Advanced Function Presentation
Encyclopedia
Advanced Function Presentation (AFP) is a presentation architecture
and family
of associated printer
software and hardware
that provides for document and information presentation independent of specific applications and devices.
Using AFP, users can control formatting, the form of paper output, whether a document is to be printed or viewed online, and manage document storage and access in a distributed network
across multiple operating system
platforms. AFP is primarily used in large enterprise
s for production variable data printing
(VDP).
AFP applications allow users or print room operators to distribute print jobs among a group of printers and to designate backup printers when one fails. AFP is considered to be a "cornerstone" of electronic document management (EDM) applications such as print-and-view, archive and retrieval, and Enterprise Report Management (ERM).
AFP was originally developed as the general purpose document and information presentation architecture of IBM. The first specifications and products go back to 1984. The major concepts of object-driven structures, print integrity, resource management, and support for high print speeds have been preserved ever since.
In October 2004 IBM initiated the formation of the AFP Color Consortium (AFPCC). The purpose was to collaboratively develop color management support in the AFP architecture. This resulted in the creation of the new AFP CMOCA (Color Management Object Content Architecture) specification, which was first published in 2006.
In May 2006 IBM announced plans to open up the complete scope of the AFP architecture to the consortium. This new initiative was finalized in September 2006 and is now called simply the AFP Consortium (AFPC). In June 2007, IBM's role as founding member of the AFPC was transferred to the InfoPrint Solutions Company, the IBM - Ricoh joint venture (InfoPrint Solutions is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Ricoh). In February 2009 the AFPC was incorporated under a new set of bylaws with tiered membership and shared governance resulting in the creation of a formal open standards body called AFP Consortium Inc. Total membership has grown to over 30 companies and includes members from all parts of the document-processing industry. More information on the AFPC can be found on the AFPC website at http://www.afpcinc.org.
The AFP architecture consists of a number of sub-architectures:
Specifications defining all of the AFP sub-architectures can be found on the AFPC website at http://www.afpcinc.org.
AFP also supports other industry-standard data formats using the concept of AFP object containers; examples are TIFF, GIF, JPEG (JFIF), EPS, and PDF. These objects can be mixed as peer objects on an AFP page with native AFP objects such as BCOCA, AFP GOCA, IOCA, and PTOCA objects.
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
of associated printer
Computer printer
In computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...
software and hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
that provides for document and information presentation independent of specific applications and devices.
Using AFP, users can control formatting, the form of paper output, whether a document is to be printed or viewed online, and manage document storage and access in a distributed network
Computer network
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
across multiple operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
platforms. AFP is primarily used in large enterprise
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
s for production variable data printing
Variable Data Printing
Variable-data printing is a form of digital printing, including on-demand printing, in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one printed piece to the next, without stopping or slowing down the printing process and using information from a database or external file...
(VDP).
AFP applications allow users or print room operators to distribute print jobs among a group of printers and to designate backup printers when one fails. AFP is considered to be a "cornerstone" of electronic document management (EDM) applications such as print-and-view, archive and retrieval, and Enterprise Report Management (ERM).
AFP was originally developed as the general purpose document and information presentation architecture of IBM. The first specifications and products go back to 1984. The major concepts of object-driven structures, print integrity, resource management, and support for high print speeds have been preserved ever since.
In October 2004 IBM initiated the formation of the AFP Color Consortium (AFPCC). The purpose was to collaboratively develop color management support in the AFP architecture. This resulted in the creation of the new AFP CMOCA (Color Management Object Content Architecture) specification, which was first published in 2006.
In May 2006 IBM announced plans to open up the complete scope of the AFP architecture to the consortium. This new initiative was finalized in September 2006 and is now called simply the AFP Consortium (AFPC). In June 2007, IBM's role as founding member of the AFPC was transferred to the InfoPrint Solutions Company, the IBM - Ricoh joint venture (InfoPrint Solutions is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Ricoh). In February 2009 the AFPC was incorporated under a new set of bylaws with tiered membership and shared governance resulting in the creation of a formal open standards body called AFP Consortium Inc. Total membership has grown to over 30 companies and includes members from all parts of the document-processing industry. More information on the AFPC can be found on the AFPC website at http://www.afpcinc.org.
