Navigation:  Overview > What is IPDS ?

IPDS (Intelligent Printer Data Stream) is a host-to-printer data stream for AFP (Advanced Function Presentation) subsystems, which provides an attachment-independent interface for controlling and managing APA (all-points-addressable ) printers that allows the presentation of pages containing an architecturally unlimited mixture of different data types, such as text, image, graphics, bar code, and object container.

 

The IPDS architecture, widely used by a variety of IBM, InfoPrint, and OEM print servers that drive APA page printers at medium and high end, allows for both spooled data and print job management to flow bidirectionally between the print server (or print driver) and the Printer Controller.

 

Print job management controls can be printer resolution, media jam, storage usage, duplexing capabilities, paper tray capabilities, Pre-processor, and post-processor exceptions.

 

Basic elements in spooled data are positioning information for locating objects within the page, text, images, graphics, bar code, fonts, inline forms, electronic overlays.

 

IPDS data streams, mainly binary encoded commands and parameters, are purely used to carry print information and data above the network transport layer (typically TCP/IP or SNA) and the supporting hardware LAN's, FC (Fiber Channels) as well  as network controllers.

 

IPDS carries data and instructions from the print server to the printer in structured fields. The printer controller processes these IPDS commands and returns acknowledgment back to the print server.