Details:
Summary:
Printing and postpress operations have been computerized much later than the prepress and design functions of publishers. Printing plant automation can be built mainly in two ways. High flexibility is obtained by using digital printing lines but their limited capacity, quality and high unit cost are competitive with real mass printing methods, e.g. web offset, only in very small jobs. Integrated systems for press control, postpress and materials handling have been used in modern printing plants. Software and messaging for production data between the subsystems are now urgently needed. The main problem is how to organize the system interfaces between publishers and printers. The product resource and process data, must be defined and acquired from the local subsystems, i.e. from the prepress network of the publisher, and similarly from the systems of the printing plant. The data messaging has to be based on the process definition of the subsystems and on the intersystem and the global needs. A new concept, called the press frontend, is introduced for the publisher-printer interface. Other relevant interfaces include press-mailroom and publisher-distribution. The job data at the press frontend has been roughly analysed. It will typically include very large files. The subsystems of the press frontend must input and hold the job files, verify the and inspect files before the output, and support a flexible job flow with a complex product structure up to the ready plates. the output, and support a flexible job flow with a complex product structure up to the ready plates.