Introduction > Overview > What is IPDS Emulation

Your enterprise might probably manage its business with legacy mainframe and midrange computer systems. You can also take advantage of distributing printing for workgroups without adding costly IPDS / AFP (Advanced Function Printing) compatible printers or replacing software applications.

An example of IPDS emulation is software IPDS simulation, that is to use a software package without additional investment on hardware to turn your existing laser printers or multi-function printer (MFP) devices into IPDS printers easily and reliably. The IPDS Print Server software emulates your existing or new printers as IPDS printers in the way they process AFP files and IPDS spooled files and print jobs sent directly from your IBM AS400 - iSeries or Mainframe - zSeries hosts.

IPDS Print Server and Virtual IPDS Printer are two software products that enable laser printers or multi-function printer (MFP) devices to print AFP files, IPDS spooled files, AFP/IPDS print jobs over an Ethernet LAN. This winning combination provides high level AFP/IPDS printing from an IBM AS400 and Mainframe system.

There might be hardware IPDS emulation solutions out there such as the DIMM Card Solution, however, it requires you to invest heavily on the DIMM card to be inserted into your printer's DIMM slot. The disadvantages of IPDS DIMMs can be,

- Expensive, non-scalable, and very limited

- A specific DIMM card must be purchased for each type or brand of printer

- DIMMs require an additional firewall configuration that could possibly increase your security risks

- A DIMM does not have the capability to archive print jobs to AFP or PDF files

IPDS Print Server and Virtual IPDS Printer software do not care the type of brand of printers that you are using, and support variety of non-IPDS printers from companies like IBM, HP, Lexmark, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Kodak, Ricoh, Sharp, Xerox, Konica, Kyocera-Mita, and InfoPrint.