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

EN HP-GL/2 Vector Graphics 24-9
HP-GL/2 Vector Graphics
There are different approaches (commands) and techniques that can
be used to create an HP-GL/2 image. To assist in determining the
most efficient approach to creating an image, several points are
identified below:
z When using line caps and joins:
• Most efficient - Round join with butt cap
• Least efficient - Round join with triangular cap
z When using text, if you want the character to be printed at the
same location as it would in PCL, use label origin position 21
(see “Label Origin” command, in Chapter 23).
z Default pen widths (5 dots wide or less) produce the highest
speed.
z Hewlett-Packard recommends using polygon mode when the
number of points in a polygon is 1000 or less.
z The Polyline Encoded command can reduce data by 60% to 70%.
z When drawing shapes, use a command that was designed to
draw that shape. For example, to draw a rectangle, use the ER
command to produce it, instead of stroking the shape line by line.
z When drawing arcs or circles, use the Bezier commands to
eliminate the need to compute the chord angle, thus resulting in
better quality and efficiency.
z To Scale text, use the HP-GL/2 font selection commands, such as
SD or AD, that use Intellifont or TrueType to scale the text. Scaling
text in HP-GL/2, using the SR or SI commands, is much less
efficient.
z Font transformations in HP-GL/2, such as mirroring, scaling,
slanting, rotating, and outlining are very processing intensive.
An ‘‘ERROR 21’’ (print overrun) may occur. The error can be
controlled by using the HP LaserJet “Page Protection” feature.