Product Models in Printing.

The paper presents a solution for the automatic planning of production methods for printed products. The proposed solution is based on an object-oriented model concept and it deals with the physical structure of printed products. The concept contains a product model, which means a combination of views, where each view describes the product in a special meaning. The specification view models the requirements set for the product. The production view and the process view show the operations and the resources required to make the specified product, and the cost view shows the cost estimate of the product. The inference of the suitable production method is automatic and based on the product specification, factory model, which describes the available resources with their operations and constraints, and the process model. The concept may be used to aid any task in a printing shop where a knowledge of the production methods and their costs is needed. of the product. The inference of the suitable production method is automatic and based on the product specification, factory model, which describes the available resources with their operations and constraints, and the process model. The concept may be used to aid any task in a printing shop where a knowledge of the production methods and their costs is needed.