Article Title:  Remote Printing & Electronic Distribution Author:  Mark Mathias Date Published:  01/19/05 Remote Printing & Electronic Distribution   Since PDF for CAD has made its debut Remote Printing & Electronic Distribution for the first time can be a trusted reality. Prior to a direct export of a PDF file from a CAD application HPGL or PLT files were being used with only marginal success. For supporting information related to this discussion please see the article "Better, Cheaper and Faster" published 01/04/05. PLT or Plot Files are files created by using a printing device's software driver, it was intended to simply print the document using that file format, not distribute it. A PLT File is a Hewlett Packard Graphic Language (HPGL) format designed to convert a document from its native language and convert it to a language that Hewlett Packard printers could understand. However since all the CAD solutions providers, prior to PDF, worked in a proprietary environment the HPGL language was about the only format available that could be distributed to users outside that native environment. And because this format was not primarily intended to be used for distributing electronic documents there are very limited software viewers that can open and view an HPGL file. Ultimately the success rate for distributing drawings in this format was very limited. So what does this have to do with Remote Printing & Electronic Distribution or better yet what is so important about Remote Printing & Electronic Distribution? Well let's start with the importance part; printing documents on high production wide format equipment is better quality, less expensive and faster for distributing this content than having copies made from CAD plots. It also allows for the opportunity to deliver the content to its final destination to be printed eliminating the time and cost of shipping paper documents. Without a distributed file format, such as PDF, these opportunities are not available. So now that there is the ability to standardize on a PDF file format for distributing electronic documents establishing a standard for distributing them is the next step. Files that don't reach their final destination, or reach the destination without supporting information on what to do with the documents are no good in any format. There are primarily two vehicles for distributing electronic documents; transportable media, such as CD's, DVD's or ZIP Discs and the Internet. The advantage of a transportable media is that a lot of information can be distributed without concerns of bandwidths. The disadvantage is it takes longer in most cases than using the Internet and once a single document changes that storage device needs to be updated somehow. In situations in which documents are being revised on a continual basis redistributing CD's become a major concern for managing the accuracy of the documents. Using the Internet to distribute electronic documents is becoming very popular primarily due to increased access to affordable high speed bandwidths and the familiarity most people have become using the technology. Some of the advantages of using the Internet to distribute documents are its ability to quickly distribute the content to a large number of people at a very low cost. However it is important to understand some of the different technologies used for distribution documents through the Internet have their pros & cons. Email - Email is the most popular solution today primarily because of the ease and familiarity people have using it. It serves well as a vehicle for distributing electronic documents however the architecture of email accounts has its limitations. For every email transaction two Internet Service Providers (ISP) are used; a sending and receiving ISP. Each ISP has different limitations for their service and all are using filters to protect from hackers and SPAM. As a result the odds are higher than other distribution options that some transmissions maybe blocked or timed-out never reaching their final destination. FTP - File Transfer Protocols (FTP) has become a popular method for allowing the transfer of electronic documents. It is a reliable method for moving large amounts of data from one network to another using the Internet. With current browser technology it is a simple process using the Windows directory structure form managing the content. Some of the cons for using FTP could be the difficulties managing security for the site resulting in unsecured data and the inability to automatically notify the receiving party of the newly added content. It also does not provide a forum for additional information concerning the content requiring additional communication processes to successfully execute the transmission. Database Extranet Sites - An Extranet Site requires a User Name & Password to gain access to an Internet site. This site uses a database application to manage the content and report the content in various ways. It also allows for cross association with different database content allowing for increased functionality. As a result security is easily handles, notification to new content is provided and history of the transactions is recorded for future use. It also allows for the transmission of data without limitations providing a reliable solution for transmitting electronic documents. Today all three of these technologies are being used successfully for various applications. The Database Extranet Site is the newer of the technologies and provides the most functionality; as a result solution providers are continually developing this technology in a quest to provide a better, cheaper and faster solution. Torrence Document Services utilizes all three types of Internet transmission technologies. Our Electronic Job Submittal Site can be accessed from our web page. This is a Database Extranet Site providing a secure and simple solution for electronically submitting document files to us for printing. It also includes an online order form for supplying us with the details for printing & delivering the documents. Our Construction Document Management Site (CDM) is also a Database Extranet Site. It is customized specifically for each client's applications and allows for the management and distribution of electronic information throughout different phases of a construction project. Our FTP site can also be accessed from our web site. This technology works best with prior communications alerting us to the project and allows for large transmissions of hundreds of files. In addition to these technologies for printing your documents locally Torrence is a member of the RSA National Printing Network as well as the US Reprographics Network. We can arrange for electronic documents to be printed remotely in most major cities in the United States for possible same day or next day delivery. We all are competing in a competitive environment, it is critical that we all examine areas of our business that we can become more efficient. Distributing content electronically to be printed remotely can provide some of these efficiencies. If you would like to learn more about how these technologies can benefit your company please contact one of Torrence's Account Managers for additional information.