Re: Create an Overlay from a PDF

Thanks Eric, it's my italian English... I try to explaine better.

We generate spools with Overlay the schema is:

Page1: OverlayA, some text, boxes, lines and so on
Page2/3/4: OverlayB, some text, boxes, lines and so on
Page5: OverlayA, some text, boxes, lines and so on
Page6/7/8/9: OverlayB, some text, boxes, lines and so on

When the spool is complete we convert it in PDF using a virtual printer
(Inforpint Server). The size is usually the sum of OverlayA, OverlayB and
few KB of text. So if OverlayA is 1,2Mb, OverlayB 670Kb the resulting PDF
will be less than 2Mb.

The problem using AFPRSC (with a single page PDF) instead of Overlays is
that the PDF's size will be 7,2 Mb (=1200*2+670*7). When the spool is
small, few pages, it's not a problem but our customers average spools are >
70k pages so the resulting PDF instead of 300/400 Mb became 12/15 Gb.

IBM lab's told me that is working as designed and if I don't like it the
only way is submitting a Design Change Request. And, maybe, in the next 3
or 4 years will be fixed, of course if IBM grants the budget to do it.

Actually overlays generation is complicated:

1 - If already present delete the old one
2 - Print the PDF using IBM Afp printer driver to generate the intermediate
object
3 - Import the intermediate object using System i Navigator

Our customers refuse this type of procedure, beside that the users should
have access to production libraries, have the AFP driver and Iseries i
Navigator installed on their Pc.

This is the reason why I'm looking for a tool to convert (automatically
under the covers) a single page PDF into an Overlay.

TIA


--
Marco Facchinetti

Mr S.r.l.

Tel. 035 962885
Cel. 393 9620498

Skype: facchinettimarco


2013/12/2 DeLong, Eric <EDeLong@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

I am notably NOT a printer output expert, but I am totally stumped why you
would need to convert a PDF into an overlay. This seems like a complete
waste of time and effort... A PDF is a composite document, which would
already imbed any page segments and overlays referenced during its creation.

You mention about document size, I suppose in relation to the imbedded
graphical overlays, but with PDF, there's no such concept as caching of
page segments and overlay resources. IPDS handles that on behalf of the
HPT engine, but a similar caching concept for PDFs is foreign to the PDF
document specification. PDF is intended to be completely self contained,
an so all resources used in the production of output is encapsulated into
the PDF document.

-Eric DeLong

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Marco Facchinetti
Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2013 12:59 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Create an Overlay from a PDF

Hi all,

we have implemented the use of AFPRSC in DDS defined printer files using
single page PDF (object type *PDFSPO) and it's working, the PDF is nicely
rendered in the print out. The problem is that Afprsc behaves differently
from overlay when the spool is transofrmed in PDF using Infoprint Server.
Overlay is included by reference, AFPRSC by value. The effect is in PDF's
size: it's increased from 300 Mb to 12/15 Gb.

As usual IBM labs told "works as designed".

Since the procedure of converting PC docs using AFP driver and System I
Navigator is not user friendly (the main reason we implemented AFPRSC was
to avoid it) now I'm looking for something to automate the conversion from
PDF to Overlay.

TIA
--
Marco Facchinetti

Mr S.r.l.

Tel. 035 962885
Cel. 393 9620498

Skype: facchinettimarco
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