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The Infoprint Server feature of z/OS and the associated print transform
products provide an integrated end-to-end solution for enterprise print
submission, processing, delivery and management. Infoprint Server is
made up of several components that perform distinct functions but are
tightly integrated with one another, sharing functions like Print
Interface, the Printer Inventory and a common message log. Infoprint
Server and can help you consolidate distributed print workloads onto
your reliable, scalable System z server and leverage your printing
assets for improved productivity and a lower overall cost of ownership
for output delivery and management.
Infoprint Server takes advantage of the
existing Job Entry Subsystem (JES)
in z/OS as the central repository for all jobs processed by Infoprint
Server.
Since JES printing support has been improved and enhanced over more
than 30
years, it can provide very robust support for spooling, selection,
scheduling,
prioritization, routing and delivery of print jobs and their associated
attributes to print processing systems such as Infoprint Server.
Infoprint Server's components play important
roles. The Printer Inventory is
at the heart of the Infoprint Server system and can provide a single
repository
for defining all of the printers in the enterprise managed by Infoprint
Server,
including PSF printers. It is designed to perform print file
validation,
determine job routing, provide default job attributes, and many more
functions.
The Print Interface component can provide a replacement for the
standard z/OS
Line Printer Daemon (LPD) with additional function. It can accept print
requests over many print submission protocols, including standard
lp/lpr,
Windows File/Print and the Internet Printing Protocol.
Infoprint Server can also receive print jobs
from traditional MVS batch jobs
using JCL, or from online transaction systems such as CICS or IMS using
the
NetSpool component. By capturing output from VTAM application programs,
NetSpool lets you migrate those applications for printing on PCL or
PostScript
printers in a TCP/IP network, or for printing on AFP printers with
PSF—usually
with no changes to the application programs.
The IP PrintWay component supports printing
over TCP/IP to PCL and
PostScript printers, over the Internet using Internet Printing Protocol
(IPP)
or sending output as an e-mail attachment. Re-architected in z/OS V1R5,
IP
PrintWay extended mode uses the Sysout Application Programming
Interface (SAPI)
to access jobs and job properties from JES, providing greater
flexibility,
scalability and reliability than in previous releases. IP PrintWay
support for
HP Printer Job Language (PJL) lets you track the number of pages
printed on
printers that support HP PJL for more accurate accounting as well as
restart
automatically from the page at which an interruption occurs during
printing.¹
The entire Infoprint Server environment can be easily managed over the
Internet using Infoprint Central, a Web-based graphical user interface.
Help
desk operators, for example, can monitor print jobs, start and stop
printers,
reset printers, track Infoprint Central actions by user ID, pinpoint
network
connectivity issues¹,
re-route jobs or entire print queues, display job and printer messages
from a
common message log, and much more. It can manage printers driven by IP
PrintWay
extended mode and PSF printers, for a truly centralized print
management solution
The following optional priced print
transform products complement Infoprint
Server by providing programs that let the print system automatically
convert
from one data format to another according to your output needs.
print transforms to AFP (5655-N60)
include the following data conversion
programs:
- HP
PCL to AFP
- Adobe
PostScript to AFP
- Adobe
PDF to AFP
- SAP
R3 ABAP and OTF formats to AFP
IBM Print Transform from AFP to PDF for
Infoprint Server for z/OS (AFPxPDF,
5655-TF1) can dynamically and seamlessly convert AFP-based output to
PDF-based
files. By
converting AFP to PDF, AFPxPDF
can make your host-based data available to be posted on the Internet,
generated
from web-based applications, viewable by browsers, such as Windows
Internet
Explorer, Firefox, Adobe Acrobat® Reader, and printable just about
anywhere. AFPxPDF
can help turn your
information into a richer end-user experience.
For example,
PDF overlays can be
used to create the look of pre-printed forms (with objects such as
watermarks
and color graphics). AFPxPDF
is
secure. With
integrated encryption
capability, which leverages the strength of z/OS and System z
cryptography
technology, you can be confident in sending your valuable data.
IBM Print Transform from AFP to PCL for
Infoprint Server for z/OS (AFPxPCL,
5655-TF2) can dynamically and seamlessly convert AFP-based output to
PCL-based
output. By
converting AFP to PCL,
AFPxPCl can make your host-based data available to be printed just
about
anywhere on enterprise, network, or home PCL-based printers. AFPxPCL is dynamic and
seamless. It can
map standard AFP fonts to standard PCL
fonts without the need to re-write your host applications. Also, AFP
forms can
be converted to PCL macros and embedded in the print file(Ron, pls
verify forms
conversion). And
not just fonts and
forms, AFPxPCL can also incorporate select barcodes, images, graphics,
line
data, and more.
IBM Print Transform from AFP to
PostScript for Infoprint Server for z/OS (AFPxPS,
5655-TF3) can dynamically and seamlessly convert AFP-based output to
PostScript-based files. By
converting
AFP to PostScript, AFPxPS can make your host-based data available to be
printed
just about anywhere on enterprise, network, or home PostScript-based
printers. AFPxPS is
dynamic and
seamless. It can
map standard AFP forms
to PostScript output without the need to re-write your host
applications. And
not forms, AFPxPS can also incorporate
select barcodes, images, graphics, text, line data, and more.
IBM Infoprint Coaxial Printer Support V2.1
for z/OS (5655-N62) provides
support for printing to coaxial printers with Infoprint Server.
Infoprint Transform Manager for Linux
(5639-P51) permits remote data
transformation of the following file formats to AFP on an Intel Linux
platform:
- Adobe Portable Document Format
(PDF) 1.5
- Adobe
PostScript Language Level 3
- HP
Printer Control Language (PCL) 6
- Graphics
interchange format (GIF)
- Joint
Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) file information format (JFIF)
- Tagged
image file format (TIFF)
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