S550-0435-04

CHARS

CHARS

Specifies the member name of the FOCA coded font that you want to use to print a data set. Coded fonts that can be used with the CHARS parameter are supplied with the IBM® AFP Font Collection and the z/OS® Font Collection. For details about the available fonts and the naming conventions, see IBM AFP Fonts: Font Summary for AFP Font Collection, S544-5633 or z/OS Font Collection.

Note:
You cannot specify TrueType and OpenType fonts with this parameter. Instead, use USERPATH. See TrueType and OpenType fonts for information about referencing TrueType and OpenType fonts.

Specify the CHARS parameter either in a DD statement or in an OUTPUT statement, as follows:

CHARS=(fontname1[,fontname2][,fontname3][,fontname4])
The value is:
fontname
Specifies the one to four alphanumeric character name of a FOCA coded font (in a font library). When you use CHARS to specify the member name, do not include the two-character prefix of the coded-font name (X0 through XG).

Remember this when you specify fonts with CHARS:

  • If PSF uses a default page definition that names a font, and that page definition is specified as the JES default FCB for your printer, you cannot use the CHARS parameter to override fonts specified in that page definition. See Specifying and selecting fonts for the order in which PSF selects fonts.
  • If you specify more than one font with the JCL CHARS parameter, you must use the TRC parameter to tell PSF which font to use for each line of data.
  • The fonts you specify must reside in a library assigned to the printer you are using or in a user library specified with the JCL USERLIB parameter, or else they must be inline with the print data set.
  • Raster versions of the outline fonts are used unless the system programmer specifies the Map to outline fonts parameter in the Printer Inventory, the MAP2OLN parameter in the PRINTDEV statement, or XTP7MTOF in PSF Exit 7, and the font name conforms to the CHARS naming convention. Generally, specify raster fonts in the CHARS parameter.
  • You can use a CHARS parameter in jobs printed on 3800 line printers, without changing your JCL.

See Specifying and selecting fonts for examples of using the CHARS parameter.