Agfa Graphics Is First Vendor to Receive CIP4 Certification from PIA/GATF for MIS to Prepress Workflow Integration

Highest ’level 2’ Certification confirms :Apogee Prepress 5.0 is fully compliant with JDF 1.3 MIS to Prepress ICS, incl. support for versioning, and stripping calculations for web presses.


Agfa Graphics announced today that its :Apogee Prepress 5.0 workflow solution has received the “CIP4 Certified Product” designation from the Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (PIA/GATF). They verified its reliability on behalf of CIP4, as well as the compatibility and other advantages for successful JDF (Job Definition Format) processing.

Awarded only after comprehensive testing, :Apogee Prepress 5.0 is the first JDF-capable prepress workflow to receive the MIS to Prepress designation. :Apogee Prepress 5.0 passed the highest “level 2” Certification, which also includes the validation for versioning, and stripping calculations for web presses.

The MIS to Prepress ICS covers both submitting JDF jobs from MIS to Prepress, as well as returning JMF (Job Messaging Format) status on jobs in real-time. This is used for progress tracking and cost calculation purposes, from Prepress back to MIS.

“This is the second CIP4 Certification that we received from PIA/GATF for :Apogee, providing evidence to our customers that JDF integration is a reality” said Bart De Pelsmaeker, Director of the Software Group, Agfa Graphics. “It demonstrates Agfa Graphics’ commitment in providing JDF capable solutions. Today, :Apogee integrates with a broad range of MIS solutions worldwide, and the integrated install base is vastly expanding. Through this Certification customers hear from an independent source that they can integrate their :Apogee with certified capable MIS solutions, and that it works. Customers can immediately benefit from such integration. Output of standard jobs is guaranteed, with less effort and less cost.” At drupa, MIS to :Apogee Prepress demonstrations will be show at Agfa Graphics’ booth (hall 8a/B63), as well as with many of our MIS partners.

Agfa is a founding member of CIP4, which is the International Cooperation for the Integration of Processes in Prepress, Press and Post-Press Organization. This not-for-profit association brings vendors, consultants and end-users in graphic communications together. They handle and resolve important issues, many of them worldwide in nature, related to graphic arts equipment, software, peripherals and processes.

:Apogee Prepress is the successor of the well known :ApogeeX 4.0, which received as a first the CIP4 JDF 1.3 Certification for the support of JDF layout files, created by certified imposition applications.