HP L 5 manual Introduction

Introduction

The PCL printer language has four color modes:

•Black-and-White

•Simple Color

•PCL Imaging

•HP-GL/2 Imaging

PCL allows you to use any mode or combination of modes to accomplish your printing objectives most efficiently.

All four of the color modes create a palette. The palette for each mode is discussed in the section describing that mode, and also in Appendix C (“Using Palettes”).

Black-and-White Mode (Default)

Black-and-White Mode is the default color mode. PCL devices power up in this mode and revert back to it whenever the printer receives an ?E reset. Black-and-White mode is also selectable using the Simple Color command (?*r1U). This mode creates an unmodifiable, default 2-pen palette, with white at index 0 and black at index 1 (compatible with existing monochrome PCL 5 printers).

Simple Color Mode

Simple Color Mode, entered by the Simple Color command (?*r#U), creates a fixed-size, fixed-color, unmodifiable palette. Depending on the value field, ?*r#U can create a 2-pen Black-and-White palette, an 8-pen RGB palette, or an 8-pen CMY palette. When using the Simple Color mode, the pixel encoding mode is always indexed planar.

PCL Imaging Mode

PCL Imaging Mode, enabled by the Configure Image Data command (?*v#W), allows a maximum of 24 bits per pixel for color specification. Therefore, more colors (produced by halftoning) may be specified than are obtainable in Simple Color Mode. In the PCL Imaging Mode, pixel encoding mode, bits per pixel, bits per primary, white/black references, and the color palette are all programmable.

B-2 Using Color Modes (Color LaserJet, 5, 5M, DeskJet) EN