AFP : Advanced Function Presentation
AFP (aka Advanced Function Presentation) is a document management architecture which was created by IBM in 1984, as part of the Systems Application Architecture (SAA).
AFP is object-oriented in nature, using various objects types (text, fonts, images, graphics, barcodes, overlays etc.) in the creation and composition of a document.
AFP : the industry standard
AFP his is the most widely used format for high speed transactional printing acrosss various industries including banks, finance, insurance, manufacturing, health care, education...
AFP & IPDS
AFP can be printed "offline", using the AFPDS format converted on the fly into the most popular PDL (no control of printer status, or availability of resources at printer level, no error recovery...).
AFP can be printed "online" through various software like PSF (Print Service Facility) on an IBM system or through a spooler like S2P, IPM... creating IPDS on the fly and offering a full bidirectionnal control of the printing operation. Learn more about IPDS by visiting our dedicated page IPDS : Intelligent Printer Data Stream
MPI Tech
Since 1988, MPI Tech has created a complete range of solutions (both software & hardware based) converting AFPDS into the most popular PDL (PCL, PDF, PS...) on almost any available platform (Mainframe, Power systems, Windows, AIX, Linux, Solaris, Unix...)
As founder and member of the AFP Color Consortium, MPI tech supports the latest enhancements of that technology.
AFP conversions
- AFP to PDF and PDF/A
- AFP to PCL
- AFP to PostScript
- PDF to AFP