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Chapter 1. iSeries printing software to create, manage output
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1.2.2.2 Page segment creation
AFPU also includes a utility to create images such as company logos and
signatures. These are known as
page segments
in the AFP architecture. Creation
of page segments is found within the Resource Management Utility within AFPU.
The principle is that you obtain your image (for example, from a scanned source)
and create an IBM Image Object Content Architecture (IOCA) version of the
source file. Then AFPU “wraps” it and produces an AFP page segment. The
source file may be in an iSeries physical file, or more likely, exist as a PC file in
the iSeries Integrated File System, placed there using iSeries NetServer or a
similar method.
How do you create an IOCA image in the first place? Windows graphics
packages, such as HiJaak Pro, RasterMaster, and others, can convert standard
image file formats such as BMP, GIF, or JPEG into IOCA (with a file suffix of
*.ICA).
Once the IOCA file exists, AFPU can resize or rotate the page segment it
produces. There are also various mapping options such as a scale to fit option
that is useful for keeping a logo or signature in proportion while fitting it into a
particular size area.
1.2.2.3 When to use AFP Utilities for iSeries
If you are creating multiple similar overlays that may be updated fairly frequently
(for example, twice a year), AFPU is very convenient. The source is stored safely
on the iSeries server and can be accessed from any 5250 session. Extremely
precise overlays may be created that are very efficient in terms of file size and
therefore printing performance. You can see the advantages and disadvantages if
AFP Utilities for iSeries listed in Table 8.
1.2.3 AFP Font Collection for Workstations and OS/400
The AFP Font Collection for Workstations and OS/400 (5648-B45) Version 2.1.1
is an inexpensive collection of AFP and compatible Type 1 and CID keyed outline
fonts, compatible across several platforms and covering approximately 46
languages. As of OS/400 V4R5, the single-byte character set (SBCS) fonts are
included free of charge with any new PSF/400 order.
A free tool is available on the IBM Printing Systems Web site to help you use your
AFP fonts. You can find it at:
http://www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/rdfont01
The RDFONT01 package includes two tools:
• LOADFNTC: Select the languages and the object types you need. Then this
program builds them into libraries on your iSeries server.
Table 8. Advantages and disadvantages of AFP Utilities for iSeries
Advantages
Disadvantages
Easy to use, quick learning curve
Only a near-WYSIWYG view in design mode on
iSeries “green-screen”
Call to AFP Viewer provides
WYSIWYG view of overlay
Expensive if AFPU used just for overlays, unless the
license is on a smaller iSeries server
Produces efficient overlays
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how to erase text in pdf online; how to delete text in a pdf acrobat
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iSeries Printing VI: Delivering the Output of e-business
• PRTFNTC: Selectively print fonts from the AFP Font Collection or printer
resident fonts.
1.2.3.1 AFP Type Transformer and Utilities for Windows
This is an optional, priced feature of the AFP Font Collection. It allows you to take
PC outline fonts (such as Windows TrueType and Adobe Type 1) and convert
them to AFP fonts, either in raster or outline format, or both. A Windows NT 4.0
platform is required to run the Type Transformer.
The Type Transformer feature is also required if you want to create raster versions
of the double-byte character set (DBCS) fonts, since the latter are supplied in
outline format only.
1.2.3.2 When to use the AFP Font Collection
This product is especially useful for customers who:
• Need to have consistent font appearance on different printers
• Have different printers with different resolutions
• Have operations in more than one country or region
• Want to maintain the fidelity of printed output to media such as fax and viewing
• Need support for the Euro character
• Need to convert PC fonts to AFP format (using Type Transformer)
1.2.4 AFP Fonts/400
This section refers to the products 5769-FN1 (DBCS) and 5769-FNT (SBCS). The
available fonts are listed in
AS/400 Printing V
, SG21-2160, in the Fonts chapter.
1.2.4.1 When to use AFP Fonts/400
You should note that these font products supply only 240-pel raster fonts and for
selected font families such as Sonoran Serif. Therefore, order them only if you
have a very specific need for the particular font families.
1.2.5 AFP Driver for Windows
The AFP Print Driver for Windows is supplied with products such as Client
Access, Content Manager OnDemand, and AFP Workbench. It is also available
on an “as-is” basis from the World Wide Web at:
http://www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/afpdr
The driver can be used to create:
• AFP versions of your PC documents for printing on IPDS printers
• AFP overlays
• AFP page segments
See the example in Figure 8. The resources may be created as full-page image,
giving true fidelity at the expense of a large file size, or as text objects. The latter
method maps AFP fonts to PC fonts and requires that the AFP Font Collection be
installed on the iSeries server. Using this method, the file size is much smaller,
however, and the print quality may be better. On some IPDS printers, there may
be a performance delay while downloading complex AFP resources produced
using this tool. This is usually negligible or not the case with Advanced Function
Common Control Unit (AFCCU) printers such as the Infoprint 4000 or Infoprint 62.
