Application Note: PPF Mapping to JDF

Owned by Rainer Prosi
Last updated: Aug 15, 2024
3 min read

This application note provides a list of suggested mappings from CIP3 PPF to JDF and XJDF. It can be used for importing PPF into a JDF enabled system or for exporting PPF from a JDF enabled system.

Row Header

Remarks

PPF Value

PPF value is the PPF Keyword as found in the CIP3 PPF specification.

PPF Hierarchy

PPF Hierarchy defines the recommended location of a keyword in the respective PPF Hierarchy.

Sheet: between CIP3BeginSheet and CIP3EndSheet but not between CIP3BeginFront and CIP3EndFront or CIP3BeginBack and CIP3EndBack.

Surface : between CIP3BeginFront and CIP3EndFront or CIP3BeginBack and CIP3EndBack but not between CIP3BeginSeparation and CIP3EndSeparation.

Separation: between CIP3BeginSeparation and CIP3EndSeparation.

 

The following table provides a recommended mapping of PPF keywords to JDF and XJDF.

The focus is on ConventionalPrinting therefore PPF mapping for finishing is currently not provided.

 

 

 

PPF Value

PPF Hierarchy

JDF Value

XJDF Value

Remarks

CIP3AdmJobCode

Sheet

/JDF/@JobID

XJDF/@JobID

 

CIP3AdmJobName

Sheet

/JDF/@DescriptiveName

XJDF/@DescriptiveName

This does not work in a multi-sheet environment - who wins in case we have multiple values for one JobID?

CIP3AdmSheetName

Sheet

Part/@SheetName

Part/@SheetName

SheetName SHALL be unique within the job

CIP3AdmPrintVolume

Sheet

ComponentLink Usage="Output" /
AmountPool/PartAmount/@Amount

ResourceSet Component Usage="Output" /
AmountPool/PartAmount/@Amount

 

CIP3AdmCustomer

Sheet

Contact[ContactTypes=”Customer”]/Company@OrganizationName

ResourceSet [Name="Contact"]/Resource[
Part[@ContactType="Customer"]]/Company/@OrganizationName 

Implementations with a list of customers that can be identified by @CustomerID may attempt to synchronize CIP3AdmCustomer with @CustomerID

CIP3AdmPaperColor

Sheet

Surface

Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@LabColorValue

ResourceSet[Name=”Media”]/
Resource/Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@LabColorvalue

CIP3AdmPaperColor MAY differ between front and back.

CIP3AdmPaperExtent

Sheet

Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@Dimension

ResourceSet[Name=”Media”]/
Resource/Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@Dimension

CIP3AdmPaperExtent SHALL not differ between front and back.

CIP3AdmPaperGrade

Sheet

Surface

Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@ISOPaperSubstrate

if a number between 1 and 5 is provided, a good guess is:

Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@Grade

ResourceSet[Name=”Media”]/
Resource/Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@ISOPaperSubstrate

CIP3AdmPaperGrade MAY differ between front and back.

CIP3 does not provide recommended values for paper grade, therefore JDF / XJDF recommended values for @ISOPaperSubstrate SHOULD be used.

 

CIP3AdmPaperGrammage

Sheet

Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@Weight

ResourceSet[Name=”Media”]/
Resource/Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@Weight

CIP3AdmPaperGrammage

CIP3AdmPaperThickness

Sheet

Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@Thickness

ResourceSet[Name=”Media”]/
Resource/Media[@MediaType=”Paper”]/@Thickness

CIP3AdmPaperThickNess

Note that JDF defines Thickness in microns whereas PPF default units are always pts.

CIP3AdmSheetLay

Sheet

Surface

ConventionalPrintingParams/ @SheetLay

ResourceSet[Name=”ConventionalPrintingParams”]/Resource /ConventionalPrintingParams/@SheetLay

 

CIP3AdmSeparationNames

Surface

ColorantControl/@ColorantOrder

ResourceSet[Name="Color"]/
Resource[
Part[@Separation="S1"]
Color/@ActualColorName

Each entry in CIP3AdmSeparationNames corresponds to one Color element.

CIP3AdmInkColors

Surface

ColorPool/Color/@Lab

ResourceSet "Color" /
Part [@Separation="S1"]
Color/@Lab

 

CIP3AdmInkColorsCMYK

Surface

ColorPool/Color/@CMYK

ResourceSet "Color" /
Part [@Separation="S1"]
Color/@CMYK

Note: the PPF definition is in % (range 0-100), the JDF/XJDF definition is in a range 0-1.

This value is discouraged for writing - it is defined in the CIP3 PPF Addendum

CIP3AdmInkInfo

Surface

Ink/@Brand

ResourceSet[Name="Ink"]/Resource/@Brand

 

CIP3AdmWorkStyle

Sheet

ConventionalPrintingParams/@WorkStyle

ResourceSet[Name=”ConventionalPrintingParams”]/ Resource/ConventionalPrintingParams/@WorkStyle

 

 

 

 

 

Missing attributes in PPF Specification

The data types are derived from XJDF and mapped to the corresponding PPF data type.

Note: Additional attributes might be added if there is consensus that the value is sufficient to update CIP3 implementations.

PPF Value

PPF Hierarchy

Data Type

JDF Value

XJDF Value

Remarks

CIP3AdmPaperName

Sheet

string

Media@Brand

ResourceSet[Media]/
Resource@Brand

 

CIP3AdmPaperGrainDirection

Sheet

name

Media/@GrainDirection

ResourceSet[Media]/
Resource /
Media/@GrainDirection

 

CIP3AdmPartVersion

Sheet

name

Part/@PartVersion

Part/@PartVersion

 

CIP3AdmPaperCode

Sheet

name

Media/@ProductID

ResourceSet[Media]/Resource/@ExternalID



CIP3AdmInkCode

Separation

name

Ink/@ProductID

ResourceSet[Ink]/Resource/@ExternalID

Note: this syntax is probably cleaner than adding a list on surface level that matches CIP3AdmInkColors and CIP3AdmInkInfo

 

 

 


General suggestions:

Remarks

General suggestions:

Remarks

SHOULD use ASCII only but not exclusively UTF-8

Not sure that this will work in non-latin countries, e.g. for Jobname - in most cases the locale encoding is assumed.

SHOULD put the encoding in a comment

suggested tag. %%Encoding

%%Encoding ISO-8859-1

Discouraged PPF features

CIP3 PPF is a mature standard that is no longer being actively maintained. It contains data structures that have rarely been implemented and are therefore discouraged for production use:

Structure

Remarks

Structure

Remarks

PPFDirectory

Only single sheet ppf files are in common usage. Multiple sheets should be split into individual ppf files per sheet.

ProductDefinition

The PPF product definition structure defined by CIP3BeginProductDefinition and CIP3EndProductDefinition is not widely implemented and should be avoided. Complete product definition workflows should be provided in JDF or XJDF rather than PPF.