Image resources

An image resource⁷ is an IOCA object, which is also called a data object resource. If the IOCA resource is to be stored in a system library, you can store it in either the page segment library or the object container library, depending on whether the IOCA resource is a hard or soft resource. If the IOCA resource is identified in the print data set by using a Map Data Resource (MDR) structured field, it is considered a hard resource and must be stored in the object container library. If the IOCA resource is not identified by using the MDR structured field, but is just included through an IOB structured field, it is considered a soft resource. As a soft resource it can be stored in either the page segment library or the object container library. IBM® recommends that all new IOCA resource objects be stored in the object container library.

Image resources contain a series of picture elements (pels) arranged in rows and columns. Image objects also specify where the image is placed on the page. Figure 19 shows the images printed on the sample page.

Figure 19. Images on the sample page

Image resources are created by a scanning device or a program and stored in a set of MO:DCA-P structured fields called an IOCA object. The object can then be stored as a resource for easier use.