AS400 TCPIP & IPDS Printing » as400 file types

AS400 to PDF Conversion

admin — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:29:45 +0000

AS400 to PDF – RPM converts AS400 SCS spool files into PDF format and simple HTML for easy archiving (AS400 print history or a print log) for easy archiving, viewing, and distribution. Once the AS400 spool file is created to PDF, RPM can email or print the document to PDF compatible printer.

RPM converts *SCS, *USERASCII, and *LINE into formats such as PDF and HTML, or printer-ready PCL 5e.

Benefits to using RPM for AS400 to PDF Conversion

RPM saves money in paper and AS400 printer costs.
Automatically create an AS400 print file archive.
Send AS400 PDF files via email.
Use your desktop printers to print the converted PDF files.
Save money and resources with converting AS400 files into PDF.
Have a complete record of all AS400 print files at the end of the day.

RPM supports AS400 text printing features including fonts, margins, line wrap and orientation. RPM can pass AS400 spool files
directly to a printer without modification, open it in another Windows application, or save the file to disk in plain text, PDF, or HTML format.

COR (Character Output Reduction) can be applied to the PDF conversion. Automatically formats the document to landscape or portrait orientation. Eliminating multiple queues or user intervention

What file type does the AS400 support

admin — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:50:49 +0000

What file type does the AS400 support? Spool files native the iSeries are SCS, AFPDS, IPDS, LINE, and USERASCII. SCS are the standard text documents and there is a constant battle trying to receive SCS documents on the Windows side of the network.

Preserving the SCS formatting coming off the iSeries is a concern for many IT managers utilizing the AS400. Most print servers, especially hardware print servers, do not keep SCS codes if the No Line Formatting option is selected for 3270 print sessions. Once this happens, the print job will not render as desired, completely ignoring the SCS formatting instructions. RPM print server allows you to preserve all SCS formatting instructions, while at the same time bringing your spool file into the Windows world.

AFPDS & IPDS contain graphics, AFP Fonts, Barcodes, and text are also native to the iSeries printing arena. All can be modified and moved into the Windows world for manipulation or distribution.

LINE is FCB data and USERASCII is PC ASCII text data.

Affordable AS400 to Windows Printing

The Brooks Remote Print Manager can receive the SCS data and convert the EBCDIC characters to ASCII characters and convert “ALL” the SCS formatting instructions to the appropriate PC printer commands.

The Brooks ExcelliPrint can receive the AFPDS & IPDS data and convert to PC formats as PDF, PCL, EMF, GDI, TIFF, & GIF. These formats can be archived and sent to a Windows printer. You can get away from buying and maintaining expensive IPDS capable printers with ExcelliPrint software.

AS400 Printing Tips

admin — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:04:30 +0000

The AS/400 has many printing restrictions. Such restrictions may affect the way your print jobs come out on a network or PC attached printer.

When printing from the AS/400 through RPM AS400 Print Manager (Print Server) or ExcelliPrint IPDS Printing Software, many new AS/400 (iSeries® System i5) printing features are opened.

Formatting Text and Spool Files | Page Range Printing | Connectivity – Dynamic IP Printing | AS400 Printing Speed | AS400 Data Capture

Format AS400 printed text / finishing functions

When printing to the PC network printer from the AS/400 using the Hot Print Transform, the font is too compressed.

RPM can be configured to scale the font.
This will fill the page correctly for any paper size, including custom paper sizes.
RPM will remove any embedded PCL formatting commands and any characters below the decimal 31, which are not printable.

To place characters on a pre-printed form in the exact position, such as on a medical form. The data is in excess of 60 lines per page and the excess print on the top of the next page.

RPM can be configured to use a True Type font to scale the font appropriately for CPI (characters per inch) and LPI (lines per inch).
Several fixed width fonts have been tried without success. Custom paper sizes and margins can be configured as well.

The report is 198 characters per line. The printer is truncating everything past 132 characters.

Wrapping the lines is not the solution. The data must fit on a cut sheet paper size (8.5×11).
RPM can be configured to scale the font to fit the paper size.
This will be placed between the configurable margins and the configurable page orientation (printable area).
The data can be printed in portrait or landscape.

Purchased a new copier that supports hole punch, watermarks, stapling, duplexing, overlay and various other page finishing functions. How can these finishing functions be applied to the spool file?

