Re: PDF417 BARCODE keyword and carriage return

I'm going to answer my own post and say I have successfully printed a 2D
barcode (PDF417) to a standard printer using HPT (Host Print Transform).  I
used the method described below.  I had to write an exit program for
Infoprint so that an Override could be done to QSYSPRT so that the
resulting PDF spool file had the correct attributes for the Transform
manager to correctly rotate the image.

I realize this is a big round-about way of doing things, and I don't know
if IBM will support you in this endeavor given that they told me it
wouldn't work.  Preferable, HPT will be modified to transform 2D barcodes.
It appears, from my testing, that the method exists on the 400 to transform
a 2D barcode into an image via Infoprint Server's PDF subsystem. HPT will
just have to connect the dots someday.



----- Message from darren@xxxxxxxxx on Mon, 24 May 2004 08:32:15 -0500
-----
                                                                           
        To: "midrange-l " <midrange-l@xxxxxxxxxxxx>                        
                                                                           
   Subject: Re: PDF417 BARCODE keyword and carriage return                 
                                                                           





I am 'sort of' able to print PDF417 barcode to a regular PCL printer.  It
involves using Infoprint's PDF subsystem Spool-to-PDF capabilities to
generate a PDF
spool file.  Then I use Infoprint's Transform manager to convert this PDF
to an AFPDS spool file (using Infoprint's respool function).  Then I
release that AFPDS spool file to the printer.

Somewhere along the way the PDF417 barcode is converted to a bitmapped
image.  That makes Host Print Transform's lack of support for these
barcodes irrelevant.

My only remaining issue is that the final image is usually rotated from the
original.  I believe it has to do with PDF spool file being created using
QSYSPRT's attributes, rather than the original spool file's attributes.  My
next step will be to create an exit program that can hopefully override
QSYSPRT for the Infoprint printer job.  I have my doubts, but who knows, I
may get lucky.