Additionally, Solimar Print/Director addresses a wide range of output management needs. Today's customers want to do more than just print, they have needs to display, manage, and archive documents electronically. The Print/Director provides simple solutions to many complex output problems whether centralized or distributed in nature. With Solimar's industry proven products, training programs, sales tools, and sales support, Canon sales representatives are empowered to take a more consultative approach to selling imageRUNNER products.

   Base System

• Runs on Windows 2000 - This operating system is widely used, is easy for companies to support, and has evolved into a robust, reliable, platform for running mission-critical applications.
  
• Graphical Interface (GUI) - Graphical interfaces are easier and more intuitive to use than command line interfaces. Analysts and Engineers configure Solimar®'s Print/Director™ using a keyboard and mouse without the need for programming. Operators manage hosts, printers, and jobs on familiar Windows screens. Manual control of print jobs is accomplished with the click of a mouse.
  
• Modular Architecture - The design of Solimar Systems Print/Director 2000 gives companies the flexibility to purchase connectivity and conversion modules that fit their exact needs. This modularity facilitates cost savings and provides quick solutions as modules can be added or removed to support changes in the customer's environment.
  
• Concurrent Processing - The system can be configured to process jobs from multiple hosts to multiple output devices simultaneously.
  
• Highly Stable & Reliable - Solimar has thousands of Print/Director systems installed worldwide in production environments running mission critical applications. The systems utilize industry standard platforms and proven technologies.

   Job Management

• Auto/Manual Processing - Jobs can be processed with or without operator intervention. Solimar Systems Print/Director 2000 can be configured to process and route jobs automatically, facilitating host based job control. The system also provides a GUI interface that allows users to manually release, route, restart, and otherwise control jobs at the Solimar PC. Both situations can exist simultaneously on a single system.
  
• Automatic Routing - Jobs can be routed based on their characteristics without the need for operator intervention. For example, jobs from the accounting dept. can be sent from the host application, held at the Print/Director for automatic release at a specified time, at such point they will be delivered to a specific printer (maybe a MICR printer). Advanced features include 47 presort options to control the order jobs are processed and 21 logical "and/or" conditional filters that determine and automate job distribution.
  
• Auto Start Commands - Xerox legacy printers require programs to be running that tell the printer how to process the job. Xerox provides a means to start these programs (JDL's and JDE's) automatically by embedding commands into the print stream. When using Solimar Systems Print/Director 2000 to replace a Xerox legacy printer, it emulates and enhances this behavior.
  
• Auto Job Retain / Delete - Jobs can be retained at the Print/Director for delayed processing or spooling of files for various production, viewing, and archival processing. Job files can also be automatically kept, deleted or moved after they are processed.
  
• Timed Release - The Timed Release and Delayed Job Entry options enable jobs to be processed at a specified time and interval. The options are useful for temporarily archiving files after printing, then automatically deleting them after a certain time. The options can also be used to establish priorities for different types of jobs.
  
• Banner / Trailer Pages - Using the File Inserter Module, files can be added to the beginning or end of a print job and printed as part of the job. The ability to insert DJDEs, PostScript commands, custom banner pages, VIPP codes or PCL macros into print files are just a few benefits of this powerful module. Common uses are automating electronic form overlays and JDL/JDE selection for Xerox LPS printer and XCHANGE Module users. The File Inserter can insert any type of file and may be used with any data stream.
  
• Bookmaking - Built into the Print/Director are tools for managing files, and bringing them together in an organized manner for printing booklets. As an example, files from various sources in various print stream formats can be stored on the Solimar system, arranged in chapter order (manually or automatically) and printed on demand. Another key benefit of this feature is separate files can be concatenated into one job eliminating the start and stop of each individual file which can cause printers to slow down.
  
• Data Blocking - The Blocker conversion module of the Solimar Print/Director converts data between different blocking formats. The module provides the flexibility to process computer data that is stored, moved, and copied in a variety of formats. The format in which data is stored can vary from application to application, and from computer to computer. The Blocker Module supports virtually all applications generated from host systems. This module is commonly used to take offline tape data and re-block it for online printing.
  
• Pre-pend / Append Data - Refer to Banner / Trailer pages above.
  
• Checkpoint Restart - This feature of the Print/Director allows users to select a start and end point for printing a job. It also provides a means to view the file in its raw data format. This tool is commonly used for reprints.
  
• File Naming - Typically used in mainframe environments where jobs are often named in obscure ways this module can give them more meaningful job descriptors. Files can be spooled from the mainframe to the Solimar system and stored with new names that better communicate the characteristics of the job to the operator. For example, job name ACT34001 can be renamed to "Nightly Check Run".
  
• Job Separation - The Solimar Print/Director is able to parse a single print report into multiple jobs based on user defined page count and logical rules. Common uses for separating jobs into sub-documents include: distributing and load balancing a single large report to multiple printers, submitting sub-documents to archive systems, enabling printers to start printing large jobs before receiving the last page, and automatic distribution of sub-documents to network printers or remote locations.
  
• Load Balancing - Central queue management with the Solimar Print/Director includes support for load balancing output among several devices simultaneously. Jobs can be submitted to the next available printer, large jobs can be parsed and "balanced" between multiple printers, and logical rules can be defined to control routing.
  
• Job Tracking - The Solimar Print/Director displays information about all jobs processed and can generate two types of message logs to store job tracking information. For data that is converted, Accounting messages are generated showing the job's page count and name. Each time a job is processed a general tracking message is generated. General messages include the job name, where it was received from and where it was sent. Both types of message logs can be stored to disk on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
  
• Search and Replace - The Data Converter Module enables data to be modified on-the-fly at or before run time. Users define the "search and replace" criteria that are applied to the job. When the module identifies a match in the data stream it will replace it with the new string of data. Common uses are adding signatures, making data unprintable, correcting coding errors, and modifying VIPP, PostScript, PCL and DJDE information.
  
• Reprints - The Print/Director provides various options for handling reprints. Checkpoint restart as explained above is useful for this purpose. Additionally, creative uses of job splitting and other modules can be implemented to make it easier to reprint only the pages that need to be duplicated. Companies also use Solimar's PDF modules to create PDF versions of the print jobs. Using another product from Solimar called SOLsearcher the PDF files can be indexed for quick search and retrieval.

   Connectivity
The Solimar Print/Director receives and sends data through many direct and network communication protocols. To host systems, Print/Director appears as a native printer and receives print data for processing. To printers, Print/Director appears as the host system sending appropriate print data and resources. The integrated connectivity modules of this system are listed below.

  Data Stream Conversion
In addition to physically connecting host systems and printers, the Solimar Print/Director's printer emulations are second to none! Not a simulator, not a translator, or a crude system scripting tool, the Print/Director's conversions truly emulate PCL, PostScript, IBM line, and Xerox Metacode printers in online and offline formats.

Data streams and resources are automatically converted into new printer languages for the target printers or other output destinations. The emulation modules do not require any changes to be made to the application generating the print data. With Print/Director, the way printing is accomplished today can be the same tomorrow, but on new or different output devices.

• Canon agents and sales representatives will frequently use the XCHANGE module to convert Xerox data streams into Postscript for printing on imageRUNNER equipment. Additionally, Solimar's iCONVERT™ product will be used to convert IBM's IPDS data stream into Postscript and other formats.