Solimar Systems Launches New AFP User Experience and PDF Resource Enhancements Enabling Faster Onboarding

September 16th, 2020 – Solimar Systems, Inc., provider of leading workflow solutions for print production and digital communications, has released a host of new features within its market-leading IPDS transform engine, iCONVERT™. This newest functionality delivers new methods for handling embedded PDF object container resources, as well as enhancements to iCONVERT’s configurator, enabling customers to reduce set-up time and further streamline the data conversion process for increased productivity.

This powerful and established solution is a modular component of the Solimar Systems Chemistry™ platform and provides print centers with flexible and effective Intelligent Print Data Stream (IPDS) conversions and control. iCONVERT emulates AFP IPDS printers, commonly used in mainframe, AS/400 and iSeries environments. It dynamically and cost-effectively transforms IPDS data received from AFP applications into a variety of output formats, such as PDF, PostScript®, PCL and TIFF data. The output enables printers and archiving products that do not natively support IPDS.

To support workflows that mix IPDS and PDF (object container) content, iCONVERT offers two approaches to rendering PDF resources. For any kind of output (PostScript, TIFF, etc), iCONVERT, together with Solimar’s Library Services product, can rasterize the PDF resources and present them as images in the output. For PDF output, iCONVERT can pass the PDF resources to Rubika and Rubika can interleave the PDF resources with PDF content created by iCONVERT from the native IPDS commands. This second method preserves the structure of the original PDF resources and can be especially useful when a subsequent process is for archiving or for a highly color-sensitive printing workflow.

“Since the launch of iCONVERT in 2000, we’ve continued to enhance and develop new functionality to address the latest challenges in complex and demanding printing environments,” explains Mary Ann Rowan, Chief Experience Officer, Solimar Systems. “The new features in iCONVERT enable rapid onboarding of IPDS jobs including those with embedded PDF content. Users can maintain production processes with the confidence that iCONVERT is providing seamless data transformations in the background.”

Mary Ann Rowan, concludes, “iCONVERT creates optimized output that drives reprint workflows, electronic delivery communications and archive storage systems. With this new functionality, customers will find it even easier to realize these benefits and enjoy fast, seamless document distribution to their printers, presses and e-presentment systems.”

Learn more about iCONVERT and the entire Chemistry Platform powered by Solimar at their upcoming Virtual User Conference 22-24 September 2020.