Datamax Announces IPDS Printing Solution For IBM Systems
Datamax Corporation, a manufacturer of RFID thermal label printers and provider of advanced enterprise label printing solutions, announced that Intermate A/S of Denmark has added support for Datamax thermal label printers to its IPDS client software. Intermate A/S is the latest company to be added to the Datamax Software Resource Directory (DSRD).
"Intermate provides a valuable product that we believe our channel partners will find to be most helpful to those that are serving the IBM community. The Intermate IPDS Client is an excellent means by which Datamax printers can be used in an IBM environment which requires label printing using the IBM AFP/IPDS format," said Steve Horrocks, Software Alliances and Integration Services for Datamax.
The Background: Advanced Function Printing (AFP) is a way to describe complex documents on IBM mainframe and midrange servers, and the AFP format is converted to a print language by the operating system on the computer. Additionally, the print language used by IBM mainframes and midrange servers for complex print jobs is called "Intelligent Printer Data Stream" (IPDS).
The Problem: The IBM mainframe and midrange servers' computer operating systems are difficult to modify. IBM also does not supply printer drivers for other manufacturers' printers. So printer manufacturers, such as Datamax, who want to supply printers for use on IBM mainframe and midrange servers using AFP, have to emulate ("pretend to be") an IPDS capable printer in order to have their printer work correctly in this special host environment.
The Solution: The Intermate IPDS Client runs as a background application on an ordinary Windows PC where it receives IPDS print jobs over TCP/IP from a mainframe (zSeries) or AS/400 (iSeries) host. The Intermate IPDS Client utilizes the Datamax Windows print drivers and exploits the Windows print management system, in order to redirect the output to a local or LAN attached Datamax printer. With the Intermate IPDS Client, the Datamax printer can now be an IPDS capable printer.
David Too, Vice President of Intermate, agrees that "The IPDS Client software provides Datamax partners with a powerful solution with which to pursue new printer business within the IBM user community. Datamax partners no longer have to turn away IPDS printing opportunities, but now have a chance to capture a very important market segment in the printing world."
Intermate's core competence is the development and integration of software components in closed as well as open systems in the fields of IT connectivity and network communication. Intermate printing solutions support communication between printer and host in IBM legacy networks and IP networks as well as office PC networks, based on many different protocols, methods and emulations.
Datamax, a subsidiary of Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV), specializes in the design, manufacture, and marketing of products for bar code and RFID labeling, including thermal demand printers, label, ticket and tag materials, and thermal transfer ribbons. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Datamax has representative offices throughout the United States and in Singapore, China, and the United Kingdom, as well as label converting and preprinting facilities in Robinson, Illinois. Datamax markets its products exclusively through a network of resellers in more than 65 countries worldwide.