CIP4 Releases New Case Study Tool to the Public

The International Cooperation for the Integration of the Processes in Prepress, Press and Postpress (CIP4) organization announced the availability of the Print Automation Case Studies Database. This new industry resource was established with 70 case studies from printers of all sizes and types around the world that have been collected through a CIP4 printer recognition awards program. The new database allows CIP4 members to easily upload new case studies. CIP4 members, including Tharstern Ltd, have added new case studies in the last month to kick off this new program for the printing community.

“The CIP4 website receives 10,000 to 15,000 unique visitors each month and case studies are among the more popular resources,” said CIP4 Executive Director James Harvey. “We have well over a 1,000 pages of case study material, much of it including financial results and great detail; however, that much content becomes an obstacle for printers looking for specific information. Many printers like learning from the example of other printers, and case studies provide them with inspiration and new ideas, but printers also want to find examples of similar companies, of a similar size or with similar equipment. The new Print Automation Case Study Database solves that problem.”

The Print Automation Case Study Database search tool is freely available to the public and can be found from the homepage of www.cip4.org, or directly at www.cip4.org/pacs/. Users can search by keyword in “company”, “vendor” or “product” name, or can construct searches by selecting options for one or more search fields, including:
* Printing company type such as “label”, “digital” or “publications” printer
* Printing company size
* The system and software components integrated
* The scope of the integration, such as “interdepartmental”, “full plant” or “integrated with customer”
* Country or Continent
* The year of the case study
* Whether or not the case study includes financial results

Search results can be sorted by a variety of factors and include results in a table that provides a summary of what products and functions were integrated in the case study as well as several of the variables listed above. Users can select “show details” for a more comprehensive summary of each case study, including the names of vendors cited in the case study with links to the JDF Integration Matrix, where users can find a custom JDF Integration Matrix result showing all the established integrations between that vendor and others.

While most of the initial case studies are in English, the Print Automation Case Study Database now allows case studies to be added to the system in a variety of languages, including:
* English
* French
* Germany
* Mandarin Chinese
* Japanese
* Spanish

Once users find the case study they are most interested in, they can then open the case study document directly to review or save to their computer.

“The Print Automation Case Study Database is a wonderful resource for print professionals and students of print automation,” said Harvey. The system makes it easy for printers to access and find the information they are looking for whether they are senior managers looking for strategic inspiration, managers looking for implementation planning resources or technical staff researching solutions. To access the Print Automation Case Study database, please see www.cip4.org/pacs/.

About CIP4
CIP4 brings together vendors, consultants, and end-users in the print communications, graphic arts industry, and associated sectors, covering a variety of equipment, software, peripherals, and processes. Members participate in focused working groups to define the Job Definition Format (JDF), PrintTalk, and other standards relevant to process automation; to study user requirements; to test product interoperability; and to develop a range of JDF software development tools as well as educational resources. Information on CIP4, including membership details, is available from the organization's website: www.cip4.org. Or contact: either Stefan Daun, Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics, +49 6151 155 575, [email protected] or Jim Harvey, CIP4 Executive Director, +1 410 451 5040, [email protected].

About JDF
The Job Definition Format (JDF) is the industry specification designed to facilitate process automation and the integration of different applications and systems in and around the graphic arts industry. Widely adopted and recognized worldwide as a key industry standard, JDF also enables the integration of business management and job planning applications into the production workflow. JDF is based on the W3C's Extensible Markup Language (XML), ensuring maximum interoperability between different platforms and ready interaction with Internet systems. More information is available at www.cip4.org.