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

21-16 The Polygon Group EN
The following shape has seven points.
Figure 21-11
Counting the Points in a Circle or Arc
When a circle or arc defines a polygon, the number of points depends
on the number of chords in the arc. There is always one more point
than the number of chords, because the starting location is counted
again as the ending location. Use the following formula to determine
the number of points used to draw a circle or arc:
Using this formula, a full circle with the default chord angle of 5°
consists of 73 points (360/5 + 1 = 73), and a 45° arc with a chord
angle of 3° consists of 16 points (45/3 + 1 = 16).
Notes If the chord angle does not divide evenly into the arc, round up to the
next integer before adding one: 45/2 + 1 = 23 + 1 = 24.
In polygon mode, the smaller a circle’s chord angle, the more chords
will be stored in the polygon buffer to draw it.