Converting an image to IOCA format

AFP printers use images in IOCA (Image Object Content Architecture) format. To convert an image to a page segment, follow this procedure:

1. Download the appropriate AFP printer driver from IBM AFP drivers. The downloaded file should be a self-extracting archive.
2. Extract the files into a folder. The default name of the folder is AFP Driver.
3. Go to Printers and Faxes in the Control Panel or Start Menu and select Add a Printer to start the Add Printer Wizard. Use the following options:

   Local printer attached to this computer

   (not "Plug and Play")

   Use the following port:

   File: (Print to File)

   Have Disk...

   Browse to the AFP Driver directory and select the cwbafp.inf file.

   Printers:

   Select the actual printer model or a generic one such as Generic IBM 600dpi AFP.

   Do you want to use this printer as the default printer?

   No

   Do not share this printer

   Do you want to print a test page?

   No

   Then click Finish to install the printer driver.
4. Create the image in any image editing tool, save it (using the image editor's native format is fine) and then print the image to a file using the installed AFP driver.
   1. Select File then Print... from the menu bar.
   2. Select the name of the AFP printer.
   3. Click Properties...
   4. Change the Output type to Page Segment.
   5. Select Print to file in order to get the dialog box that allows browsing to a specific directory.
   6. Click OK. Select the directory where the file is to be created and enter a file name. The file extension for an IOCA image is normally .ica
5. Allocate a PDS with record format VB record length 27994 and block size 27998.
6. Use FTP to upload the .ica file in binary format to a member of the PDS.
7. Reblock the file with one AFP structured field per line.

                                 allocate file(sysuexec) dataset('sys1.sapsexec') shr
                                 
   
                                 altlib activate user(exec)
                                 
   
                                 exec 'sys1.sapsexec(afrreblk)' 'username.afpupld.ica(member) afp.test.pseglib(s1segname)'
                                 
   
                              

   Notice that the second set of quotation marks are around both parameters to the afrreblk exec.

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Last updated Tuesday November 29, 2006