Creating Overlays and Page Segments

Copied from a post to MIDRANGE-L (http://www.midrange.com).

see also IBM Doc #5184341 - Creating AFP Resources Using the IBM AFP Printer Drivers

How to create an overlay or page segment (with IPDS printers)

1. Download AFP Drivers for the PC (currently 1.62a) and follow the Readme.txt instructions. The site with the most updated drives is the Client Access site not the IBM Printing site.

====> The driver can be found at https://www.ibm.com/support/pages/afp-printer-driver-windows This is a wizard that will help you set up AFP printers on you PC. I would set up at least the 240, 300 and 600 DPI printers. (For PORT use "File".)

If you already have drivers and get errors use the above set of drivers. Just delete all AFP printers first and do a selective install on Client Access removing AFP drivers.

You may find drivers for other OS's at the IBM printing site: ===> I had problems getting them to work. http://www2.printers.ibm.com/R5PSC.NSF/web/ipprintdriver)

2. Design the overlay using a PC application. Microsoft Word works fine. If the form is on paper you can scan the form using Acrobat. In either case, print to one of the afp printers that were created in Step 1. Use the Properties => Advance tab to make sure "Output Type" is Overlay or page sement (default is document). If this is changed on the printer it shouldn't have to be changed each time you print. If you save the AFP output file to c:\ it will save typing later. Use 8.3 file names.

To transfer the overlay to your i, you can use either the manual method outline below or System i Navigator's AFP Manager as dicussed in IBM Doc #5184341 - Creating AFP Resources Using the IBM AFP Printer Drivers

3. Create a PF on the iSeries. I would create one for each application or each DPI. Example: AFP600 or PAYROLL. Also create it without a member.

CRTPF FILE(library/file) RCDLEN(32766) MBR(*NONE) MAXMBRS(*NOMAX) LVLCHK(*NO) =====>One file can be used for several overlays =====>RCDLEN(8201) didn't work.

4. Add a member for the overlay to be created.:

=====>(new member for each overlay) ADDPFM FILE(library/file) MBR(member) TEXT(description)

5. Ftp file to the iSeries or copy to the IFS. Directions to FTP are:

From a Command Prompt (Start=>Run=>Type "CMD")

    ftp iSeriesname
    bin
    cd library                                        ====>iSeries Library
    lcd directory                                     ====>PC directory
    put pcfilename iSeriesfilename.membername         ====>iSeries file

name

6. Create the overlay on the iSeries using the following command: CRTOVL OVL(library/overlay) FILE(library/file) MBR(member) DATATYPE(*AFPDS)

If the overlay fails to create, see Step 1. Most of the time the overlay fails to create because there is no data in the file (bad ftp) or the wrong driver was used.

7. Override the print file or job with at least the DEVTYPE(*AFPDS) and FRONTOVL(library/overlay) options.

Example Override: This includes a Constant backside overlay that doesn't require backside programming.

OVRPRTF FILE(QPDZDTALOG) TOFILE(*FILE) DUPLEX(*YES) FRONTOVL(library/overlay) BACKOVL(library/overlay 0 0 *CONSTANT) ====> For a fast test print I use =>job OVRPRTF (Qpdzdtalog) =>STRDFU =>Option 5=> update a record and get a log print.