Workflow Innovations—A compendium
Case Studies Transforming Graphic Communications
Idealliance has been in the forefront of many—if not most—essential workflow transformations to remove friction in the graphic communications supply chain. It has engaged partners from upstream brands, publishers, creative and advertising agencies, and print buyers, to print service providers, industry suppliers, and technology partners, to speed information, reduce cost, and create efficiencies.
Idealliance has excelled at partnering with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), other industry groups, and Idealliance international affiliate offices, to become a world leader in standards development. Idealliance serves as a Liaison A delegate to ISO to fast-track standard development.
Since its founding in 1966, each generation of Idealliance has redefined itself and the industry, creating standards-based, automatable processes, enabling every part of the print supply chain to change, grow, and prosper. Idealliance stays relevant in a changing print and packaging industry, serving its members by guiding the next revolution in graphic communications.
Here is a compendium of innovation from Idealliance – reaching back to its 55 year history – as the leader in workflow transformation for the graphic communications industry.
Workflow Innovations—SPECTRUM
Through the annual cycle of discovery, testing, and reporting the Idealliance SPECTRUM connection advanced the science of print, revolutionized workflows, developed specifications, fostered implementation of emerging print technologies.
Workflow Innovations—Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML)
The Association, under the leadership of IBM, formalized the Gencode Specification, which was eventually standardized by ISO as ISO 8879, SGML.
Workflow Innovations—Publishers Requirement for Industry Standard Metadata (PRISM)
The PRISM working group was created to develop a standard set of metadata to identify, organize, publish, aggregate and reuse digital magazine content assets in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Workflow Innovations—XML
When SGML and HTML came together, they built a new language for the Web. This language, “eXtensible Markup Language”, or XML, merged the strengths of both communities.
Workflow Innovations—DISC
DISC enabled production departments to streamline the intake of digital images and quickly determine which images were suited for final print publication.
Workflow Innovations—G7 Calibration
G7 continues to revolutionize global print workflows as the leading print alignment methodology to improve visual color consistency for print buyers, regardless of print technology.
Workflow Innovations—PQX (Print Quality Exchange)
This specification was developed to provide a standard message format for printers to report print quality to Brands.
Workflow Innovations—Mail.XML
This specification, a joint development between Idealliance and USPS enabled modern postal business workflows for printer/mailers large and small.
Workflow Innovations—SWOP (Specification for Web Offset Publications)
SWOP began as an organization whose purpose and goal was the improvement of the quality of magazine printing.
More Innovations
Over the history of Idealliance, we have revolutionized graphic communications workflows in a wide array of business and production processes through collaborative working groups that developed specifications and guidelines.
Four initiatives stand out:
- Standardized method for publishers to communicate job order including EDI (2002) and XML (2016) (Production Order Specification – PROSE XML);
- Since 1995 created and published the mailing industry definitive standard on data exchange and communication for processing and entry of mail across list processing, print production, mailing services, and the U.S. Postal Service (Mail.dat®and Mail.XML™ – now published by Delivery Technology Advocacy Council);
- Global communication XML standard for the paper and forest products industries automating business processes (papiNet®) partnering with the American Forest & Paper Association and a European paper producers consortium (papiNet GIE); and
- Calibration and color management (GRACoL® – General Requirements for Applications in Commercial Offset Lithography).
All About Idealliance Membership
The central goal of Idealliance is to help everyone worldwide in the print and packaging supply chain cope with the continuous change in the graphic communications field and embrace and profit from it. The standardization initiatives of Idealliance are guided by working groups engaging all partners in a supply chain and the individual member. Idealliance is who it is because of its unique members. Idealliance appreciate the members who have been instrumental to its success and who continue to stay involved to help set the course for future innovation and growth.
Become a member of Idealliance and transform the way you work—forever.