Pipeline Supplies' Email Metals Group needed to print important test reports (scanned TIFF G4 files) at field offices all over Australia (plus New Zealand and SE Asia in the near future).  These reports were constantly updated on a central office IBM RS/6000 system and needed to be easily available in high quality hard copy at any remote site as part of product delivery.  They had already tried regular distribution of DAT cartridges to stand-alone PCs at each remote site but the information was not timely enough.  Printing from the central system was considered, but that would have required sending large print jobs over relatively slow links or upgrading all printers.  Instead, they installed SwiftServe on their central system and "no license" SwiftView Viewers on outlying Windows 3.1 PCs. SwiftView's client/server ICS command link routes ICS commands from UNIX pipes to a designated remote PC via TCP/IP.  These commands cause that remote SwiftView to load and print the TIFF G4 documents located on the central RS/6000 via TCP/IP and SwiftServe. The transfer of data in Group 4 format minimizes load on the existing WAN link.

The result - an easily supported and timely TIFF printing solution using existing TCP/IP WAN connections, SwiftView standard products and already installed Windows 3.1 systems with attached printers. The total cost was $2,000 for 10 concurrent SwiftView sessions plus about 3 man-weeks of effort. The savings are approximatley $50K per year in direct costs alone, but, more importantly, Pipeline Supplies has a much better system.