My impression is that Adobe did not announce or draw attention to anything much on JDF workflow in InDesign or Acrobat during Xplor in Miami. Not much has turned up on Google News or Google Blogsearch.

There is a section on JDF in Noel Ward's roundup from Xplor conferences

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- JDF is for geeks, not the average customer. It will remain "behind the curtain" and be transparent to document owners and creators while streamlining document submission and job ordering, reducing costs and automating workflows at print providers, especially when related to cross-media programs.

- JDF, when properly implemented, will also reduce employee training, make ready, and prepress complexity, provide a single interface for job management, and provide an easier upgrade path to new presses and even finishing systems. It's not there yet, but it will happen over the next 5 years.

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OK so JDF is for geeks, but how exactly is this "transparency" arrived at. At the London Collegeof Communication conference last year there was a presentation by Jutta Koch on how JDF workflows might work. It seemed quite vague in some places. It is not available online anywhere as far as I know. My guess was there would be a more explicit presentation from Adobe US at some later date. Well, 'momentum' and pdf-forum have both happened and I can't find anything. OK I should have been there but if I don't experience the UK in Jan and Feb I won't be able to enjoy the spring when it eventually happens.

What I think is that the "document owners and creators" would like the idea of controlling every aspect of print production. JDF can help this idea even if it needs a few geeks to create the illusion. The actual print production can be as not automated as ever, except for the cost and time involved. This front end aspect will take a lot less than five years. Quark seem to be promoting job jackets with 7.

Adobe have booked a stand at IPEX so presumably there will be something on it. Flash for video is already widely understood.

Meanwhile Google News for "pdf+miami" turns up The Ghent PDF Workgroup. These people are consistently interested. A link finds PDFX ready in French. Is the English language discussion only about mobile phones?

What will it mean that the business unit for "classic publishing" has moved to India? Will they turn up in Birmingham?