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Chapter 1. iSeries printing software to create, manage output
19
Figure 8. Creating AFP resources using the IBM AFP Driver for Windows
1.2.5.1 When to use the AFP Driver
For page segments, the AFP Driver is useful for taking good quality copies of your
company logo or a signature and creating an AFP page segment. However, there
is no ability to “clean-up” the image.
For overlays, the AFP Driver allows you to use your favorite graphics design tool
to create an overlay and then upload the results to the iSeries server. You need to
perform testing to ensure that the overlays printing performance is satisfactory.
You must also carefully manage the storage and backup of potentially valuable
source overlay material since only the final overlay objects are normally stored on
the iSeries.
The AFP Driver process is most useful when using PC functions such as
spell-checking and automatic text alignment. A Terms and Conditions overlay is a
typical example of using the AFP Driver.
Remember that you can use the AFP Driver to create small, specific AFP
resources, for example a page segment of a signature or an overlay that gives a
“watermark” effect, in conjunction with a more efficient overlay tool such as
Infoprint Designer or AFP Utilities/400. Use the appropriate tool for the
appropriate task.
Table 9 outlines the advantages and disadvantages of using the AFP Driver for
Windows.
Table 9. Advantages and disadvantages of the AFP Driver for Windows
Advantages
Disadvantages
May be used with any Windows application
Requires setup and management of the
various steps in the process such as file
transfer
Permits use of advanced design elements
such as curved lines and boxes
Backup and storage of the source Windows
documents is a separate process to be
managed
PC Client
iSeries file
Shared Folder
(Network Drive)
Copy
to
File
CRTOVL or
CRTPAGSEG
iSeries object
created
"Print" to
shared
folder
Invoice
Qty. Amt
Total
Description
Return with payment:
Invoice
Qty.Amt
Total
Description
Return with payment:
Invoice
Qty. Amt
Total
Description
Return with payment:
Invoice
Qty.Amt
Total
Description
Return with payment:
Any Windows
application with
AFP Driver
iSeries
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iSeries Printing VI: Delivering the Output of e-business
1.2.5.2 Uploading resources created by the AFP Driver
Figure 8 shows using a mapped network drive with iSeries NetServer, as a
means of transferring the AFP resources. Another method is to use File Transfer
Protocol (FTP). This is described in the “AFP Driver” chapter in
AS/400 Printing
V
, SG24-2160.
A new method is to use the AFP Manager feature within Operations Navigator.
This is described in Chapter 9, “AFP Manager” on page 213.
1.3 Driving the printer
In today’s world, a customer may have a wide variety of printer types, each
supporting a different data stream or language. They may have small laser
printers for desktop publishing, workgroup printers for convenience printing, and
high speed production printers for company output. At the same time, different
applications or software packages generate the output in different ways. To add to
the confusion, there may be restrictions on the type of data supported on a given
printer depending on the attachment method.
In the past, users were restricted to printing their output only on the specific
printer type for which the application was designed. IBM now offers a number of
different solutions that allow almost any type of document to be printed on almost
any printer.
This section describes the different offerings and tools available from IBM to
transform the data from one data stream to another or send it to the printer.
Essentially we describe printer drivers for the iSeries.
1.3.1 OS/400 for SCS and IPDS twinaxial printers
The default data steam type generated by iSeries is SNA Character Stream
(SCS). This EBCDIC-based data stream has a minimum number of formatting
controls in its basic implementation.
iSeries can also produce the Intelligent Printer Data Stream (IPDS). This is a
bi-directional
data stream that provides a two-way conversation between the
printer and the iSeries. In the twinaxial environment, without PSF/400, IPDS
support includes graphics, printer resident fonts, images, and barcodes. External
resources, such as overlays, page segments, or host fonts, are not supported in
this environment.
The spooling subsystem included in OS/400 supports sending SCS and a subset
of IPDS to the appropriate twinaxial attached printer. SCS spooled files may also
be sent to an IPDS printer. Some IPDS spooled files may be sent to SCS printers,
Allows use of PC word processing functions
such as spell-checking and text alignment
May be difficult to correlate overlay element
positions with that of the corresponding
variable data
No-charge product
Produces relatively inefficient AFP overlays;
complex overlays may print slowly on
smaller printers
Table 9. Advantages and disadvantages of the AFP Driver for Windows
Advantages
Disadvantages
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Chapter 1. iSeries printing software to create, manage output
21
but there will likely be some loss of function in the process. This is described in
“Redirecting Output” in
iSeries Printer Device Programming
, SC41-5713.
