The Electronic Job Docket
– Another DAM Project?
Graphic arts companies manage every last detail that goes
into each job. Every order is a custom order. Communicating the information
required to get that job through the production process error free, without
having to explain each step, is the goal of every production manager. Add to this the fact that we need to
save all the production related information as the job progresses through the
plant, and then at the end archive that information along with the job’s assets
for re-use and to share with our customer.
This should be
a piece of cake with all the technology at our disposal. Almost everything is now digital:
files, images, communication and file transfer. Even the colour managed proof
is signed off electronically. So why do we still have that paper docket
floating around the shop floor?
The docket is, like the mousetrap, quite simple in purpose
and highly effective. And like building a better mousetrap, creating a better
job docket has been an enigma.
Many have tried and many have failed. The digital docket, though, is a
necessity in a fully digital workflow. So how can we build a better mousetrap?
The Digital Docket
Most systems create their electronic job docket from the
perspective of an ERP system. They record all the necessary production details,
but fail to take into consideration the graphical nature of our business:
holding the files, images and proofs, and communicating in a way that is
meaningful to a production department.
Accessing the files from a docket for re-orders, repurposing
content for alternate delivery processes, whether the Web , demand printing, or
other formats, along with the paper trail of proofs, signoffs and
communication—all that needs
to be captured and retrieved electronically in a timely way.
Quite a challenge for an ERP system, but more efficiently
handled by a digital asset management system. The advantage is in tying into
the workflow. JDF (job definition
format) technologies pave the way for automated graphic arts workflows to
support these functions, and capturing workstation and user data in the
process.
Adding a job ticket or job docket to a content management,
or digital asset management system has proven to be a successful approach for
many graphic arts companies.
Ian Broomhead, President of the DIA (who in his spare time
runs CP Printing in Vaughn), has successfully implemented this technology. Ian
recently showed me the system he has developed, using an off the shelf system
that he modified extensively to get it to work they way he wanted.
Hence the need for systems integration. This is a term not
heard in many printing plants. The open standards of new technologies built on
databases with industry standards such as ODBC, JDF, PDF and XML make it easier
to communicate between disparate systems.
A systems integrator’s role is to take diverse technologies
and combine them, providing one seamless solution customized to your
needs—a tailored package of services and systems that meets current needs
and provides for growth.
But most integrators come from a document management
perspective; they understand storing files, not creating and managing print
production.
Be sure to find an integrator who has worked with graphic
arts organization. Here are some factors you should take into consideration.
Challenges
Change management: Ensure that all stakeholders buy into
changes in process, workflow, and job responsibilities. A production management
system needs initiative and support from senior management, and a desire to
implement from all participants.
Data migration integrity: Ensure the integrity of data from
source documents when migrating
information into a new system.
Timing: Time the implementation to avoid disrupting ongoing
work.
Future enhancements: Ensure that all elements will be able
to scale up for growth.
Digital Docket Components
In a digital docket management system, look for:
- Project
planning and scheduling: JDF-based project management, task management and
process automation - Digital
Asset Management (DAM): managing and repurposing files - Dynamic
and batch conversion of file formats - Connectivity
with the information management system on a static, scheduled basis - Workflow
automation: deconstructing document pages, importing them to the content
management system, page layout, automatic updating of content and pricing, PDF
generation - Preflight
- Soft
proofing - Collaborative
review mechanism that aggregates requests for modifications and logs changes
and activity - Communication:
email notifications of collaboration and proofing requests. - enhanced
image management and print management system - business
analytic modules for event planning - a
product information management system - Web
content automation tools that provide content and administrative tools to Web
sites - storage
and archival modules - Web-to-print
modules.
Finding integration resources in the Printing Industry
The DIA has several member organizations who provide systems
integration services, such as the Intuitive Solution Group in Markham, and
manufacturers who provide end to end production systems which include digital
dockets, such as Heidelberg, AGFA, ManRoland and Xerox.
Marg Macleod is the Association Manager of Digital Imaging
Association.
T: 416-696-0151