Although the AFP Consortium was only formed
in 2004, its creation was two decades in the making.
After all, it was back in 1984 when
the AFP format was designed by experts at IBM. This revolutionary
file created an indexed record of files produced by printers, independent
of the software used to send the file, allowing print room operators to
distribute large jobs across a wide range of different printers with ease.
These files required very little storage
space, meaning that the nation's largest enterprises were able to
create an accurate record of printed files.
They were also able to control a number of
print settings, such as the formatting or the form of paper output, and they
could do so across a range of operating systems. It was a hugely popular medium
for storing and presenting information and soon became a recognized standard
for the print industry.
The AFP Color Consortium
IBM was very keen to improve on what they
famously described as the platform as a "cornerstone" of electronic
document management. In 2004, the instigated the formation of the AFP Color
Consortium (AFPCC), a group of print industry leaders, with the aim
of developing colour management support for AFP. The open collaboration
project allowed this to be successfully achieved.
Following this success, IBM allowed the
consortium complete scope of the AFP architecture for an open collaboration
project to find further improvements. This wasn't necessarily in IBM's
original plans - but it was obvious that open collaboration was the way forward
for continued development of AFP. It was following this decision
that the group changed its name to the AFP Consortium (AFPCC).
The AFP Consortium
Japanese electronics giant Ricoh bought out
IBM's print division in 2007. As part of this acquisition, the two companies
formed a joint venture called Infoprint Solutions, which officially took over
as the founding member of the AFPC.
The group now is now populated with key
thought leaders representing the likes of Oce, Xerox, MPI Tech, Isis
Papyrus, Kodak, Hewlett Packard and Lexmark among others. There are
around 30 members each with their own unique ideas for pushing AFP further
still.
Members communicate electronically on an
ongoing basis and hold four meetings across the world a year, normally in
North America or Europe. Many small upgrades regarding text
speed, diagnostics and checkpoint recovery have been made.
The group appears to be doing plenty to
ensure that AFP remains the top medium for print file storage almost
twenty years since it was invented and has often been seen with many associated
tasks like afp conversion for document types.
In a recent interview, the group's president
Harry Lewis was confident that this would continue for some time.
"We have a road map of planned
enhancements that stretches as far as the eyes can see. We have a backlog of
things various members want to see tackled," he said.
IS/3 standard
IS/3 is the newest standard of AFP files
developed by the consortium in 2011. As providing support for the newest fonts,
images and graphics, it also provides the most efficient method of colour
management and image management.
If this is anything to go by, then there
are certainly some exciting times ahead for the AFP Consortium.
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