IBM G544-5774-01 manual What Infoprint Server Can Do for You, How Output Requirements Are Changing

Chapter 1. What Infoprint Server Can Do for You
	Infoprint Server for iSeries (hereafter referred to as Infoprint Server) is a separately
	orderable program for OS/400 5.1 and higher. Infoprint Server focuses on the
	network, extending the considerable capabilities of the iSeries beyond printing to
	the management and dissemination of output. As business applications are
	re-engineered into e-business applications, the output of those applications might
	need to change and flow electronically to the consumer of that output.
	For enterprise printing requirements, Infoprint Server delivers improved efficiency,
	improved reliability, and lower overall printing costs. It does this by applying iSeries
	printing management and iSeries-attached printers to the task of handling all of the
	essential printing generated across the network.
	This chapter describes how output and printing requirements are changing. It
	explains how Infoprint Server fits into this changing environment and how
	implementing Infoprint Server can benefit you.
How Output Requirements Are Changing
	With the advent of a fully electronic computing environment, which includes local
	area networks and the Internet, standard server-centric business applications are
	being re-engineered into e-business applications. In many cases, this has
	ramifications for the output that those applications produce. For example:
	Companies require more electronic output
	Businesses need to implement business-to-business and
	business-to-customer applications that have electronic output distribution
	instead of paper creation. The traditional output model of ″print and
	distribute″ is changing to one of ″distribute (electronically), then (maybe)
	print″. Electronic output reduces costs, decreases cycle time, improves
	competitiveness, and increases customer satisfaction.
	Network-centered printing is inadequately managed and costly
	Many key applications within an iSeries extended environment now reside
	outside the iSeries server. Printing to personal or LAN-attached printers is
	usually far costlier and far less reliable than printing from the iSeries.
	Companies would like to apply iSeries print management and iSeries
	printers to this task. In addition, many new applications that are
	client-server in implementation, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP)
	and Independent Software Vendor (ISV) solutions, create ASCII output
	because it is a common denominator across clients and servers.
	Transforming these data streams to AFP™ enables robust iSeries print
	management.
	Output applications need to be portable across different systems
	Many line-of-business applications, such as statements, invoices, and
	policies, need to have the flexibility to print on servers other than the server
	where the data resides. In order to do this, the print file needs to be
	packaged with all of the resources, such as fonts, overlays, and images that
	are needed for printing.
	New output formatting on iSeries needs additional printing and viewing
	capabilities
	While the majority of iSeries output applications are formatted with Data
	Description Specifications (DDS), the iSeries also offers an
	application-independent formatting approach: iSeries page definitions and

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