Generating blueprints with shop packets

Hello all,

I once again find myself in need of support from the learned members of
this august body. (Oops, been watching CSPAN again!) Seriously, I would
like to have my MAPICS shop packets also print a copy of the blueprints
automatically. We are on XA/R6 (sigh), using EPDM. I know there's an
attachment file for each item that I can use to load the file names of the
blueprints, plus the obvious Engineering Drawing Number in the ITMRVA
record. We'd have to use the attachment file, since we frequently have
multiple prints for each item.

Surely someone out there has done this already - it's far too obvious. I
have wanted to try this for a long time, but until recently we used a
stone-age (1994) DOS-based CAD package and there would be no chance of the
i5 printing THAT! If anyone is doing this, I would greatly appreciate any
suggestions as to how it was done. I was thinking of changing the shop
packet print program (we had to customize ours to conform to union contract
requirements, so I already own that code), to close the print file at the
end of each order, call a print command for the blueprint(s) for the end
item (we use AutoDesk/Inventor), then go to the next order and reopen the
print file. That will create a gazillion and two print files during MRP
Order Release and slow down the processing, but I can deal with that.

Help?

Dale Gindlesperger
IT Manager/Special Projects Leader
Fleetwood Folding Trailers, Inc.
258 Beacon Street
Somerset, PA 15501