File Formats: Printer Command Language Format (PCL)/(PCL-XL)

The Printer Command Language (PCL) vector format was developed by Hewlett-Packard specifically to allow computers and printers to communicate with each other. The PCL files consists of  commands. The HP printers parse and decode those commands. The PCL format also supports HPGL. For more information about HPGL, refer to PLT.

In the raster toolkits, PCL files are rasterized when loaded but cannot be saved. Loading and saving this format as a vector file are provided in the LEADTOOLS Vector Imaging Pro toolkit and are unlocked when the Vector features are unlocked.

LEAD supports version 3.0, 5.0 and 6.0 of this file format.

The default extensions used by this format are: PRN, PRT, PCL and Pxl.

This format is used by Visual PCL, PCLTOOLS, redtitan EscapE and AutoVue.

This file format does not support layers or grouping, but it does support embedded raster objects.

PCL filter provides support for:

File constants associated with this file format are:

Constant

Read Support

Write Support

Description

FILE_PCL

Yes

Yes

[251] Printer Command Language © Hewlett Packard.

FILE_PLT

Yes

Yes

[137] HPGL © Hewlett-Packard.

FILE_PCLXL

Yes

No

[349] Printer Command Language ©XL/6- Hewlett Packard.

FILE_PCL_TEXT_AS_POLYLINE

Yes

Yes

[299] Used to enforce saving text as polyline.

When PCL files are rasterized, they are 24 BPP. You can read and write vector PCL files at 24 BPP.
When PLT files are rasterized, they are 4 BPP.

 

The following table indicates which objects LEAD can load and which objects it can save:

Object:

Load:

Save:

Arc

Supported

Supported

Circle

Supported

Supported

Lines

Supported

Supported

Pie

Supported

Supported

Point

Supported

Supported

PolyBezier

Supported

Not Supported

PolyDraw

Supported

Not Supported

Polygons

Supported

Not Supported

Polyline

Supported

Not Supported

Raster

Supported

Supported

Rectangle

Supported

Supported

Text

Supported

Supported

 

Required DLL: LFPCL. For a listing of the exact DLLs needed, based on the toolkit version, refer to Files To Be Included With Your Application.

Related Formats: CGM - Computer Graphics Metafile, CMX - Corel Presentation Exchange Format, DGN - Intergraph Format, DRW - Micrografx Designer DRaWing, DWF - DWF Format, DWG - DWG Format, DXF - Drawing Interchange Format, EMF - Windows Metafile Formats, GBR - Gerber FormatPCT - Macintosh Pict Format, PLT - PLT / HPGL Format, SHP - ESRI Shape Format, SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics Format, VEC - LEADTOOLS Vector Dump Format, VPG - WordPerfect Vector Format, WMF - Windows Metafile Formats, WMZ - Compressed Windows Metafile Format, E00 - ArcInfo Interchange File Format, MIF - MapInfo Interchange File Format.

Platforms

Win32, x64.