Re: Using Overlays

[PaulMmn <PaulMmn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>To the list,
>
>I am trying to use Overlays for some documents.  I have tried looking in the
>Online IBM manuals for some "Overlays for Dummies" type of instructions. Can
>someone point me to where the best place to start is?  I would like to
>include a basic graphic and boxes around fields as as a starting point.
>
>Thanks in advance...
>Eric A. Wolf


Eric--

We've been using overlays for some time now.  The quick synopsis is:

You design your overlay in any program you want (on your PC):
Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Microsoft Word, Wordpad.  For graphic overlays, we
had problems with some documents not printing properly at 10cpi, but they
did at 12 cpi.  We shrank the overlays to 83.3333% horizontally (10/12 =
.83333).  We did tweak the logos &c so they didn't come out squozen.

Using the special IBM driver (available at
HTTP://WWW.PRINTERS.IBM.COM/R5PSC.NSF/WEB/AFPDR), print your document to a
disk file.  You need to specify the type of overlay in the print driver
options.
We use the driver that's for 600dpi files.  Select PRINT TO FILE, select
MEDIUM OVERLAY.  If needed, select LANDSCAPE orientation.

Move the disk file from your PC to a shared folder/folder share on the
AS/400 (using client access, etc).  COPY/PASTE in Windows Exploder works
fine as long as you can see the folder from the PC side.

Create a work file on the AS/400 side: CRTPF FILE(yourlib/yourfile)
RCDLEN(32766) LVLCHK(*NO) MAXMBRS(*NOMAX)

Copy the PC file from the folder to the AS/400:  CPYFRMPCD FROMFLR(path)
TOFILE(yourlib/yourfile) TOMBR(member) FROMDOC(file) TRNTBL(*NONE)
TRNFMT(*NOTEXT)

Use the CRTOVL command and create an object of type *OVL:  CRTOVL
OVL(overlaylib/overlay) FILE(yourlib/yourfile) MBR(member)

The printer device for an HP printer needs to use PORT(9100) and
SYSDRVPGM(*HPPJLDRV).  If you have a printer that's IPDS capable, use
DEVCLS(*LAN) TYPE(*IPDS).  For non-IPDS, use DEVCLS(*LAN) TYPE(3812)
MODEL(1).

You need a print file for AFP printing:  copy QSYSPRT to QSYSPRTAFP; then
CHGPRTF ... DEVTYPE(*AFPDS).

If you have an IPDS printer, it's DEVTYPE(*IPDS).

Use the OVRPRTF to specify which overlay to use:
        OVRPRTF ... FRONTVOL(overlaylib/overlay)

Print.

That's all.  Many of these commands are once only (ie creating the print
file, devices, your work file, the CRTOVL), so it's not as bad as it looks!
Once you have your overlay created, you just OVRPRTF then print.

IBM does provide some overlay creation tools, but we never paid for
them so we do it the 'hard' way.

The overlays we use are full page.  That means that we create
everything for the overlay as a single sheet-- boxes around fields,
logos, boiler plate text, etc.

--Paul E Musselman
PaulMmn@ix.netcom.nospam.com