Printer Command Language

PCL levels 1 through 5e/5c are command-based languages using control sequences that are processed and interpreted in the order they are received. At a consumer level, PCL data streams are generated by a print driver. PCL output can also be generated by custom applications.

• PCL 1 was introduced in 1984 on the HP ThinkJet 2225 and provides basic text and graphics printing with a maximum resolution of 150 dpi (dots per inch).
• PCL 1+ was released with the HP QuietJet 2227.
• PCL 2 added Electronic Data Processing/Transaction functionality.
• PCL 3 was introduced in 1984 with the original HP LaserJet. This added support for bitmap fonts and increased the maximum resolution to 300 dpi. Other products with PCL 3 support were the HP DeskJet inkjet printer, and HP 2932 series and HP RuggedWriter 2235 dot matrix printers. PCL 3 is still in use on several impact printers which replaced the obsolete HP models.
• PCL 3+ (mono) and PCL 3c+ (color) are used on later HP DeskJet and HP PhotoSmart products.
• PCL 3GUI is used in the HP DesignJet, some DeskJet series printers, and OfficeJet series printers. It uses a compressed raster format that is not compatible with standard PCL 3.
• PCL 4 was introduced on the HP LaserJet Plus in 1985, adding macros, larger bitmapped fonts and graphics. PCL 4 is still popular for many applications.
• PCL 5 was released on the HP LaserJet III in March 1990, adding Intellifont font scaling (developed by Compugraphic, now part of Agfa), outline fonts and HP-GL/2 (vector) graphics.
• PCL 5e (PCL 5 enhanced) was released on the HP LaserJet 4 in October 1992 and added bi-directional communication between the printer and the PC and Windows fonts.
• PCL 5c introduced color support on the HP PaintJet 300XL and HP Color LaserJet in 1992.

HP introduced PCL 6 around 1995 with the HP LaserJet 5 printers. It consists of:

• PCL 6 "Enhanced": An object-oriented PDL optimized for printing from GUI interfaces such as Windows and compressed to optimize throughput. Formerly known as PCL XL or PXL.
• PCL 6 Standard: Equivalent to PCL 5e or PCL 5c, intended to provide backward compatibility.
• Font synthesis: Provides scalable fonts, font management and storage of forms and fonts.

PCL 6 "Enhanced" architecture was altered to be more modular and more easily modified for future HP printers, to print complex graphics faster, reduce network traffic, and provide higher quality. In early implementations, HP did not market PCL 6 well

PJL (Printer Job Language) was introduced on the HP LaserJet IIIsi. PJL adds job level controls, such as printer language switching, job separation, environment commands, status feedback, device attendance and file system commands.

• CaPSL
• Encapsulated PostScript
• Foomatic
• Hewlett-Packard Raster Transfer Language (HP RTL)
• GNU Plotutils
• PostScript Printer Description
• Ghostscript

• "PCL 5e Technical Reference Manual Part 2" (PDF). Hewlett-Packard. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
• "PCL 5 Comparison Guide Addendum" (PDF). Hewlett-Packard. Retrieved 2017-06-22.

• "PCL 3 and PCL 5/6 Features and Differences". Hewlett-Packard. Archived from the original on 2006-04-04. Retrieved 2008-03-13.