© 2005 ibm corporation ibm printing systems ibm output environment ippd how workflow techniques can...

© 2005 IBM CorporationIBM Printing Systems

IBM OUTPUT ENVIRONMENT

IPPDHow workflow techniques can by implemented using IPPD

Simon Jones 14th September 2006

IBM Printing Systems

[email protected]

OUTPUT SOLUTIONS FOR AN ON DEMAND WORLD

2 IBM OUTPUT ENVIRONMENT

Workflow?

Management and control of a manufacturing process. Real time interaction with components and products

Division of a complex process into smaller parts or units of work.

Optimisation and automation of activities.



How IPPD Implements Workflow Techniques

Divides the manufacturing process into major phases Receive Prepare Print Complete And others in the future, such as Insert, Reconcile, etc.

Each phase consists of one or more steps Steps are sequential in a phase. A job passes through a step and is processed by it. Properties of the job configure the actions of the step. Jobs can be queued to a step, waiting for it to become available. Jobs can experience an error condition in a step.



Object Properties

Jobs and devices have properties Their behaviour is configured by properties in various parts of the workflow. Properties may be examined and altered through the IPPD

Devices are given properties by a user when they are created.

Jobs are given properties by A profile, called a JobType From an attributes file at input, sometimes referred to as a job ticket. Through evaluation of a set of rules or dependencies.



Receive Phase

Concerned with creating jobs from input files Single input file – Single job. Input file group – Parent and child jobs.

Determines the job type to apply, set by Hot Folder. Input file name element. Rules applied to property values received in a job ticket.

Copies the job properties stored in the JobType to the job



Prepare Phase

Preparation of the job ready for output processing Printing Email/web Content Manager

Datastream conversion for printing Line data PDF/Postscript PCL TIFF, JPEG, etc

Document re-engineering Value add manipulation of the document content. Addition or adjustment of factory readable data.



Print Phase

Pre-processing Build relationship between pages and sheets. Work out which pages (and sheets) to print.

Scheduling The “Print Queue” is a pool of jobs from which printers collect and process

jobs when they can. Allocation of jobs to printers is based on scheduling properties. A subset of jobs that can be scheduled to a particular device can be seen on

the GUI.

Printing Sending data and resources to the printer. Managing progress and errors. Streaming multiple jobs to keep the printer at rated speed.



Extending IPPD

IPPD is Highly configurable. May contain generic and customised bespoke components that take advantage of a rich set of

APIs. Embodies the philosophy “Fit the product to your business”.

New steps can be added Any server executable program may be run as a step. The program can be supplied with job property values. The program can create files that become job.

IBM will enhance IPPD both through new base functionality product and value add modules SLA Visual Workbench Reports

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