Many Prepress workflows have an advanced level of automation built in. This can come in the form of Job Tickets or Hot Folders, often a Prepress workflow contains a mixture of both.  Job tickets allow the user to configure the processes required to prepare the supplied file for high resolution output. A typical basic job ticket would contain Pre-flight-Trapping-Imposition-Proof-Output.   Logical hold points are inserted within the ticket to manually define addition parameters or hold files at specific points so they can be examined before moving to the next process.  Many modern workflows are capable of taking instruction in the form of JDF, this instruction can be as simple as imposition data sent from desktop imposition software or in more advanced cases a list of processes defined within the MIS (Management Information System).

Hot folders within the workflow can be used to attach a list of predefined processes that require little or no human intervention. Files can be submitted to Hot Folder by any user that has access rights.

Any automation project has to take in to account the abilities of the existing prepress workflow as this can be used in conjunction to provide advanced automation.