Industry experts speak out on the progress that has been made in automating postpress processes.

By Erik Cagle

“In print shops doing mostly standardized jobs—magazine printers, for example—JDF can make a major impact,” Mason adds. “But with commercial printers that seek to accept virtually any job that comes along, standardization is impossible, and automation expenditures are difficult to justify. My guess is that JDF and true automation will be a long time coming in these plants. In fact, the wider acceptance of automation could make if very difficult to remain a printer that accepts any job.”