Plan printing

The iSeries™ servers offer a wide range of printing solutions, ranging from high-function IPDS™ printers supporting bar-codes and complex document formatting on high performance printers, to simple document printing using a directly attached printer. Clearly understanding your organizations requirements, the type of printed output you need, and knowing the capabilities of the hardware you currently have or intend to purchase, are all critical components of configuring an iSeries printing solution. After you have determined your requirements, you should decide whether you will use IPDS or host print transform to convert and send print data. Generally, IPDS (usually used with PSF) offers higher performance and additional functions, but at a higher price. Refer to the following resources for more information about determining what type of printing solution will best meet your business needs.

Printer attachment methods
This topic describes some of the common printer attachment methods.

Printing Solutions for iSeries Link outside Information Center
(www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/as400overview)
Use this IBM® Web site to help identify which printing solution best meets your needs.

IBM printer selector Link outside Information Center
(www.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/Web/pselect)
This Web-based tool from ibm.com® can help you select the best printing hardware for your requirements.

Support for Various ASCII Printers Link outside Information Center
One of the most common causes of problems in a printing environment is hardware compatibility. Refer to this IBM Knowledge Base document (search for the document title at www.ibm.com/support/) to find out which printers will support the print protocols you require.