Some of the other TLA’s you might hear when discussing the AS/400 and printing are:
SCS Printing = SNA Character String
AFP Printing = Advanced Function Printing
IPDS Printing = Intelligent Printer Data Stream
These are different types of printer data streams that are supported by the AS/400. Each of these support different types of data, along with different types of equipment and each has it’s own unique characteristics. SCS has a limited number of commands, so this will limit the amount of formatting you can do with the output. IPDS supports an extremely complex set of commands, so it will allow various formatting options. As you can see, this will affect the end result requirements dramatically.
SCS, being a simple data stream is primarily utilized by line printers. It supports a feature set comprising of overstrikes, margins, sub and
Since IPDS is more complex, it supports both text and data as well as forms, fonts and overlays. It also supports
Host Print Transform
For users who don’t need all of the advanced printing features of AFP and/or IPDS, or who don’t want to spend the extra dollars required to obtain these more expensive printers, HPT is included in all versions of the base operating system. Whereas IPDS printers process the data stream after it’s sent to the printer, HPT’s data stream is processed on the AS/400 and then sent to the printer as ASCII text. While this does add to the workload of the AS/400 itself, it will support any printer that can interpret or print ASCII (plain text). This allows the printer to be attached to the AS/400 in various ways. This can be a Twinaxial connection (dual coaxial cable for direct connection to the AS/400), or it can be attached directly to a workstation or terminal or another AS/400. Or it can be a LAN connection, such as our
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