Despite the advent of reliable electronic communications, there is
still a place for good old hard copy. What are the latest
developments in printing for the iSeries?
IBM's iSeries-AS/400 is to be found in 98 per cent of Fortune-100
and 85 per cent of Fortune-500 companies, in over 150 countries.
It's always had a strong core print architecture, but this was
expanded in early summer 2001 with the V5R1 operating system
release with new composition features and output delivery options.
Significant changes were introduced to printing and "e-output"
capabilities.
AS/400-iSeries product marketing manager Ian Jarman emphasised the
focus is e-output. "The term e-output refers to the ability to
create information output and deliver it to the required
destination in the format desired. Where business processes are
typically printed, then distributed information in hard copy,
e-business processes quite frequently call for information to be
delivered electronically," says Jarman.
IBM Printing Solutions, senior IT specialist Simon Hodkin says:
"Aside from OS/400 V5R1's release, the latest developments comprise
PSF/400, Infoprint server for iSeries and Infoprint designer for
iSeries, plus such hardware innovations as Infoprint 1000 family of
distributed workgroup printers, Infoprint 2000 high-end 1,100
page/in production cut-sheet printer, Infoprint 70 mid range
production cut-sheet printer and IBM 4400 thermal printer, for
labels/barcodes."
PSF/400 (print services facility) is a feature of OS/400 and
provides AFP (advanced function presentation) system management and
IPDS (intelligent print data stream) print management. While any
(preferably IPDS) printer can link to iSeries it's usually IBM,
Lexmark or Hewlett-Packard.
"Basically, PSF/400 is the AS/400 print driver for IPDS printers,"
says Hodkin. "Infoprint server is a package of document transforms
including any iSeries output to PDF files, while Infoprint designer
is a low-cost graphical user interface document design solution,
which runs on Windows and is fully integrated with the AS/400."
However FormScape product marketing manager EMEA Jeremy Harpham
says: "V5R1 does offer PDF printing but the same old printing
issues still apply: limited presentation features, and how do you
get customised/personalised output? We can offer AS/400 users
looking to move to document presentation across media types and
even the web, regardless of the host application running on
AS/400."
What's involved in printing remotely and over networks is the
amount of control a user gets compared with traditional twinax -
some printing has less function and control, some printing has
more. This, says Hodkin, depends not on the printer type
(laser/impact) nor on the manufacturer (IBM/other/Lexmark/ HP) but
on the attachment method. Hodkin points to attachment methods for
TCP/IP Lan-attached printers. Basic, limited functionality with
little or no error recovery utilises the LPR/LPD method. Adequate
functionality with some basic printing status and error recovery
utilises the PJL (print job language) or SNMP method. "Best
functionality with printing status and error recovery to the page
level is achieved through the IPDS method."
Enter Harpham. "Integration today with third party presentation
tools such as FormScape is easy, while TCP/IP connectivity is
simple and now routine on every AS/400. This allows you to remove
processing overhead from the AS/400 downstream to cheaper Intel
boxes within the network. This further opens up the world of
internet based document viewing and delivery, say, by using our
DocsOnline product."
Form handling on the AS/400 is essentially a three-way choice.
Hodkin elaborates. AS/400-centric is where forms are designed
either on the 400 or on a PC client, but forms are stored on the
AS/400 and printed from the AS/400. Windows-centric is where forms
design, formatting, storage and printing are all handled on NT or
2000 - data is moved off the AS/400 for printing. Printer-centric
is where forms are designed on a PC client - forms are downloaded
to a printer hard disk or flash memory, printing is done from the
AS/400 but using embedded escape sequences to trigger the
printer-resident forms.
Harpham however contends form handling is still based around AFPDS,
aka IPDS. "This legacy technology requires specialist programming
skills, giving something else to learn and maintain," says Harpham.
"By using something like FormScape the benefits of true visual
Windows development become obvious. Not only because software
skills are cheaper, but also because presentation changes can be
made instantly, reducing long-term maintenance overheads."
