Data formats

In the Data format field, select all input data formats that the printer supports. Also select all input data formats that can be transformed into a supported data format by the associated filter.

Print Interface automatically determines the type of data format in each input document unless the job submitter specifies the data format in the document-format job attribute. If Print Interface cannot determine the input data format, the default is other.

Guidelines:

1. In a PSF printer definition, select line data, text, and MO:DCA-P. PSF accepts line data and MO:DCA-P formats. Print Interface automatically transforms text data into line data when the printer definition is a PSF printer definition.

   If you have installed a transform product, you can also select other data formats. For information, see Planning printer definitions for transforms.

   Tip: If your installation has installed PSF for z/OS®, you can select the XML data format without specifying a filter because PSF can process XML files using a page definition.

2. In an IP PrintWay™ printer definition, select the data formats accepted by the printer.

   If the printer accepts text data, select line data as well as text because Print Interface automatically converts line data to text data.

   If you install a transform product, you can also select other data formats. For information, see Planning printer definitions for transforms.

3. Select other as one of the supported data formats only if you want Print Interface to send documents with an unknown data format to the printer, or for the Xerox data format. By default, the other data format is selected, so be sure to deselect it unless the printer can accept data formats other than those Print Interface can automatically detect.
4. If several printers support the same data formats, consider creating a Processing component in which you select the data formats and specify any associated filters. Then include this component in the printer definitions for all printers that support the same data formats. However, make sure that you do not specify any values in the Data format and Filter fields in the printer definition itself because the values that you specify in the printer definition completely override all values that are specified in the same fields in the Processing component.

Table 13 explains the types of input data formats that you can select. You can select more than one type of data format.