HP 5961-0509 manual Printed Dots, HP LaserJet printer, More information

Printed Dots

The high quality output achieved by HP LaserJet printers is due in part to the ability to lay down a fine grid of “dots” on the page. The density of this grid is referred to as the printer’s resolution. From the first HP LaserJet (the “LaserJet Classic”) until recently, all HP LaserJet family printers printed at a resolution of 300 dots-per-inch. In a one inch square, the printer could print a dot anywhere in a grid of up to 300 dots horizontally by 300 dots vertically, for a total of 90,000 possible dot locations per square inch (300 × 300 = 90,000).

The LaserJet 4 printer is capable of printing at either 300 or 600 dpi resolution. At 600 dots-per-inch, it becomes possible to print up to 360,000 dots per square inch (600 x 600 = 360,000). Print resolution of LaserJet 4 is selectable and can be specified either from the printer’s control panel or programmed through PJL commands.

	Figure 2-1 300 vs 600 DPI Dot Sizes
Note	Refer to Appendix E of the PCL 5 Comparison Guide or the printer
	User’s Manual to determine the default print resolution for a specific
	HP LaserJet printer.
	The printer’s physical dot size has no direct bearing on the size of
	“PCL Units” used in cursor movements. PCL Units were previously
	referred to as “PCL dots”, but should not be confused with the
	printer’s physically printed dots. The size of PCL Units can also
	be specified (see the Unit of Measure Command in Chapter 4 for
	more information).

EN Printed Dots 2-3