2023

Table Of Contents
User Guide | 601
What are Job Jackets?
Technically speaking, Job Jackets are XML structures that include
specifications and rules for creating and inspecting QuarkXPress layouts.
Conceptually, a Job Jackets structure can be compared to a folder containing
job tickets that describe various types of projects and layouts, as well as other
types of information.
Job Jackets are based on the latest version of the JDF (Job Definition Format)
schema. In addition to letting you control QuarkXPress related specifications,
Job Jackets also let you set values for various other specifications covered by
JDF, such as binding and crossover settings. When you send a layout to output,
you have the option of including the layout’s JDF information, so that
downstream systems can use that information for automation and for
informational purposes. And the Job Jackets specification is extendable, so
developers of JDF-compatible systems can embed their own implementation-
specific settings into Job Jackets before passing the Job Jackets upstream to
the layout artist. These settings can then be preserved in the Job Jackets file
and used by XTensions software, by JDF-enabled applications, or by other
systems, to automate and streamline a wide variety of processes.
Job Jackets can also help you to collaborate within a workgroup. Several layout
artists working on layouts that share the same set of specifications can link
their projects to a shared Job Jackets file, so that if one layout artist makes a
change to something like a style sheet, the same change can be automatically
propagated to the other artists’ layouts.
The structure of Job Jackets
Job Jackets are XML structures containing specifications and rules. The topics
below describe the way these specifications and rules are organized in Job
Jackets.
Resources
Job Jackets contain Resources, which include the following:
Project-level Resources: Things that can be applied to a particular project, 1
such as style sheets, colors, output styles, and color management settings.
Layout-level Resources: Things that can be applied to a particular layout, 2
such as:
Layout Specifications: Settings that can be used to assign a particular
size, orientation, and so forth to a layout.
Rules and Rule Sets: Tests that can be run to inspect a layout and verify
its adherence to specifications.