A Messaging-Based Integration Architecture for Print Production Workflow Systems

A print production workflow consists of a number of systems specialized at executing specific tasks. In order to realize an efficient workflow it is not enough to simply assemble all the required systems, the systems must also communicate with each other and exchange information. The printing industry has used several approaches for integrating systems. A common approach has been to use so-called “hot folders” to exchange content files, such as PDF documents, between systems. Another approach, which focuses on the exchange of production and configuration data, is the XML-based Job Definition Format (JDF) and its messaging protocol Job Messaging Format (JMF). The need to integrate heterogeneous systems is nothing unique to the printing industry. The experience and knowledge in this area has been documented in several pattern languages. By applying a combination of several such pattern languages, this paper presents a hypothetical integration architecture that enables a system to communicate with other systems using JMF messaging.