The AS/400′s printer emulation does not support many of these functions.
MFC device supports various finishing functions that can be used.
RPM can be configured to apply these print driver finishing functions to the spool file.
Individual RPM queues can be configured to apply
different finishing options for specific jobs.
The default Windows print driver settings are not affected, therefore the Windows print jobs will not be affected.

AS400 page range printing to Windows

The AS/400 remote OUTQ does not support page range printing as standard OUTQ’s.

The remote OUTQ uses the LPR/LPD protocol which is a “file” printing protocol not a “page” printing protocol.
Use an RPM to configure appropriately for the formatting.
Hold the RPM queue, send the print request, set the AS400 page range printing within RPM for the job, and unhold the job.
IBM supports a work around also, the program is called “TSPRWPR “and details can be found on the IBM web site.

iSeries connectivity and AS400 network printing

How to set up a CL program in the AS/400 so one can print to a queue with a Dynamic IP address.

Our current clients have provided us with this CL Program. We are providing it for your consideration. This program does the following:

Prompts the user for the name of the OUTQ (printer) they want to use
Automatically obtains their IP Address.
Notifies the user that the OUTQ’s IP address is being updated.
Updates the OUTQ they provided with their IP address.
Prompts them to update another OUTQ.

This CL program may be used and modified for your needs.

AS400 printing speed to a network or local printer

When printing to the PC networked printer, the job takes a long time to print and the AS/400 processor take a fair hit on larger jobs (100 pages or more).

The AS/400 is converting the spool file to PC printer language using the appropriate Host Print Transform settings.
The Host Print Transform is very resource intensive and the resulting data is much larger than the original spool file. In fact, the connection can be lost to the printer on larger spool files while the Host Print Transform is be completed, which may start the process over.
RPM supports an SCS to ASCII conversion.
RPM will convert the EBCDIC characters to ASCII characters and the SCS formatting instructions to appropriate PC formatting instructions.
This will preserve the SCS formatting instructions including italic characters, bolding, and underlines.
The data can then be formatted to the specific Windows printer. This can be done by using the Windows printer driver to apply any available finishing functions.
In bench tests, RPM accomplishes the transform in a tenth of the time. The larger the spool file, the better the results. Less bandwidth is used to transfer the spool file, also.

The spool file does not complete printing job/complete multiple pages.

This is generally a protocol issue. RPM supports the LPR/LPD protocol.
The LPR/LPD protocol is a “file” printing protocol vs. a “page” printing protocol.
The integrity is much better than that of other protocols available. If the file is not transferred, the file is sent again.
Other protocols verify if a page has printed, this does “not” mean there is any data on the page.

AS400 print to file and archiving spool files

To capture the AS/400 spool file to PC folder. You will only need the text, not the embedded PC printer commands from the Host Print Transform. You will also need to call a Windows forms generator to apply a form to send to a printer.

RPM supports a filter action that can receive the incoming spool file, remove the printer commands, and writes to disk, that the system can access.
RPM supports various file naming conventions which includes any information passed in the control file that was sent from the AS/400.
The user name, host, banner, class, job, title, source, RPM queue name, date, time, and job sequence number are available.

To apply a form created by a Windows forms application to the spool file and then send job to PC printer.

RPM supports a “Command Line Interface” to start additional software (forms, applications, etc.).
RPM receives the spool file, starts the application, and passes the spool file to the current application.
The application then applies the form and sends the job to the printer.
Many requirements can be met RPM.

To capture spool file and save as PDF file with an applicable file name for future reference and emailing.

If the data is pure text or text with embedded pcl, an RPM, with various virtual PDF printers will render the data to PDF file.
OctoPDF, Adobe PDF, PDFCreator have been used successfully to obtain data. OctoPDF and PDFCreator offer various file naming conventions.
RPM can also be used to write the incoming data that will be submitted to a “watch” folder, for third party application rendering as Report to Web, etc…

RPM and AS400 FAQs

admin — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 19:44:00 +0000

Below you will find Brooks’ AS/400 FAQs. RPM Remote Print Manager is widely used within the IMB community (iSeries, zSeries, System i5, OS400), and has been deployed to many companies needing a better AS/400 printing solution.

We have created this set of AS/400 FAQs from the various support calls we have received from AS/400 specialists and IT managers. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our tech support.

Article