PCL-5 VS PCL-6

[Mohamed Khashba]

Hi
I read many times about PCL-5 and PCL-6 but i didn't understand which is better for my printer HP laserjet 2300L... could any one explane to me which to choose and why??
and the main differences between the 2 drivers


thanks for the help

[razzer]

they are similiar.pcl 6 may work better for newer microsoft applications.one difference is that PCL 6 is a non rendering driver.so everything is rendered on the pc and then sent to the printer.supposed to be faster to get back to an application.

[Ron Silver_1]

Java based applications seem to run better on PCL5 also some open souce may run better on PCL5. I would do a custom install and install both PCL5 and PCL6 and then select the PCL5 as the default and if it dosen't work well go to the PCL6 whichever one you mark as default is the one that you use the most.

[Kenneth Chan_2]

Mohamed,

Both Razzer and Ron have valid points.

I recently read in a document somewhere that PCL6 was designed in such a way as to be similar to the MicroSoft Windows GDI model for printers and this is why it is becoming increasingly popular - hence Razzer's point.

PCL6 (also known as PCL XL), however, is extremely difficult to understand and therefore program with and debug if you get errors. On the otherhand, PCL 5 is well understood and relatively easy and many 3rd party vendors use PCL5 - hence Ron's point.

For 99.9% of users who do not program in these languages, it doesn't matter which they use so long as its fast and does the job. However, I like to use languages that I understand and can program in, hence if I had a choice between PCL5 and PCL6, I would choose PCL5 but my actual preference is for another language called PostScript see :-

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?threadId=1377455

regards

Ken

[Chris H]

Ken

>> ... I like to use languages that I understand ...
>> ... preference is for another language called PostScript ...

But PostScript itself has quite a steep learning curve, especially given its 'post-fix' notation.

I personally find PCL XL quite easy (once you are familiar with the structure).

PostScript is much more powerful than most other printer languages; this is because it is actually a 'procedural' language in its own right, whereas most other printer languages are 'declarative' (I'm not sure I'm using the correct terms here).

But that power usually requires more resources (memory and processor power) than the simpler languages.


... and what about PDF and XPS?


Chris