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Document Author:
Additional Author(s): |
Donald Otis
Tamsen Wiltshire |
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Document ID: |
WP100374 |
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Doc. Organization: |
Techline Americas |
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Document Revised: |
02/23/2009 |
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Product(s) covered: |
AFP |
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| Abstract: An elevator talk about why to use Advanced Function Presentation, part of "A Pedestrians Guide to Printing" |
So, when do you need to buy IBM Advanced Function Presentation products? “Need” is a subjective condition – what one person can live with is totally unacceptable to someone else. When you ask why to use AFP, it is easy to get carried away. There is a substantial amount of information available that covers the Architecture in excruciating detail. You end up with this confusing mass of documents that looks like it will take a doctoral candidate to untangle. So, what’s the truth about this AFP stuff?
Printing is pretty simple, really. You have an assortment of things:
- Your data - you keep that in something, some sort of server.
- Your resources - fonts, the set up for pages, instructions on formatting, images.
- Your printer - it can be large or small, fast or slow, color or monochrome, local or remote.
The issue is to get your things together in the most efficient, cost effective means possible.
Resources are a huge part of the story. There are a lot of variations on this theme, but really only two approaches for resources - they are both centrally stored and managed or they are distributed.
Wholly distributed models, such as that which Xerox uses, rely on the operators to keep the resources current. The disadvantage of this approach is that these resources are stored at each printer. This can then require substantial operator time and effort to keep the resources up to date.
Centrally managed models typically require the insertion of the resources in the datastream. Formats like the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), and Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) are of this nature. The disadvantage with this style is typically the size of the subsequent job in the datastream.
Then, there are combinations of these two approaches. Some, such as the Printer Control Language (PCL) from Hewlett Packard, and PostScript (PS) from Adobe, rely in part on printer stored and operator managed resources. For instance, the electronic documents, called ‘macros’ in PCL, are sent to the printer and manually managed. Fonts for both PCL and PS are typically loaded on nonvolatile memory, although they can also be downloaded to flash and hard disk. The balance of the instructions are then included in the datastream.
AFP also combines the approaches, but the key difference is that the resources are managed by the system, and not by the operator. Dependent on the printer, ultimately all resources can be resident, and automatically kept up to date as they are changed at the host. This minimizes the datastream to a huge extent. AFP is already a compact datastream, so the result is that an IPDS (Intelligent Printer Data Stream, the printer specific version of AFP) job is generally a third of the size of a PS or PCL job.
Another advantage to IPDS is how it works. IPDS is a bidirectional datastream. Print drivers, such as Print Services Facility in i-Series and z-Series, and Infoprint Manager on the p-Series and x-Series, establish and maintain two-way communication with the printer throughout the job. This allows for automatic page-level error recovery in case of transmission failure or printer error.
The main thing is control. While a purely AFP environment allows for very tight control and standards, it is obvious that we live in a heterogeneous world. Everyone needs to leverage the equipment and routines that they have, even if their vision includes or targets something completely different. AFP allows you this control of your environment. By inter-operating with other standards, and through the use of a multitude of IBM and third party products, the user can take nearly any sort of job, alter it to meet new standards, and target nearly any printer currently marketed. This includes the latest in not printing as well, such as e-mail, on-screen display, and web enabled display.
Ultimately, your data is the lifeblood of your organization. How it looks and how you use it are reflections on you to your customers. The ease with which your employees can access and use data is the linchpin of productivity. Your ability to play well with others is integral to your business relationships with your suppliers and partners.
Every customer has a different vision, and there is no “one-size-fits-all”, no matter what anyone says. The best way to determine what solution is right for you and your business, a personal “no strings attached” consultation, is always the right place to start. Your IBM Business Partner or Printing Systems representative has resources that can be engaged at no cost to you to discover where you are today, where you want to be tomorrow, and how IBM can assist you in getting there.
Advanced Function Presentation is now an open architecture, signifying a major standards collaboration initiative for the print industry. With this proposal, the current members of the 28-company AFP Color Consortium™ (AFPCC™) would jointly develop all extensions to the AFP architecture. See the website at:
The InfoPrint Solutions Company offers a substantial portfolio of products:
Print management
Software products that send the print datastream to printer devices or provide printer and print job management functions.
Business communication
Tools for electronic delivery — e-mail, fax, Web pages, browser access.
Print utilities and tools
Productivity applications that enhance, enable or monitor printing.
Document design
Software products for creating documents and reports, programming and graphical interfaces.
Book production
Software products that help optimize the production of print on demand books.
Complimentary downloads
Middleware and utilities
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Classification: |
Hardware; Software |
Category: |
Planning and Design |
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Platform(s): |
Printing Systems |
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O/S: |
OS/400; AIX; Windows; Windows NT; MVS; OS/390; VM; z/OS |
Keywords: |
dro, psdtl. afp, psf, ipm, modca, ipds, apgtp |
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