Graph Expo 2011 Edition
real
business
· 21
independence and device neutrality. It
opens up new opportunities in digital
printing by decoupling the complexities
of VDP job authoring from the
particular methods of print production.
By simplifying and streamlining the
process, PDF/VT will yield benefits for
all stakeholders: enterprises, marketers,
designers and print professionals.
PDF/VT has been publicly endorsed
by the leading hardware and software
vendors offering personalized print and
cross-media solutions, including Xerox.
Expectations are running high. End-to-end
PDF/VT workflows are expected to emerge
in early 2012, and reach critical mass by
2014-15.
However, it is still in the early
days. Industry trendsetters (marketers,
agencies, print buyers, enterprises, print
operations) have a window of opportunity
to explore how the potential of PDF/
VT can be harnessed to improve quality,
competitiveness and productivity,
and to develop the next generation of
Transpromo and marketing programs.
Mark Lewiecki joined the
Adobe
print team in 2006 after working in
graphic arts production for almost
two decades. He helped to initiate
PDF/VT, the new ISO standard for
personalized print.
Next-gen personalization strives to
maximize the relevance for each recipient.
Variable text and graphics/images must
be keyed to audience profiles such as
demographics, location or purchasing
history. Once ready for production,
designs must be reviewed and approved,
sometimes across geographically
distributed workgroups. Reviewers must
be confident that final output will match
the early proofs, both “soft” (monitor
display) and “hard” (paper-based). Jobs
should be submitted online, as easily as
any other type of print job. Prior to the
start of job production, files should be
electronically preflighted to check for
potential problems. It should be possible
to make minor changes to the job at the
last minute, or even switch to a different
output device, without sending it back to
square one. The color must be predictable
with comparable results, even if different
presses are used for the same job. Printers
must be able to automate VDP production
runs and manage operational logistics
with security and flexibility. Customer
service operators in call centers should be
able to view an exact representation of
the printed piece.
PDF/VT uniquely satisfies the
requirements of job portability, page
PDF/VT
Variable
Transactional
ISO 16612-2
PDF/X
eXchange
(
Prepress
)
ISO 15930
PDF/A
Archive
ISO 19005
PDF/E
Engineering
ISO 24517
PDF/UA
Universal
Accessibility
ISO 14289
ISO 32000
•
Portability. PDF/VT provides a
reliable container for blind exchange
of final-form, graphically rich,
variable content.
•
Takes full advantage of the
PDF imaging model for printing
graphically rich personalized
communication such as variable
transparency effects.
•
Enables caching for recurring
elements in VDP jobs.
•
Can be preflighted with standard
off-the-shelf tools.
•
Enables reliable proofing and
distributed review/approval workflows
prior to printing, using readily available
PDF viewing software such as the free
Adobe Reader.
•
Predictable color for VDP jobs
based on modern ICC-based color
management.
•
Provides a robust metadata
infrastructure to enable job-
ticket-driven controls for VDP print
production (filtering, tray pulls,
rules-based imposition, audit trail,
barcoding, checkpoint re-start).
•
Device-independent and object-
oriented, enabling VDP jobs to be
dynamically repurposed, refactored
or retargeted to different presses.
•
Ideal for “white paper workflows”
which eliminate waste along with
the need for inventory management.
“
Onserts” replace inserts, and
preprinted shells (backgrounds) give
way to full-color page production.
Benefits of PDF/VT