BOULDER, CO, November 30, 2004 – As today’s changing business needs demand more complex print jobs, IBM today announced IBM Infoprint Transform Manager for Linux as a scalable solution to help accelerate RIP intensive non AFP workflows on IBM Infoprint production printers. IBM Infoprint Transform Manager for Linux is intended for production print customers with heterogeneous environments who require high-speed, compute intensive PDF, Postscript, and image transform capability in support of their high-volume AFP production print workflow.  Infoprint Transform Manager is seamlessly integrated with industry-leading Infoprint Manager for AIX and Windows, so that the transformation function is transparent to the job submitter or operator. To alleviate demanding and processor intensive datastream transformations, IBM Infoprint Transform Manager for Linux allows PostScript, PDF, TIFF, GIF and JPEG RIPing to be offloaded to a cost effective dedicated system for processing and then returned to Infoprint Manager for spooling and printing on AFP printers.  Infoprint Manager continues to manage and monitor print jobs, but transforms are shifted to a dedicated server to help improve output workflow and efficiency.   “Infoprint Transform Manager for Linux offers the best of both worlds. Customers can continue to design using existing standard document composition tools, while enjoying the reliability and high-speed AFP architecture to lower the overall total cost of print,” said John Kia, manager of production products and solutions for IBM Printing Systems. “Integration with Infoprint Manager can help customers expedite high-volume production print workloads, optimize system resources and obtain high quality output even in heterogeneous print environments.” Scalable, Reliable and Cost-effective Infoprint Transform Manager can be installed on a scalable system from an entry-level sever to an expandable powerful blade server based solution.  Infoprint Transform Manager allows print jobs to be spread across multiple processors, and it can scale as printing needs grow. For example, customers can start with a two processor IBM IntelliStation Z Pro server or IBM eServer BladeCenter and add more processors or Server blades when needed. Dedicating processing power to transforms enables accelerated ripping of PostScript, PDF, TIFF, GIF and JPEG workflow. Regardless of the hardware, the proven stability of the Linux operating systems complements the high-quality, reliability associated with AFP production print systems.  The low entry price and high reliability add up to a system that can quickly yield a positive return on investment.   Price and Availability IBM Infoprint Transfer Manger for Linux is scheduled for availability on December 17th.  Several options are available for customers who currently use Infoprint Manager with help from a local IBM sales representative.  For more information, see www.ibm.com/printers/ipm.