1.3.1.1 When to use OS/400 print support
You use OS/400 print support whenever you connect twinaxial printers to the
iSeries, whether they are SCS printer or IPDS printers configured as AFP(*NO). If
the latter are configured AFP(*YES), you will use PSF/400 as described in the
following section.
1.3.2 Print Services Facility/400
Print Services Facility/400 is an optional, chargeable feature of OS/400,
5722-SS1. It is the driving force behind the Advanced Function Presentation
(AFP) architecture on the iSeries. The application data stream of AFP is the AFP
data stream (AFPDS). This data stream is independent of the target printer or the
system it is being generated on. PSF/400 takes the AFPDS and converts it to the
printer specific, or printer-dependent, data stream called Intelligent Printer Data
Stream (IPDS). AFPDS is sometimes referred to as
Mixed Object Document
Content Architecture (MODCA)
. There are some very slight differences
architecturally between the two, but they are functionally the same when it comes
to printing on the iSeries.
In this environment, the full range of printer capability is supported, including
external resources. PSF/400 carries on a two-way conversation with the device,
making sure every page is printed accurately (for example, with fidelity), and with
the correct external resources. If there are problems, PSF/400 ensures recovery
at the page level.
PSF/400 also accepts spooled files that have been generated in SCS, IPDS,
LINE, or AFPDSLINE data stream formats; each time it automatically converts
the data stream to IPDS.
1.3.2.1 When you must use PSF/400
PSF/400 has a licensing requirement if you are using IPDS printers configured as
AFP(*YES) on your iSeries. Since all LAN-attached IPDS printers only function
as AFP(*YES), you also need PSF/400 for any LAN-attached IPDS printers.
1.3.2.2 When you should use PSF/400
Print Services Facility/400 provides the highest degree of integration, function,
and management for printing on an iSeries. We recommend PSF/400 for any
business-critical application where output fidelity and error handling down to the
page level is essential.
1.3.2.3 What PSF/400 does
Because PSF/400 is so well integrated into OS/400, it may be difficult to
appreciate what it is capable of doing. The following functions are all performed
by PSF/400, if required:
You can think of PSF/400 as being the software equivalent of the IPDS
hardware function on the printer. In the bi-directional communication, the
PSF/400 software talks to the IPDS hardware in the printer.
What is PSF/400?
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iSeries Printing VI: Delivering the Output of e-business
• Interrogation of printers to determine their characteristics
• Automatic download and management of resources at the printer
• Enables printing of AFP resources:
– Barcodes
– Outline and raster fonts
– Overlays
– Page segments
• Tracks jobs to completion; issues detailed error messages if problems occur
• Provides support for page range printing
• Allows printer sharing between other hosts including Windows
• Automatically transforms data streams as required
• Enables advanced finishing options where supported by the printer
• Automatically recovers sessions if a print session is interrupted
• Enables a resource library list for the printer
• Rotates of printed image to cater for edge-sensitive paper (for example,
punched)
• Permanently captures host fonts at the printer
• Uses custom font-substitution tables
1.3.2.4 Licensing PSF/400
PSF/400 is an optional component of the Operating System/400 (5722-SS1). The
price is based on the speed of the single fastest printer attached to the iSeries.
For V5R1, the price breaks are for 1 to 45 impression per minute (ipm), 1 to 100
ipm, or AnySpeed. There is no licensing limit to the number of printers that may
be used with PSF/400.
PSF/400 is also included in the ValuPak for AS/400 for V5R1 (5722-VP1).
ValuPak consists of the following products:
• Option 36 of OS/400 - PSF/400 1-45 IPM Printer Support
• 5722-PT1 Performance Tools for iSeries - Option 1 Manager feature
• 5722-QU1 Query for iSeries
• 5722-ST1 DB2 Query Manager and SQL Development Kit for iSeries
• 5722-XW1 Client Access Family
Do not confuse ValuPak for AS/400 with the ValuPak for AS/400 Printing. This
latter product (5769-PPK) was actually an offering, bundling the APU and
PPFA/400 components of AFP PrintSuite for OS/400, AFP Utilities/400, and the
AFP Font Collection. ValuPak for AS/400 Printing was withdrawn from marketing
at OS/400 V5R1 but is still available for ordering with OS/400 V4R5.
1.3.3 Host Print Transform
Host Print Transform is included with OS/400. It provides a simple and easy way
to convert spooled files that are generated in SCS or AFPDS to ASCII. SCS files
may be converted to one of several ASCII printer data streams. AFPDS works
best with the PPDS or HP-PCL ASCII data streams. AFP resources (such as
fonts, overlays, page segments) referenced in AFPDS spooled files are converted
into an ASCII printer data stream and passed to the ASCII printer.
A wide variety of preset definitions are available to support many printers, from
IBM and many other vendors. Beyond that, you may modify the translation
through the use of workstation customization objects, although this is not a trivial
task.
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