What is IPDS?
The protocol that makes production printers accountable for every page. Drop IPDS data below for a free structural scorecard — no install, no signup.
IPDS parses natively in Preflight — structural scorecard + regression diff (compliance modules run on PDF & AFP).
Frequently asked questions
What is IPDS?
Intelligent Printer Data Stream — IBM’s bidirectional protocol between a print server and a production printer. It carries AFP-family content down to the printer and acknowledgments back up, page by page.
IPDS vs AFP — what’s the difference?
AFP/MO:DCA is the document architecture (what the pages ARE); IPDS is the wire protocol that drives the printer with it (how they get printed, tracked, and recovered). Roughly: MO:DCA is to IPDS what a PDF is to a printer protocol.
Why do high-volume shops insist on IPDS?
The bidirectional channel: the host knows exactly which page printed. After a jam, the run resumes at the right page — no duplicates, no gaps. For checks and statements, “exactly once” is a compliance property, not a convenience.
Can I inspect IPDS data without a mainframe tool?
That’s the gap Preflight covers: drop the data into the free analyzer and get a structural scorecard in the browser — page counts, resources, structural warnings — no IBM tooling required.