Product Overview: 

N-up Output Generator™ is an output post-processing program that takes a print file in standard 1-Up format and reformats the file into an n-Up format. "n" forms are printed horizontally across a page thus dramatically reducing print time. Since the program acts as a post-processor on program output, the advantages of n-Up processing are available without modifying existing programs. New programs need not be coded with the complex logic of generating n-Up output. If the output is in some specific order such as zip code, account or part number, the output can be generated in a format (row or column) which will eliminate the need to collate the forms after bursting.

Advantages of n-Up 

The main advantage of printing forms n-Up is the reduction in print time. Printing 2-Up can reduce print time by 50% and 3-Up by 67%. Additional savings are available in areas of forms cost, storage and handling. A box of n-Up forms is smaller and less expensive than "n" boxes of 1-Up forms, and printer forms changes (unproductive time) is required less frequently. 

Programming Considerations 

n-Up printing using traditional programming techniques is much more complicated than conventional 1-Up printing. Output must be generated line-by-line across each page instead of down the page. More experienced programmers are required and program maintenance costs are greater. After all the time, effort and money to generate the n-Up printing software, the code is usually not transportable to another program using a different form. A minor forms change or new printer line length can require extensive program changes. In addition, if the documents are in a specific order, the n-Up format output must be collated after busting to return to the original order. 

There is a better way! 

The n-Up Output Generator™ provides the advantages of n-Up format without the programming and operational problems described above. New programs are written to generate output in standard 1-Up format, reducing development time and program complexity. Existing programs that generate 1-Up format can be converted to n-Up format without any software changes. The n-Up Output Generator™ is also capable of preserving the order of the original data so that collating the output after bursting is not necessary. 

n-Up Output Generator™ reformatting information is provided at execution time and includes: the number of horizontal forms to be generated the format of the output (row or column) the width of the form the width of the "gutter" or space between forms the Forms Control Buffer (FCB) which defines printer channel positions The n-Up Output Generator™ input data (original print file) may be a disk, tape or JES sysout data set. The output file may be a disk, tape or sysout data set or printer.

The n-Up Output Generator™ can output the n-Up data in either row or column format. 

Row Format 

Form 1	Form 2	......	Form n
Form n+1	Form n+2	......	Form 2n
Form 2n+1	Form 2n+2	......	Form 3n
Form 3n+1	Form 3n+2	......	Form 4n

Column Format

Form 1	Form n+1	Form 2n+1	Form 3n+1
Form 2	Form n+2	Form 2n+2	Form 3n+2
.....	.....	.....	.....
Form n	Form 2n	Form 3n	Form 4n

Customer Comment 

Here's what Mutual of New York (MONY) has to say about n-Up™. "We use n-Up to print Premium Notices,
Financial Summaries and Dividend Checks. We calculate that MONY will save over $111,000 during the next five years." 

Interested? It's n-Up to you...