Management Overview

This guide is intended to help Control-D users efficiently implement Control-D in an AFP environment by taking advantage of Control-D’s AFP built-in support. The combination of AFP built-in support and Control-D allows you to achieve many AFP advanced functions without modifying application programs. Also, many other Control-D options improve Output Management functions in an AFP environment.

Data centers that use AFP realize the benefits that can be achieved with AFP. Data centers that use Control-D realize the benefits that can be achieved with Control-D. Data centers that use AFP together with Control-D can achieve far more benefits than using each one individually.

Major benefits that can be achieved using Control-D in an AFP environment are:

• Reduced paper costs
• Reduced mainframe printing workload
• Fast AFP implementation and more

Control-D’s built-in AFP support includes features such as:

• Full support of AFPDS page mode output (Category 5 output) - for example, DCF documents, GDDM graphics
• Full support for all AFP printers and software
• Support of user-defined overlays for online viewing
• WYSIWYG online viewing of AFPDS page mode reports in the PC environment
• Support of all AFP printing characteristics:
  • Online display and update, even after the production of the report
  • Capability of bundling all reports for a recipient into one bundle for printing, regardless of different AFP printing characteristics
• Enforced standards in printing characteristics
• Advanced banner page marking
• Bar codes in banners
• Automated distributed printing
• Strong disaster recovery support and more

All of the above features, and more, are described in this guide.

Shortly after implementing Control-D in an AFP environment, the significant benefits become evident. Efficient automated output management and major cost savings with minimum effort are guaranteed.