Advanced Remote Printer Setup: RPM Transforms List

Thu, 09/26/2019 - 17:13 By Dave Brooks
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Transforms

Each print job coming into RPM is placed in a queue. RPM executes the print job according to the transforms and actions you have configured in that queue.

When RPM processes jobs in a print queue, it first goes through the list of transforms. We describe how this works on the RPM Transforms Portal.

Once RPM has processed your print data through all the transforms, it hands the result off to each action. This is a bit of an oversimplification since RPM uses the job scheduler to launch the actions according to the scheduling policy set for this instance of RPM. Regardless, the transforms get the job first, then the actions.

Of course, if your queue has no transforms, then this step is skipped, and the action or actions process the raw print job.

Please note that there is no default transform. RPM does nothing to your print job data unless you configure it to do so using these transforms.

Translations

PCL to PDF

Description: Converts PCL 5 and PCL XL to PDF

Also set passwords, permissions, etc.

RPM Elite only

PCL to PDF

PCL Resource Mapping

Description: changes the input tray, output bin, and/or # of copies in PCL 5 and PCL XL

This transform is key to using multiple color stock and has many other applications

RPM Elite only

PCL trays, bins, & copies

PCL to image format

Description: Converts PCL files to image formats

Outputs include PostScript, JPEG, and TIFF

RPM Elite only

PCL to PostScript & image formats

String translate

Description: changes character strings or binary byte sequences

This works on plain text, binary files such as PCL, and supports UTF-8 strings

String translator

Code page conversion

Description: translates input data using a code page

RPM comes with a selection of built-in Unicode code pages. This transform also supports your installed Windows code pages.

Code

Data privacy filter

Description: reads plain text or PCL 5, outputs the same formatting with the plain text data obscured

The purpose of this transform is for us to support you using a file with the formatting preserved but the data replaced

Data privacy protection

Unix to DOS

Description: converts plain text with line feed terminators to use carriage-return / line-feed

This avoids the stair-step printed output effect

Removes stair-step

First Character Forms Control (FCFC)

Description: converts FCFC into plain text by expanding lines as indicated

You could feed the output from this transform into Text to Text Markup or do what seems best

Convert FCFC format

Outputting Text Markup

Text to Text markup

Description: Convert plain text, with a number of highlighting styles, into RPM's text markup

With text markup, you can create PDF or PCL files or use RPM's text print action

Convert text to text markup

SCS

Description: Read and utilize SCS format from your IBM host system

The SCS transform produces RPM's text markup, so you can print on a Windows printer or create PDFs

SCS to text markup

ASA

Description: converts ASA input to RPM's text markup format

With this transform, you can produce text print or PDF in just a few steps

ASA to text markup

Computer output reduction (COR)

Description: COR is familiar to System i (AS/400) users as it works beautifully to "normalize" printed output

COR works with RPM's text markup format as input and output, so improve your printed data and PDF at the same time

Computer output reduction

Convert Text Markup to other formats

PDF

Description: This transform converts RPM's text markup to PDF

Text markup to PDF

HTML

Description: This transform converts RPM's text markup to HTML

This may be useful if you post your printed output to a web server

Text markup to HTML

PCL

Description: This transform converts RPM's text markup to PCL 5

You could print directly to a PCL printer by combining this with RPM's raw print action

Text markup to PCL

Removing and eliminating ranges of data

Limit bytes

Description: This transform limits the total output to a specific number of byte, no matter what format

The rest of the input is ignored

Limit total number of by tes

Limit lines

Description: This transform limits the total output to the given number of lines

The rest of the input is ignored

Limit total number of lines

Remove Bytes

Description: Removes a given number of bytes from the start of the input

All remaining bytes are passed along

Note: this was used in the beginning to eliminate printer reset bytes from a text print job

Remove bytes from beginning

Remove lines

Description: Removes lines from the start of the input

All remaining lines were passed along

Can easily be used to remove a header page from a job

Remove lines from beginning

Remove After

Description: As soon as a given pattern is seen, we remove the remaining lines from the job

The line containing the pattern is included in the output

Remove lines after pattern

Remove Until

Description: Removes input until a certain string appears

This can be used to remove beginning pages if the page endings are predictable

Remove lines up to pattern

Remove Nulls

Description: Remove zero bytes from the input

Note that most transforms do this on their own

Remove null bytes

Remove PCL

Description: Removes PCL commands from the input, leaves plain text with some semblance of formatting

This works with PCL 5 but not PCL XL or data using glyphs rather than the actual text

Remove PCL commands

Remove Text Markup

Description: Removes the text markup certain RPM transforms create, leaving plain text with lines intact

Text markup is produced by "text to text markup", SCS, ASA, and FCFC

Remove text markup

Trim lines

Description: Remove a given number of lines from the end of plain text output input

Depending on how long your file is, you can end up with zero-length output

Remove lines from end

Insert & Append

Append bytes

Description: Append a string or byte sequence to the end of the output

This can be anything from a reset code to an additional paragraph

Append data to print job

Append file

Description: Appends the contents of a file to your input

This file can contain anything from a reset code for your printer to additional pages

Append file to print job

Break lines

Description: If your text input does not have line breaks, you should use this transform

This transform inserts carriage-return / line-feed at the interval you select

Insert line breaks

Break pages

Description: If your line-oriented text does not have page breaks and you want to control page length, use this transform

The default page length RPM uses is 60 lines

Insert page breaks

Insert bytes

Description: This transform inserts a byte sequence or a string ahead of the input

This is often used to change printer settings for the upcoming job

Insert byte sequence

Insert file

Description: This transform inserts the contents of a disk file ahead of your job input

This file can contain anything from job reset or print properties to additional pages

Insert file contents

PCL banner

Description: This job inserts some PCL banner data head of your PCL print job

This produces a simple banner with additional properties you can select, for instance, to pull a cover sheet from a different colored sock

Insert PCL banner page

PCL separator

Description: This transform produces a simple PCL 5 job separator page

The job separator includes the input tray, output bin, and of course, the implied "next sheet of paper"

Insert PCL separator

Text banner

Description: This transform adds text markup to your print job to create a banner page for print jobs or PDF

The banner page includes job metadata such as name and time received

Insert text banner page

Specialized transforms

Data Extraction

Description: This transform doesn't change your data, it extracts data from the print job according to your own rules

Data extraction can be used to affect job processing and redirect jobs to other queues

RPM Elite only

Data extraction

Filter

Description: run a program of your own selection on the print job data, while you are processing

The Filter transform can use standard input and output, and command-line arguments

RPM Elite only

Use program to convert data

Watermark PDF

Description: Add a watermark to a PDF file

RPM has an overlay manager that tracks images on disk and where they are to be placed

RPM Elite only

Add watermark to PDF