Is JDF the Future of Catalog Print Production?

“Control is an interesting word,” he continued, “because it means you now have responsibility for the workflow. What you create is going to govern what happens with the rest of the process. ... What’s the role of creatives in the new workflow? More involved, with more responsibility, not less.”

This trend began as printers converted their catalog customers to digital workflows that involved digital file submission rather than film. As a result, it became the cataloger’s duty to supply digital files prepared according to printer specifications. And it also became the creative professional’s responsibility to check these files before they were submitted, namely through the pre- or post-flighting processes.