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.