Page description language
Encyclopedia
A page description language (PDL) is a language that describes the appearance of a printed page in a higher level than an actual output bitmap
Bitmap
In computer graphics, a bitmap or pixmap is a type of memory organization or image file format used to store digital images. The term bitmap comes from the computer programming terminology, meaning just a map of bits, a spatially mapped array of bits. Now, along with pixmap, it commonly refers to...

. An overlapping term is printer control language, but it should not be confused as referring solely to Hewlett-Packard's PCL. PostScript
PostScript
PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...

, one of the most noted page description languages, is a fully fledged programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....

, but many PDLs are not complete enough to be considered a programming language. The markup language
Markup language
A markup language is a modern system for annotating a text in a way that is syntactically distinguishable from that text. The idea and terminology evolved from the "marking up" of manuscripts, i.e. the revision instructions by editors, traditionally written with a blue pencil on authors' manuscripts...

 adaption of the PDL is the page description markup language
Page description markup language
A page description markup language is a type of markup language that is used to describe the appearance of a printed page. It is a markup adaption of the Page description language , and is often created using XML....

.

Page description languages are textual or binary data streams. In principle, the same data stream could be rendered multiple times to generate multiple copies of the same image. They are distinct from graphics APIs
Application programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...

 such as GDI
Graphics Device Interface
The Graphics Device Interface is a Microsoft Windows application programming interface and core operating system component responsible for representing graphical objects and transmitting them to output devices such as monitors and printers....

 and OpenGL
OpenGL
OpenGL is a standard specification defining a cross-language, cross-platform API for writing applications that produce 2D and 3D computer graphics. The interface consists of over 250 different function calls which can be used to draw complex three-dimensional scenes from simple primitives. OpenGL...

 that can be called by software to generate graphical output.

List

Various page description languages exist:
  • AFP
    Advanced Function Presentation
    Advanced Function Presentation is a presentation architecture and family of associated printer software and hardware that provides for document and information presentation independent of specific applications and devices....

    , Advanced Function Presentation (IBM)
  • CPCL, Comtec Printer Control Language (Zebra, Comtec)
  • Diablo
  • DPL, Datamax Printer Language
  • DTPL, Datamax Ticket Printer Language
  • DVI, Device Independent
  • EPL
    Eltron Programming Language
    Eltron Programming Language is a printer control language used to produce printed paper labels for various Eltron model printers.Newer printers support also the Zebra Programming Language ....

    , Eltron Programming Language
  • ESC/P
    ESC/P
    ESC/P is a command language developed by Epson to control computer printers. It was mainly used in dot matrix printers and some inkjet printers. During the era of dot matrix printers, it was also used by other manufacturers , sometimes in modified form...

    , Epson Standard Code for Printers, simple language mainly used in dot matrix printer
    Dot matrix printer
    A dot matrix printer or impact matrix printer is a type of computer printer with a print head that runs back and forth, or in an up and down motion, on the page and prints by impact, striking an ink-soaked cloth ribbon against the paper, much like the print mechanism on a typewriter...

    s
  • ESC/P2, an expanded version of ESC/P
  • HP-GL and HP-GL/2, geometric language introduced by Hewlett-Packard
    Hewlett-Packard
    Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...

     for pen plotters, still in use today for technical drawings
  • InterPress
    InterPress
    InterPress is a page description language developed at Xerox PARC, based on the Forth programming language and an earlier graphics language called JaM...

  • IPDS
    IPDS
    Intelligent Printer Data Stream is InfoPrint Solution Company's Systems Application Architecture host-to-printer data stream for Advanced Function Presentation subsystems...

    , Intelligent Printer Data Stream (by IBM
    IBM
    International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

    )
  • KPDL, Kyocera
    Kyocera
    is a multinational manufacturer based in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. The company has diversified its founding technology in ceramic materials through internal development as well as strategic mergers and acquisitions...

     Page Description Language
  • LCDS/Metacode, a Xerox
    Xerox
    Xerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...

     print stream format used in their older high-speed printers
  • MODCA
    MODCA
    MO:DCA is an IBM compound document format for text and graphics elements in a document. The 'Mixed Object' moniker refers to the fact that a MO:DCA file can contain multiple types of objects, including text, images, vector graphics, and even objects marked as 'barcodes'...

     (IBM)
  • MTPL, Mannesmann Tally Printer Language
  • PCL
    Printer Command Language
    Printer Command Language, more commonly referred to as PCL, is a page description language developed by Hewlett-Packard as a printer protocol and has become a de facto industry standard. Originally developed for early inkjet printers in 1984, PCL has been released in varying levels for thermal,...

    , Printer Command Language (Hewlett-Packard
    Hewlett-Packard
    Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...

    )
  • PDF
    Portable Document Format
    Portable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....

    , Portable Document Format (Adobe Systems
    Adobe Systems
    Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...

    )
  • PostScript
    PostScript
    PostScript is a dynamically typed concatenative programming language created by John Warnock and Charles Geschke in 1982. It is best known for its use as a page description language in the electronic and desktop publishing areas. Adobe PostScript 3 is also the worldwide printing and imaging...

     (Adobe Systems
    Adobe Systems
    Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...

    )
  • PPDS, Personal Printer Data Stream by IBM
    IBM
    International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...

  • RPCS
    Refined Printing Command Stream
    Refined Printing Command Stream, also known as RPCS, is a vector-based printing/duplicating control protocol, designed for communication between Microsoft Windows PC clients, and several lines of Ricoh copiers...

    , Refined Printing Command Stream by Ricoh
    Ricoh
    or Ricoh, is a Japanese company that was established in 1936 on February 6th, as , a company in the RIKEN zaibatsu. Its headquarters is located in Ricoh Building in Chūō, Tokyo....

  • SPL, Samsung Printer Language, specifications are available at http://splix.ap2c.org/
  • SVG
    Scalable Vector Graphics
    Scalable Vector Graphics is a family of specifications of an XML-based file format for describing two-dimensional vector graphics, both static and dynamic . The SVG specification is an open standard that has been under development by the World Wide Web Consortium since 1999.SVG images and their...

    , an XML-based graphics description language primarily developed for the World Wide Web
    World Wide Web
    The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...

  • XPS
    XML Paper Specification
    Open XML Paper Specification , is an open specification for a page description language and a fixed-document format originally developed by Microsoft as XML Paper Specification that was later standardized by Ecma International as international standard ECMA-388...

    , XML Paper Specification introduced in Windows Vista
  • ZJS, Zenographics ZjStream Page Description Language
  • ZPL
    Zebra (programming language)
    The Zebra Programming Language is a Printer description language. It is used primarily for labeling applications. The original ZPL was advanced to ZPL II, but a full compatibility with the older version is not given...

    , Zebra Programming Language


Some of these languages are or have been made open standards. There are also other proprietary languages whose details are not publicly disclosed.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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