IPDS & Overlays

[Guest.Visitor]

Here's my dilema. I have a customer that refuses to get AFP for their 400 yet they want to print a signature on each AP and payroll check. The printer is an InfoPrint 40 with *IPDS which has been configured and is working just fine. How do I go about getting a signature to print? Do I use an overlay or is there an better solution? If I need to use the overlay ... How!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[David Abramowitz]

I believe that you can define your PRTF as type AFPDS without defining the printer as AFP. Failing that, try to change the DEVD of the printer type to AFP. (or is it APF?) Dave

[Guest.Visitor]

Look into creating a page segment that has the signature image. Use that in your DDS. HTH

[Guest.Visitor]

Here is what I am being told by the IBM Printing Systems folks. If you want to print an overlay directly from your AS/400, a signature in this case, to a TCP/IP attached printer you must have PSF/400 installed on your AS/400. Here are the steps as explained to me: 1) Download the AFP print driver from the printing systems web site. 2) Install on your PC 3) Print your "overlay" using this driver to a file. 4) Create a temp physical file with a record length of 8501 LVLCHK(*NO) 5) Upload the printed file to the AS/400 file created above. 6) Use the CRTOVL command and create the overlay 7) Change your PRTF definition to use this overlay (front or back side) A couple of other things to keep in mind: You need IPDS on the printer Your DEVD must use *AFPDS It took me 15 minutes to create and store the overlay on the printer and have all of my PC's be able to use it ... 3.5 days and a lot of phone calls to get the AS/400 side working. Is it just my imagination or does it really need to be this difficult?

[trevor.lazarus@ssa.gov]

Is it just my imagination or does it really need to be this difficult? no it doesn't but the alternative is rather clunky. There is a utility (probably part of AFP utilities) that you can use to design overlays. We started using it back in .. '94 I think and we're pretty proficient with it. The bad think about it is that its designing a graphical output using a character based editor. The initial command is STRAFPU and then select the option to design overlay. (I'm not at the 400 so I can't check) This utility creates an object of type *OVL that you link to your print files. Trevor