Exporting content to AFP format
You can use the BIRT Viewers to export a BIRT report, selected pages of a BIRT report, or a specific report element such as a chart, or cross tab, to Advanced Function Printing (AFP) format. AFP is a print stream technology that supports high‑volume printing on high‑capacity, and high‑speed printers. If your enterprise generates large reports that require hard‑copy printing, using AFP is a significantly more efficient option than exporting the report to PDF, or Word format, and then printing the report.
The AFP emitter enables you to specify several layout options as well as image rendering options for the exported content using the Export Content dialog box. You can set the following layout and resolution options:
Page range
Specify the number of pages to export if you are working with a multipage report design or document file.
Chart DPI
Specify the DPI at which the chart engine exports the chart component.
Plex Mode
Enables you to specify the sides of the page on which to print.
Simplex
Selecting this option prints on a single side of the page
Duplex
Selecting this option prints on both sides of a page.
Tumble
Selecting this option prints the file as a continuous document. To navigate a printed document that uses this option, flip each page over longitudinally such that the end of the previous page becomes the top of the next page.
The AFP emitter provides several color options to optimize the quality of the exported images based on the native image format supported by the printer in use. You can select any of the following color options depending on the native image format supported by the printer you are using:
Allow black and white images
Selecting this option exports existing black and white images.
Allow single color images
Selecting this option exports existing single‑color images.
Allow grayscale images
Selecting this option exports existing grayscale images.
Allow full color RGB images
Selecting this option exports existing full‑color RGB images.
Allow full color CMYK images
Selecting this option exports existing full‑color CMYK images.
The AFP emitter’s available image format options enable users to closely control how images are rendered in the exported output. All images are transcoded to the closest format that corresponds to the options selected by the user. To preview the exported output before it is sent to a printer, download the AFP Viewer plug‑in and view the resulting output in your web browser.