Jobs with JDF job tickets

RICOH ProcessDirector supports functions defined in the JDF Specification that the system requires, including a subset of the JDF Integrated Digital Printing Interoperability Conformance Specification (IDP ICS) and the associated Application Note. The IDP ICS is based on the JDF combined digital printing process, which is intended for integrated digital printers.

RICOH ProcessDirector does not support all possible values in the JDF job ticket. If RICOH ProcessDirector cannot use a value to set a job property, it will remove unsupported values from the job ticket.

RICOH ProcessDirector synchronizes the job ticket and the job properties notebook to the extent possible whenever the job ticket is requested. If the workflow contains a step based on the RunExternalProgram step template that submits the job to another application, it can submit the JDF job ticket too. The step compares the property values in the job property notebook with the values in the job ticket and updates the values as needed. If the other application changes values that RICOH ProcessDirector supports in the job ticket, RICOH ProcessDirector updates the job properties after the other application processes the job and returns the updated job ticket.

The value of the Media property is a special case, because it depends on the setting for Media Matching:

• If Media Matching is set to Use media product ID or media name, RICOH ProcessDirector uses one of these media names as the value of the Media property for a job:
  • The name of the media object with the matching product ID specified in the job ticket.
  • The name of the media specified in the job ticket.

  RICOH ProcessDirector first checks whether the job ticket specifies a media product ID. If it does, RICOH ProcessDirector looks for a system media object with the same product ID. If RICOH ProcessDirector finds a match, it puts the name of the matching media object in the Media property for the job. If RICOH ProcessDirector does not find a match, it looks for a media object with the media name specified in the JDF job ticket. If RICOH ProcessDirector finds a match, it puts the name of the matching media object in the Media property for the job.

• If Media Matching is set to Use the properties selected below, RICOH ProcessDirector uses the media properties (such as size) listed in the job ticket to search the existing system media objects and find one that matches. When it finds an appropriate media object, the name of that object is set as the value of the Media property for the job.

  You can choose the properties that are used for Media Matching based on the needs of your installation.

  If more than one media object matches, RICOH ProcessDirector tries to determine which one is the best match based on the rest of the media properties in the job ticket, including the name of the media. If the system cannot determine the best match or if no media objects match, the job goes to Error state. You can use the Correct Media action on the job to select the media and move the job out of Error state.

If a job ticket specifies values for media and stapling, you can view and change them in the job properties notebook. On the Scheduling tab, the Media required property lists the media values for both the job and any page exceptions. The Stapling required property shows whether stapling is required. You can set the job values in the Media and Staple properties on the Scheduling tab. You can change the page values on the Page Exception tab using the Page exceptions action.

If a job ticket specifies values for sides exceptions, you can view them using the Page Exceptions action on the job in the user interface. You cannot change the Sides page exceptions.

If you have the PDF Document Support feature, do not modify any media settings when a job is between the IdentifyPDFDocuments step and the BuildPDFFromDocuments step in a workflow.

The JDF job ticket is stored in the spool directory for the job with the data files. The job ticket is named jobID.overrides.jdf