What's the differrence between PostScript, PCL 5e and PCL 6?

[IgoByte]

I've been wondering for some time what the difference between the different types of drivers is...
I have an HP LaserJet 5000N and currently use the PCL 6 driver. What difference does it make which one I use?

 

[IgoByte]

Anyone?

 

[Viper GTS]

PostScript and PCL are two different ways of describing a printed page. PostScript was developed by Adobe, & HP provides support for it through emulation. PCL is developed by HP. PCL History

Use PS for applications which actually utilize PS.
Use PCL 5e for graphics applications and for better backwards compatibility with older applications.
Use PCL 6 for Office type applications (Word, Excel, etc).

If you have problems with a particular driver, try one of the others. There is no set rule for deciding which to use, it's dependant on the application & the document you're working with. PCL 6 is significantly different from prior versions, so when in doubt use PCL 5e.

Viper GTS

 

[dszd0g]

Postscript is more industry standard and developed by Adobe.

PCL is HP's own thing. If one is not using an HP printer one generally wants to use Postscript (a lot of other brand printers do support PCL). If one is using an HP printer under Windows one generally wants to stick with PCL. However, sometimes printing from some Adobe software works better using Postscript drivers. You should be able to install both drivers for your HP printer and use the one that works best for your software.

Both PCL and Postscript are just command sets that the printer understands. I have a friend that actually has memorized a great deal of Postscript and can write a bit of it by hand and send it to a printer. He used to run a small printing business, so I guess it could be useful in that situation.

If one is using UN*X or a Macintosh, it is generally better (or required) to use Postscript if at all possible.

 

[dszd0g]

Aggh, Viper's post didn't show up until after I posted mine. You beat me to it

 

[GoodRevrnd]

I'm 99.9% sure you'll need to use PCL5e in most (if not all) DOS based apps.

 

[SocrPlyr]

Originally posted by: GoodRevrnd
I'm 99.9% sure you'll need to use PCL5e in most (if not all) DOS based apps.

Ditto... most dos progs don't like PCL6... 5e works fine tho...

Josh

 

[IgoByte]

Hmmm...that's pretty interesting. Thanks.

I'll read some more into this, because I'm interested in the benefits of each, and how exactly they are different.

 

[sechs]

Postscript is a much better language for printing. In fact, it's such a powerful language that a friend of mine in college did one of his class projects in it (note that this was a class on how to program operating systems and he was using PS instead of, say, C or C++).

That said, PCL is very likely the native language of your printer and is probably the best choice for it.

 

[dszd0g]

I agree with sechs, Postscript is far superior to PCL 5 at least. I'm not really familiar with PCL 6 so I can't comment on it, but I find it highly unlikely that it has improved enough to be competitive with Postscript, IMO.

[Edit: That said last I heard Adobe charged a lot for Postscript licenses. I have never been a big fan of high license fees on technology.]

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: dszd0g
I agree with sechs, Postscript is far superior to PCL 5 at least. I'm not really familiar with PCL 6 so I can't comment on it, but I find it highly unlikely that it has improved enough to be competitive with Postscript, IMO.

While I would whole-heartedly agree that PS is the superior language, keep in mind that this is EMULATED PS support, and PS level 2 at that.

I support these printers for a living, I'm far more familiar with the differences between the drivers than I would like to be.

Unless a user has a very specific need for PS, PCL is the way to go.

Viper GTS

 

[dszd0g]

Viper GTS, that is what I said before:

If one is using an HP printer under Windows one generally wants to stick with PCL.

All I was saying there is that Postscript was the superior language, not that this person wants to use Postscript.

Actually, when I think about it even under UN*X if he is using a UN*X with Jetadmin drivers he could use PCL under Unix and they do better with the Jetadmin drivers.

I agree with you. HP printers generally do better with PCL, with the exceptions I gave. Sometimes Adobe software will print blank pages when one uses PCL drivers, and won't print correctly until one uses the Postscript driver.

I worked at HP for four years, two of which as the head system admin for the building I was in (two divisions). I too have worked with way more HP printers than I would like. But I don't mean to turn that statement into any sort of pissing contest, just that I do know what I'm talking about here.