The AFP architecture consists of a number of sub-architectures:
- MO:DCA-PMODCAMO:DCA is an IBM compound document format for text and graphics elements in a document. The 'Mixed Object' moniker refers to the fact that a MO:DCA file can contain multiple types of objects, including text, images, vector graphics, and even objects marked as 'barcodes'...
(Mixed Object:Document Content Architecture-Presentation), the Page Description LanguagePage description languageA page description language is a language that describes the appearance of a printed page in a higher level than an actual output bitmap. An overlapping term is printer control language, but it should not be confused as referring solely to Hewlett-Packard's PCL...
file format that describes the text and graphics on a page. The 'Mixed Object' moniker refers to the fact that a MO:DCA file can contain multiple types of objects, including text, images, vector graphics, and even objects marked as 'barcodes'. An application can simply include a string of digits along with controls that identify a specific type of barcode, and the rendering of bars will be done on the output platform (physical printer hardware or software emulation). A MO:DCA file consists of a sequential, ordered hierarchy of independent objects - documents, pages, data objects, and resource objects such as fonts and ICC profiles. Each object is delimited by begin/end structures, and objects to be rendered specify presentation parameters and resource requirements in structures called "environment groups". Since the pages in MO:DCA documents appear in sequential order, presentation can start as soon as the first page is received. The MO:DCA format is comparable to other PDLs that specify distinct pages such as PDF. MO:DCA-P is sometimes called AFPDS (AFP Data Stream).
- IPDSIPDSIntelligent Printer Data Stream is InfoPrint Solution Company's Systems Application Architecture host-to-printer data stream for Advanced Function Presentation subsystems...
Intelligent Printer Data Stream. This is the bi-directionalBi-directionalBi-directional may refer to:* Bi-directional text* Two-way communication* Bi-directional railway signalling* Controls at each end of a tram or railcar...
protocolCommunications protocolA communications protocol is a system of digital message formats and rules for exchanging those messages in or between computing systems and in telecommunications...
used between the host serverServer (computing)In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
and the printer. It is used to send the page-level data to the printer and to signal errors and accounting information back to the server. The IPDS protocol also allows the server to query a printer's available resources (e.g. available memory, fonts, input trays, etc.). It's comparable to protocols like Internet Printing ProtocolInternet Printing ProtocolIn computing, the Internet Printing Protocol provides a standard network protocol for remote printing as well as for managing print jobs, media size, resolution, and so forth....
.
- Bar Code Object Content Architecture (BCOCA), which is used to describe and generate bar codes.
- Color Management Object Content Architecture (CMOCA), which defines resources that carry color management information, such as ICC profiles, tone transfer curves, and halftones.
- Graphics Object Content Architecture for AFP (AFP GOCA), which is used to define and generate vector graphics.
- Image Object Content Architecture (IOCA), which is used to define and generate raster images.
- Presentation Text Object Content Architecture (PTOCA), which is used to define and generate text.
Specifications defining all of the AFP sub-architectures can be found on the AFPC website at http://www.afpcinc.org.
AFP also supports other industry-standard data formats using the concept of AFP object containers; examples are TIFF, GIF, JPEG (JFIF), EPS, and PDF. These objects can be mixed as peer objects on an AFP page with native AFP objects such as BCOCA, AFP GOCA, IOCA, and PTOCA objects.
External links
- AFP Consortium- Official website of the AFP Consortium (aka. AFP Color Consortium)
- AFP Printer Driver for Windows- Official website of IPDS Technologies AG, providing software to automate the install and configuration of the IBM AFP print driver on Microsoft Windows.