What Infoprint Server can do for you

Infoprint Server is an optional feature of z/OS that uses z/OS UNIX System Services. This feature is the basis for a total print serving solution for the z/OS environment. It lets you consolidate your print workload from many servers onto a central z/OS print server.

Infoprint Server delivers improved efficiency and lower overall printing cost with the flexibility for high-volume, high-speed printing from anywhere in the network. With Infoprint Server, you can reduce the overall cost of printing while improving manageability, data retrievability, and usability.

Some highlights of Infoprint Server are:

• IP PrintWay™

  Provides fast access to TCP/IP-connected printers and to Virtual Telecommunications Access Method (VTAM®)-controlled printers.

• NetSpool

  Automatically directs VTAM application data to the job entry subsystem (JES) spool without requiring application changes.

• Print Interface

  Receives print requests from clients that run on remote systems, such as Windows and UNIX systems, and directs data to the JES spool. Accepts data in various formats, including: Advanced Function Presentation (AFP), plain text, Printer Control Language (PCL), Portable Document Format (PDF), and PostScript formats. Also provides commands that let you print from z/OS UNIX System Services.

• Infoprint Central

  Lets help desk operators and other authorized users or job submitters work with print jobs, printers, and NetSpool logical units (LUs); display printer definitions; and check system status. Infoprint Central is a web-based print management system.

In addition, Infoprint Server works with separately priced transform products from IBM® and Ricoh. Infoprint Server can automatically transform data streams from one format to another before the data is printed or sent to an email destination. For example, you can use the PDF to AFP transform to convert documents in PDF format to AFP format.

Administrators can set up the transforms to automatically transform documents before they are printed. Users can also use the z/OS UNIX command line to transform documents, which can then be saved in the converted format and later printed or sent to other users.

These topics discusses how printing requirements are changing. They explain why print consolidation with z/OS is the best way to handle printing, describe how Infoprint Server supports printing in the z/OS environment, and explain how Infoprint Server can benefit you.