Spring 2021 AFP Consortium Meeting Recap: Virtual Session Continues Architecture’s Progress
By Jack Condon
In April 2021, the AFP Consortium Spring meeting again took place online, due to the continuing issues associated with the global pandemic. Although this was a virtual meeting, the international team of AFP experts came together to continue our work to expand and improve AFP for all our customers.
Here are some highlights from the meeting:
Other topics discussed at the meeting include:
Many thanks to all participants in the Spring meeting for making this so successful! Working with people from around the world who care so much about AFP and its customers is a wonderful experience! Together, we will keep the AFP architecture up to date and continually improving. Our next meeting will be online in the Fall of 2021, and I cannot wait to see what direction we take AFP in the future!
Here are some highlights from the meeting:
- Setup Name – Architecture to automate the process of loading job-specific print parameters into an IPDS printer was reviewed. Once implemented, this will allow printer settings to be setup on a per-job basis in an architected manner agreed to by all members of the Consortium. With this new capability, customers will be able to set printer-specific settings in an automated way ahead of a print job submission, without the need for operator intervention at print time – making this printer setup process easy, efficient, and cost-effective.
- Color Overprint and BCOCA QR Code with Image – Architecture in support of color overprint and for adding images to a BCOCA QR Code is currently in Consensus state and ready for implementation.
- Metadata Tagging – The tagging design is mature: the “Metadata Guide for AFP” document that defines the design at Verified state is currently pending on inclusion in a member product before it can go to Final state.
Other topics discussed at the meeting include:
- Manifest Object – A white-paper was reviewed to consider adding a “Manifest Object” to the MO:DCA Architecture. The purpose of the Manifest Object would be to allow more efficient processing of AFP jobs that contain large numbers of presentation resources. The ideas in the white-paper are still being considered and will be discussed further at the Fall Consortium meeting.
- Long resource names – We have been looking at ways to allow longer AFP resource names in AFP jobs than are currently allowed in the Architecture. Several ways to address this were discussed during the meeting and a working group is putting together recommendations for our next meeting.
- Encrypted images – Some customers have been requesting a way to encrypt images inside of AFP for financial applications. This is another topic we will look at more closely in the Fall.
Many thanks to all participants in the Spring meeting for making this so successful! Working with people from around the world who care so much about AFP and its customers is a wonderful experience! Together, we will keep the AFP architecture up to date and continually improving. Our next meeting will be online in the Fall of 2021, and I cannot wait to see what direction we take AFP in the future!
