"gt ltSurface Side"Front"/gt
ltSurface Side"Back"/gt ltMediaRef
rRef"PAPMSVA_880x630"/gt lt/Sheetgt
lt/Signaturegt ltSignature Name"SIG2"gt ltSheet
Name"SHT2"gt ltSurface Side"Front"/gt
ltMediaRef rRef"PAPMSVA_880x630"/gt lt/Sheetgt
lt/Signaturegt lt/Layoutgt
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PlateMaking Gray Box
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In/Out Platemaking
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In/Out Platemaking

• In
• Media (plate)
• Colors
• RunLists
• document (content)
• marks
• Layout
• Out
• Ink key setting preview (PPF or PNG)
• ExposedMedia (plate)

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Snippet PlateMaking
ltJDF Type"ProcessGroup" Types"Imposition RIPing
PreviewGeneration ImageSetting"
Category"FinalImaging" gt ltResourceLinkPoolgt
ltRunListLink rRef"R0_D" Usage"Input"
ProcessUsage"Document"/gt ltRunListLink
rRef"R0_M" Usage"Input" ProcessUsage"Marks"/gt
ltLayoutLink rRef"LAYBody01" Usage"Input"/gt
ltColorantControlLink rRef"ColorantControl"
Usage"Input"/gt ltPart SignatureName"SIG1"
SheetName"SHT1"/gt ltMediaLink
rRef"Plate000001" Usage"Input"/gt
ltExposedMediaLink rRef"ExposedMedia"
Usage"Output"gt ltPart SignatureName"SIG1"
SheetName"SHT1"/gt ltPreviewLink
rRef"Preview" Usage"Output"gt ltPart
SignatureName"SIG1" SheetName"SHT1"/gt
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Proofing Variations

• Hard copy or soft proof
• Page or Imposition
• Content ltgt Contract proof
• May include Approval

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Interoperability Conformance Specs
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Summary

• Specifies a subset that MIS MUST generate
• Specifies a subset that Prepress MUST consume or
  report back
• Updated to JDF 1.3 and released summer 07
• Certification procedure end 07
• Samples at JDF Samples folder

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ICS details

• MISPRE Level 1 MIS 2 Prepress
• basic jobs
• MISPRE Level 2
• more complex (stripping, versioning)
• PRECP Prepress to Conventional Printing
• Nearly ready, not much changed
• Future Link to (hybrid) digital printing

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References

• JDF 1.3 spec
• MIS-Prepress ICS 1.3
• MIS-Prepress Samples on CIP4 site
• Minimal, (Proof)PlateMaking
• Complex (multi part, ConvPrint)
• Proofing Application note

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Prepress is not a press
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Prepress is not a press!

• Objects
• Press _at_ sheet level
• Prepress _at_ job parts (cover, body) for pagination
• Media paper ltgt plate
• Plates consumption not tightly tracked (waste)
• Limited plate variations, usually tied to Press
• Plate pairing combining planned plates
• Device
• Platesetter and proofer linked to plate size
• Platesetter processing often unattended

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Prepress operators

• One prepress operator handles multiple jobs
  simultaneously no detailed tracking
• Sometimes separate operator PDF preparation
• Duration may take several days (waiting for
  content)
• May start on job before JobID assigned
• May make job modifications

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Thanks for Listening