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

17-2 An Introduction to HP-GL/2 Vector Graphics EN
Learning HP-GL/2
Read through this chapter and Chapter 18 for a general overview
of the HP-GL/2 language and its relationship to the PCL printer
language. Then, flip through the other HP-GL/2 chapters until you
see an example that interests you or fits your objective. Read through
the examples and try printing them using your choice of programming
languages. If you need help converting the generic commands shown
in the examples to a programming language, see “Using HP-GL/2
with Programming Languages” later in this chapter.
As you see unfamiliar commands, find the page number of the
command description in the index and read about the command.
Think of an application that you would like to program and then look
for an example that uses some of the elements you desire. After
trying some examples and seeing how the commands interact,
you should be well on your way to learning the HP-GL/2 language.
This chapter describes the interaction between the PCL printer
language and HP-GL/2 modes and introduces the following topics:
z HP-GL/2 Commands and Syntax
z Using HP-GL/2 with Programming Languages
z The HP-GL/2 Coordinate System
z HP-GL/2 and PCL Orientation Interactions
z The Vector Graphics Limits
z Units of Measure
z Pen Status and Location
z Defining the Image Area (PCL Picture Frame)
z Scaling
z Automatically Adjusting Image Size
z Absolute and Relative Pen Movement
Chapter 18 covers more HP-GL/2 fundamentals, and Chapters 19
through 23 discuss HP-GL/2 commands and their syntax.