A product from Leicester-based BOS, although PC based, provides
forms design, management and routing of print jobs from multiple
printing environments including Aix/Unix, Linux, mainframes and Dos
as well as iSeries-AS/400. The company's PrintBoss forms design and
management software enables distribution via short message service
(SMS) to SMS-enabled cellular phones, has improved server
robustness, and supports heavy-duty production printers. "PrintBoss
can serve thousands of users and process hundreds of printouts
every minute to most printers," says BOS European marketing manager
Julie Batchelor.
What's IBM doing? "We are continuing to develop integrated print
output solutions, ie hardware, software that works together," says
Hodkin. "New printer technology is reflected in new AS/400 software
technology and features. We are also continuing to develop the
advanced function presentation architecture for printing and
presentation solutions."
Hodkin also indicates how AFP indexing technology can not only
co-exist with but improve the function of Adobe PDF files, another
industry standard document format. This involves the electronic
segmentation and e-mail of large spool files - previously printed,
burst, enveloped and posted - "electronic burst and bind".
E-business invariably produces e-output. Infoprint software has
been designed to help customers deliver the output of e-business.
"If your printing is business critical make sure the printing
solution is as well," urges Hodkin.
Case studies: Whitbread and Hazelwood Prepared
Foods
Whitbread plc is a leading UK food, drink and
leisure company. One of its four divisions - Whitbread Beer Company
- has been responsible for putting billions of pints of beer (eg
Stella Artois and Boddingtons) on bars across the country. There
are three breweries (Manchester, Preston and Magor, Wales) while
distribution depots/offices are scattered countrywide (eg Luton,
Sheffield, Gloucester, etc). Heavily into AS/400-IT, the company
has 2,500 PCs hooked into a Lan and Wan.
Rapid distribution of all documents is key to productivity in this
environment. Hitherto the printing solution comprised IBM and
Memorex impact printers in distribution depots. Systems manager
Nick Metcalfe says, 'For replacements we chose Lexmark who offered
us technology that would meet our printing requirements, plus an
impressive level of technical support.'
After installing Optra printers, Whitbread carried out a study to
quantify its new solution. The objective was to prove a move to
plain cut sheet paper (A4 landscape) and carbonless paper delivery
notes printed on Lexmark kit would be viable and beneficial to
Whitbread and its customers. It was. An added benefit was Whitbread
was able to move picking note reports from traditional 'pyjama'
listing onto A4 cut sheet. Picking errors have now reduced by 50
per cent.
Hazelwood Prepared Foods, one of seven UK category businesses
within Hazelwood Foods, prepares major supermarket chains' own
brand ready meals and quiche. Following the opening of a £15m
quiche bakery at Kiverton near Sheffield and installation of a
central AS/400, IT manager Pete Thompson decided to research the
most cost-effective and efficient methods of handling the new
plant's forms printing and communications requirements internally,
with the company's other category businesses and customers.
'We were using Createprint for forms creation and the manual faxing
of purchase orders and despatch documents,' said Thompson. 'It
worked but was expensive and restrictive. Not only did we have to
use postscript rather than Windows printers, but there was no road
map to future requirements such as creating PDF files for
archiving, or ultimately replacing fax orders and invoicing with
e-mails.'
Key problem was to enable the twinax network-enabled Warrington and
Wisbech sites to link to the AS/400 over TCP/IP using leased lines.
Solution? BOS' business partner iTech Quality Business Solutions of
Nottingham installed PrintBoss v2.31 with fax, e-mail and archive
modules, e-twin@x controllers at Warrington and Wisbech and
subsequently remote dial-in facilities for other divisions and
customers. Internet enquiries are also being enabled.
'As we move to an e-business model, PrintBoss will enable us to
send all invoices, purchase orders and despatch notes by e-mail and
then archive everything as Tiff, JPEG or PDF files,' said Thompson.