Why AFP?
First and most importantly, what is AFP? I started in this business back in 1984 when AFP was Advanced Function Printing now I would lean towards Presentation. This would be two different ways to define AFP.
Today, printing has come a long way. With the ability to post application data to a Web Site or send it via email, printing can become a new way to present information.
What's advanced about Advanced Function Printing/Presentation?
AFP is the cornerstone for document management applications like print - and-view, archive/retrieve, and COLD (Computer Output to Laser Disk). Today, output can be exported in PDF so that it can be portable for viewing and printing.
Today, printing has come a long way. With the ability to post application data to a Web Site or send it via email, printing can become a new way to present information.
AFP as a software architecture is implemented in the device-independent AFP data stream. AFP as a hardware architecture is implemented in the device-dependent IPDS data stream. Most importantly it is designed for system-managed printing, where all of the managing of the print process is tracked and controlled so that every spooled file prints completely and accurately, every time. Itis implemented in software and hardware products that you can get from IBM and other vendors that take advantage of the AFP benefits.
What's advanced about Advanced Function Printing/Presentation?
The hardware and software architecture is integrated among applications, operating systems, and printers. This means you get a total print solution, where all the pieces are designed to work together.
AFP is integrated into IBM Mainframes and Distributed Systems like the AS/400, where each release is built with printer file and document management, plus print management via PSF on the various platforms.
Error recovery is built in to the IPDS data stream.
This is bidirectional so that software and the printer can have conversations. An IPDS printer knows when it has an error like a paper jam and the printer can tell AFP enabled software about it. The software can then take appropriate action: notify the sender, re-route the print job, etc.
This is bidirectional so that software and the printer can have conversations. An IPDS printer knows when it has an error like a paper jam and the printer can tell AFP enabled software about it. The software can then take appropriate action: notify the sender, re-route the print job, etc.
External document formatting is built in to the AFP data stream. The formatting of a document can be independent of the application that produces it, and the printer that prints it. This means you can get better looking print output without changing the application that produces the print data.
AFP is the cornerstone for document management applications like print - and-view, archive/retrieve, and COLD (Computer Output to Laser Disk). Today, output can be exported in PDF so that it can be portable for viewing and printing.
AFP products embrace industry standards. For example, compressed images use standard ITU -TSS T.6 Group 4 decompression. PSF sends standard data streams like SCS, PostScript, IPDS, line data, and AFP print files, plus GIF and BMP images-- across TCP/IP networks to IPDS printers. Or, AFP documents can be converted and sent to ASCII printers.
To use advanced function printing (AFP) support on any of the IBM System Server, PSF must be installed. However, if the ASCII data stream is converted through various Transform function built into the operating systems or with optional products, you can use the AFP support without having to install the PSF.
Tags:
Print Architecture
Leave a comment