Most software systems have a built-in mechanism for creating documents or output files and most operating systems include some basic function for delivering these documents to printers. So far, so good. What else would I need?
If you are running an IT organization with a large number of server platforms and applications, you are likely to find that:
- Your applications produce documents which cannot be printed correctly on every kind of printer in your organization, making administration and testing of frequently-changing printer fleets a real headache.
- Your applications (or your IT department) lack the flexibility to reformat and redirect documents to the desired printer types or output channels with the speed that your business needs.
- Problems with document printing or delivery occur frequently, but you have no dashboard to identify and resolve problems easily and quickly, so these problems rapidly affect SLAs and business processes and waste a lot of time and money.
How does LRS solve these problems and what do we mean by Printing Workflows?
LRS printing workflow software provides a middleware layer which captures all document types and formats from all applications — from mainframe to mobile. It also manages the formatting and delivery of these documents to physical printers and any other electronic/softcopy destinations.
The software enables automatic transformation from all common (and many not-so-common) input formats to a wide range of common output formats. It then allows rules-based document splitting, bundling, and content modification (or any combination of these functions).
The LRS solution can be configured to interface and interact with your existing applications and infrastructure components, from legacy systems to the latest cloud-based technologies, whilst providing a simple to use web dashboard for monitoring and control.
Workflows can be as simple as ensuring that files print consistently across multiple printer types and vendors. They can also ensure the correct input and output tray selection and formatting of Unicode characters, bar codes and other content. More complex examples of workflows include:
- Security measures such as pull printing, encryption, dynamic addition of security overlays and watermarks, print content monitoring, and enforcement of PIN printing
- Policy enforcement measures such as forcing monochrome, duplex, and toner-save mode for specified documents or users
- Integration of one or more external document composition tools. LRS provides multi-channel input/capture (from Windows, SAP, mainframe, iSeries, Linux, .NET or JAVA applications, etc.) and invokes and monitors the composition function before providing multi-channel document delivery and monitoring of formatted documents.
- Modernization and re-purposing of legacy documents. Legacy document formats such as DJDE, XES, PRESCRIBE, AFPDS and PCL are captured from existing applications. Rules are then applied to split, bundle, or modify/replace the content of these files before delivering to new destinations such as printers, archives, email, client portals or print outsourcers in the required format (PDF, PDF/A, TIFF, AFPDS, PostScript, etc). No changes are required to existing applications.
LRS staff have been helping our customers to create custom print workflows for many years and have many examples from Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail, Logistics, Automotive, Pharmaceuticals, Oil and Gas, Government and more.
We have been working to solve print and output management needs for customers since 1981. At LRS, our mission is to make printing simple and we look forward to helping you achieve this goal in your own organization.