HP 5961-0509 manual Using Fonts, Printing with Fixed-Spaced and Proportional Fonts

Using Fonts

In HP-GL/2 mode, the printer uses three different types of fonts:

zScalable fonts — Characters can be displayed at any size. The characters are defined as a set of points on the outline of a character and corresponding mathematical relationships describing the interaction between these outline points. A scalable outline character can be resized (using SI and SR), rotated (using DI and DR), and distorted (using SL).

zBitmap fonts — Characters defined as an array of dots in a raster pattern. A bitmap character cannot be transformed using SI, SR, or SL, but they can be used with all of the other commands in this chapter (see the SB command). Bitmap characters are always placed in an orthogonal direction (to the PCL page) closest to the print direction established using the DI and DR commands (see Figure 23-17).

zStick and Arc fonts — Characters are drawn as a series of vectors. The characters are defined as a set of endpoints. You can resize (using SI or SR), rotate (using DI and DR), and distort (using SL) Stick fonts. Stick fonts are defined on a dimensionless grid. The main body of each character fits within a 32- by 32-unit box, with descenders extending beneath. The Stick font is fixed-spaced, and the Arc font is proportional.

Printing with Fixed-Spaced and Proportional Fonts

Proportional fonts, by definition, use different amounts of horizontal space for each letter. This variation produces some differences in the definition of the character cell, and in the way some of the labeling commands work with these fonts. These differences are described in this section.

EN Using Fonts 23-15