HP PCL/PJL reference (PCL 5 Printer Language) - Technical Reference Manual Part II

EN AA, Arc Absolute 20-11

z For a specific chord angle, a circle or arc always has the same

number of chords, regardless of its size. For example, for the

default chord angle, a circle is always composed of 72 chords

(360°/5° per chord = 72 chords). This results in larger circles

appearing less smooth than smaller circles with the same chord

angle; setting the chord angle to a smaller number will help large

circles or arcs appear more smooth (see Figure 20-8).

Figure 20-8 Changing Arc Smoothness with the Chord Angle

Table 20-6 Example: Varying the Chord Angle

E Reset the printer.

%ØB Enter HP-GL/2 mode.

IN; Initialize HP-GL/2 mode.

SP1; Select pen number 1. Even though there is no

physical pen, the SP command must be used to

enable printing.

PA2000,0; Specify (2000,0) as the starting point.

PD;AA0,0,45,25; With the pen down, draw a 45° arc (positive

angle) with center coordinates of (0,0) and a

chord angle of 25°.

PU1050,1060; Lift the pen and move to (1050,1060).

PD;AA0,0,-45,10; With the pen down, draw a 45° arc (negative

angle) using the same center point as the first

arc, but with a 10° chord angle.