using rpg cgi to send a .csv or .rtf file

I have done some RPG CGI to sent html files but I would now like to send
the user a .csv file that will open in Excel or a .rtf file that will
open in Word or a .vcs file that will open in Outlook. Is it possible to
use the same RPG CGI technique to do this (e.g. load a base file from
the IFS and use the CGI commands to replace the variable data and then
send the file like it was HTML) ? Or would I need to save the file back
to the IFS in a directory that the Apache server can serve from and then
do an HTML redirect to get he users browser pointed to that file ? In my
case I want to be able to let a student click on a button on a web page
and then convert the students class schedule into a .vcs file (already
have that code) that will be sent immediately and present the student
with the normal "Open" or "Save" prompt from their browser.