Brooks Shakes Up Features, Pricing of IPDS Print Converters

Published: September 5, 2006

by Alex Woodie

Brooks Internet Software last month launched two new iterations of its ExcelliPrint print conversion software that allows high-end IPDS print jobs to be printed on low-end printers. IBM shops looking for basic IPDS pass-through capabilities will find all they need in the standard edition, while iSeries shops looking for IPDS device management or the capability to save their IPDS output to PDF will need to pony up an additional $300 per device for the premium blend.

ExcelliPrint is a Windows-based print server that allows any Windows 2000-, XP-, or Server 2003-based computer to be used for IPDS printing. It works by receiving and processing IPDS print requests from iSeries and zSeries servers, which "see" ExcelliPrint as a high-end IPDS printer. After receiving the data over a TCP/IP network, ExcelliPrint executes the print job on non-IPDS, Windows-based printers, which are considerably less expensive than IPDS printers from IBM and other manufacturers that support the AFP, IPDS, and AFPDS print architecture.

Idaho Falls, Idaho-based Brooks shook up its ExcelliPrint line in August with the introduction of premium and standard editions. Not a lot has changed with the premium edition, which inherits all of the capabilities that Brooks offered previously with its single-tier ExcelliPrint line. The major changes are with ExcelliPrint Standard.

With ExcelliPrint Standard, Brooks has delivered a bare-bones configuration that allows iSeries and zSeries shops to output their IPDS output to PCL-compatible, Windows-based printers. That's pretty much all that this product does, although it does retain some of the other basic ExcelliPrint capabilities, such as support for multiple simultaneous output connections, the secured browser interface, and the role-based security. Customers that merely require the IPDS pass-through functionality, only need to pay $495 per device, a savings of $300 per device compared to what Brooks was charging previously.

Organizations that require more advanced functionality--specifically the capability to save IPDS output in any number of formats, including PDF, TIFF, EMF, JPEG, PNG, and PCL formats, and the iSeries-specific functionality--are better off with the ExcelliPrint Premium edition.

iSeries-specific functionality found only in the premium edition includes the capability to manage spool files and iSeries print devices using Brook's browser interface. This includes the capability to create new iSeries print devices or redirect existing devices using this interface, and the capability to hold, release, or move iSeries spool files, without the need for an additional emulator.

The premium edition also brings print-to-archive capabilities, allowing users to automatically save their IPDS jobs to their archival folders on any connected computer, in their choice of formats. Lastly, the premium edition allows users to apply graphical overlays or watermarks to their IPDS-to-PDF output, which cuts down on bandwidth requirements.

ExcelliPrint Premium and Standard Editions are available now. Pricing for ExcelliPrint Premium is $795 per managed device for commercial outfits, or $690 for government, educational, and non-profit institutions. Brooks' list price for ExcelliPrint Standard is $495 for businesses; it doesn't list pricing for non-profit, government, and educational organizations. For more information and free trials, see www.brooksnet.com.

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