PSF/AIX or PSF/2: Converting encapsulated postscript into AFP
ITEM: RTA000090235
Q:
ABSTRACT: Converting encapsulated postscript into AFP on PSF/6000.
SEARCH ARG: encapsulated postscript
TOPIC THREAD: PRINT
AFP
PSF6000
..
Customer's business is producing targeted mailings which merge a
database file with a letter file to produce the mailing. They are
currently outsourcing this to a Xerox service bureau, but are looking
to bring it in-house.
The letter file is encapsulated postscript (EPS) that is converted
into an image (.IMG) at the printer. The database file is ASCII
that can either be delimited or fixed space.
1) How can I get an EPS file into something I can print under AFP?
In looking at other items, it appears I could convert it with
PS2PSEG into a page segment, imbed it in an overlay, and then
print. Is there any less cumbersome method? Also, what does
that full page page segment do to performance? We are looking
at AFCCU printers.
2) I think PSF/6000 is the right platform for this because of
PPFA/6000 and the (I guess) faster transform speeds. What do
you think? Is the Pentium version of PSF/2 capable of keeping
up with an RS/6000? Plus, if I were to try PSF/2, I don't have
the pagedef capability necessary to do the merge with the database
file, right?
A:
I spoke to the developer, and the PostScript transform within PSF/6000
or PSF/2 can transform EPS to AFP with a couple of considerations:
1) As a rule, EPS files may or may not contain a PostScript operator
called "showpage". For our PostScript transform to be able to transform
an EPS, it must contain the showpage operator.
2) According the Adobe Document Structuring Conventions (DSC), in EPS
there is usually a statement that begins with %%BoundingBox. Because an
EPS is generally intended to be imbedded and placed as an object within
a PostScript document, the BoundingBox statement may by itself imply
imaging off the page. Some adjustment to the origin may be necessary
to ensure the EPS image is placed within the dimensions of the paper.
3) From one of the internal POSTSCRI FORUMs:
"There is a class of EPS file that is device-specific. Such files
contain a device-independent EPS file wrapped by a binary header
and, possibly, trailer. They can be recognized by the first four
characters: x'C5D0D3C6'. Unfortunately the extension used for such
files is usually the same, namely, EPS. Therefore one has to look
at the beginning of the file to know which kind of EPS it is.
The EPI2EPS PACKAGE on OS2TOOLS can be used to extract the device-
independent portion of a device-specific EPS."
The PostScript transform does allow you to specify the size of image
block you want to create. Also, the PostScript transform will create
an image block just large enough to contain all the black pels. It can
create compressed or uncompressed image; since you're talking about
an AFCCU printer, you would go with compressed image for improved
performance. If you would like specific performance information, I
would refer you to the PSF6PERF PACKAGE on the PENNCONF disk.
Instructions for retrieving that file (by REQUEST only) are contained
in the PSF6PERF PACKAGE on the PRINTERS disk.
R2) PSF/6000 is generally a more scalable solution than PSF/2 because
of the range of power of the RS/6000 product line. I think we'd want
to know more about your particular configuration before we recommended
one over the other for sure. For example, you say AFCCU, but you didn't
mention which AFCCU printer or what speed. That will make a difference,
as will the complexity of the PostScript data (is it text or graphics?),
and the connection.
You're correct. PSF/2 does not itself have pagedef capability, but there
are business partner products that can work with PSF/2 to add that
function, including PageExec by ISIS and AFPTurbo (Group 1, formerly
Archetype).
I hope that helps.
Q:
FYI UPDATE:
I have talked to Carrera Publishing about using ISIS for this
application. I want to run their proposal by you. They said ISIS
can take either .EPS or .TIF files and, via drag and drop, convert
them to a PSEG, which could then be imbedded in an overlay.
Then, using the AFPDesigner, a pagedef can be created to map the
ASCII database file onto the overlay. Once compiled, the whole
thing could be sent to print via PSF/2. (I am now leaning toward
PSF/2 because everything, including ISIS, could reside on one
machine. Plus, customer would not have to learn PPFA/6000 or AIX.)
What do you think? The printers we are considering are 3160s.
A:
Carrera's proposal is certainly plausible. I would recommend you pursue
one other option: Find out what the customer is using to create the
letter file in EPS format. If it is a Windows or OS/2 application, then
they would simply use the AFP Driver to create the letter file as an
overlay. (This would create the most efficient form of the overlay vs
converting EPS to PostScript.) The AFP Drivers are supplied with PSF/2,
PSF/AIX, and are also available for download from the PSC web site.
The ISIS PageExec product, which is what provides pagedef support for
ASCII data, is a very nice fit with PSF/2. You did not say how many
3160s, but one PSF/2 on a PC with a fast processor, ie 100Mhz, can
easily drive 3 (possibly 4) 3160s since you will be feeding it AFPDS.
Just make sure the hardware is configured properly if you do not use a
PSF2PAC. Review "Facts about PSF/2" G544-3899-02 on PENPUBS for details
about determining hard drive and RAM requirements. Also, the preferred
attachment for any AFCCU printer is to the LAN, vs channel via the
S/370 Channel Emulator/A card; this is for performance and cost reasons.
I also have one more idea given that this is a targeted mailing
application. Group 1 Software has a product called Doc/1 (formerly
DBLinks) designed specifically for this type of application. It
produces AFPDS, so either PSF/2 (or PSF/6000) would easily drive the
3160s.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
S e a r c h - k e y w o r d s:
AIX PSF/6000 PSF FOR AIX POSTSCRIPT EPS PERFORMANCE PAGEDEF psf/2
carrera isis transform ps2afp ps2afpd showpage
WWQA: ITEM: RTA000090235 ITEM: RTA000090235
Dated: 07/1999 Category: XPSF6000
This HTML file was generated 2000/11/30~13:34:04
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