Summary
A manufacturing and distribution company uses ExcelliPrint® to receive AS/400 IPDS orders at remote warehouse locations. ExcelliPrint eliminates the need to purchase IPDS printers and pay ongoing AS/400 line service fees.
Topics
- AS/400 Printing
- Remote IPDS Printing
- Lower IPDS Print Costs
Anonymous Manufacturing and Distribution
Date: September 27, 2005
Business Need
With its headquarters in the Midwest and warehouses in Canada and on the East coast, a manufacturing and distribution company needed a reliable, affordable, and flexible way to print AS/400-generated IPDS documents to its remote warehouses.
Solution: ExcelliPrint
The company chose Brooks' ExcelliPrint IPDS solution to handle its remote IPDS printing for the following reasons:
- Uses existing network lines: ExcelliPrint takes advantage of the existing TCP/IP network to receive the IPDS documents.
- Prints IPDS on common printers: Because ExcelliPrint converts and sends IPDS prints jobs to common Windows-based network printers, the company did not have to purchase a dedicated (and expensive) IPDS printer for each warehouse. Additionally, by eliminating the need for an IPDS printer, the company saves by not having to make ongoing AS/400 line service-fee payments. The graph compares the estimated cumulative costs over 2 years related to 1) purchasing an IPDS printer and related AS/400 service fees and 2) purchasing ExcelliPrint and using a standard network printer.
- More affordable with more options: The company found that ExcelliPrint offers more printer support than comparable solutions and costs far less.
Using the existing network, secure VPN connections, and cable modems, the company's Midwest headquarters sends IPDS jobs from the AS/400 to ExcelliPrint in each warehouse. ExcelliPrint then prints the orders on inexpensive Windows-based printers.
Outcome
With ExcelliPrint installed on Windows-based PCs in its warehouses, the company has seen the following results:
- Printer savings: Because the IPDS documents ExcelliPrint receives are printed on common network printers, the company did not have to purchase a dedicated IPDS printer for each facility, saving an estimated $1,800 per printer.
- Monthly savings: IPDS documents are sent from company headquarters over existing TCP/IP network lines to ExcelliPrint at warehouses in Canada and on the East coast. Using these existing lines, the company will save even more money over time by not having to pay continuing AS/400 line service fees of an estimated $300 to $400 per month.
Relevant Topics: replacing an IPDS printer, sending IPDS documents to remote locations, converting IPDS documents to PDF or other formats
ExcelliPrint saved us minimally $1800 [per printer] off the top, and probably $300 to $400 per month in additional line service fees for the AS/400.
Use ExcelliPrint To
- Print IPDS documents to existing or new Windows®-based printers
- Convert IPDS to other formats (e.g. PDF, TIFF, EMF, JPEG, PNG, and PCL) for electronic archiving or delivery
- Read about more of ExcelliPrint's IPDS printing features