Printer Drivers. What is the difference between PS, PCL and PCL6?

PS is PostScript and was created for Vector Graphics, commonly used for printing from Adobe products. PCL is Printer Command Language.

PCL 6 Enhanced is object-oriented PDL optimized for printing from GUI interfaces such as Windows and compressed to optimize throughput and formerly known as PCL XL. PCL 6 Standard is Equivalent to PCL 5e or PCL 5c, intended to provide backward compatibility.

Becareful, printing from non-Adobe products using a PS driver can cause the printer to print endless pages of PostScript code.

AdamL

Posted 2014-05-16T12:52:46.657

Reputation: 136

Also be careful of HP PCL6 because it's crap. – Alan B – 2015-12-15T15:12:15.027

@AlanB Why? What's wrong with it? – underscore_d – 2016-06-22T10:01:23.407

It's crash-prone. For example: https://www.reddit.com/r/Citrix/comments/3dyawx/citrix_ups_hp_printers_do_not_use_hp_universal/

– Alan B – 2016-06-22T10:28:51.460

1I concur with the "endless pages of PostScript". I've sometimes sent a print job where the PS driver asked the printer to do something it didn't understand... only to find a full ream of paper in the output tray with a single line of garbage across the top of each. By contrast, when I've had PCL drivers annoy a PCL printer, I'll usually get a single page with something like "UNKNOWN COMMAND" across the top. – Jemenake – 2016-10-20T22:47:28.733

Universal driver is said to be PCL independent rit? How is it communicating the drawing to the printer? But unidrv seems it cannot be used with Postscript printers, why is that? – Shameel Mohamed – 2017-05-26T09:58:27.337

On HP printers you can disable the endless pages of Postscript, and PCL. Of course this is 2+ years later. – cybernard – 2019-08-20T18:35:59.623

Printer Drivers. What is the difference between PS, PCL and PCL6?

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