IBM G544-5774-01 manual How to Handle the Changing Output Requirements

form definitions. This separates page formatting from the line-of-business application. In addition, with Infoprint Designer for iSeries, you have a graphical design interface for these applications. Infoprint Server addresses the requirement to take print applications with page definition and form definition formatting and transform them into final-form AFP. This lets them be easily printed and viewed by ″downstream″ processes.

Workstation users want to integrate Web and client images into iSeries applications

Workstation users want to be able to use images from the Web or their workstation in GIF, TIFF, and JPEG format in their OS/400 documents. This saves time by allowing the user to create the image in only one format.

How to Handle the Changing Output Requirements

Print server consolidation is the best way to handle the changing printing

requirements. Why? One central print server in a network is more cost effective

than a distributed solution with printers attached to many different LAN servers or

local desktop computers. Consolidating onto a central print server lets you use the

right printer for specific print jobs. OS/400 5.1 and higher with Infoprint Server lets

you consolidate your print workload from many servers to a central OS/400 print

server. OS/400 handles high volume printing, logs accounting histories, and

provides data security and recovery. With OS/400, you can control host and LAN

printing. You do not need to continually upgrade your server so it can handle more

print requests.

How Infoprint Server Fits in with OS/400 Printing

Infoprint Server significantly expands the possibilities of print and electronic output in an iSeries environment, integrating new capabilities within the existing print framework. Let’s take a closer look and see how. The existing output subsystem is generally print-centric. Figure 1 on page 3 depicts the flow within this subsystem. Any OS/400 application that creates print uses a printer file to provide job-level control information as the data is written to the output queue. DDS keywords can be used to define how application and static information is placed on each page. With these instructions, the application places print data (a spooled file) on an OS/400 output queue. The print data on the queue is usually either SCS (SNA Character Set) for simple line-mode output or AFP with graphics. With AFP print data, there are frequently embedded references to external print resources, such as fonts, overlays, and page segments.

Once the print data resides on the OS/400 output queue, there are three drivers that can route the print data to a printer. The driver is automatically selected based on the type of target printer. Base OS/400 print management includes the driver for printing to SCS printers. Host Print Transform is the driver for ASCII printers, principally PCL printers. When a PCL printer is selected by the print writer, the print file (either SCS or AFP) is passed to Host Print Transform. Host Print Transform then transforms the print data into ASCII and sends it to the printer. When an Intelligent Printer Data Stream™ (IPDS™) printer is started, Print Services Facility™ (PSF) for OS/400 is automatically invoked and interactively manages the entire printing process with the printer. When PSF for OS/400 manages AFP print data, it ensures that any external resources required, such as fonts, overlays, and images, are in printer memory when needed.

With OS/400 3.2 and 3.7, two additional types of external resources appeared on the scene: page definitions and form definitions. These resources are a standard

2Infoprint Server for iSeries: Introduction and Planning Guide