Decoded PCL Commands:

			values-----------------	PCL *
Parm	group	command	default	min	max	version	description
------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------	-----------------------------------------
!							
"							
#							
$							
%							
	<none>						
		A	0	0	1	... 5	Enter PCL Mode (from HPGL only!) (prevcursor=0,pencursor=1)
		B	0	0	1	... 5	Enter HP-GL/2 Mode (prevpenpos=0,pclpinpos=1)
	-						
		X	12345			    5	Universal Exit Language Command
&							
	a						
		C		0	lprb	  345	Horizontal Cursor Positioning, Columns
		G	0 	0	2	 .. 5	Duplex Page Side Selection Command (next=0,front=1,back=2)
		H		0	lprb	  345	Horizontal Cursor Positioning, Decipoints
		L	0	0	rm	  345	Left Margin Command.
		M	lprb	lprb	lm-lprb	  345	Right Margin Command.
		P	0	90,180,270	 ...5	Print Direction Command.
		R		-32767	+32767	  345	Vertical Cursor Positioning, Rows
		V		-32767	+32767	  345	Vertical Cursor Positioning, Decipoints
	b						
		F	0	0	1	      c	Color Finish Mode
		W				      	Configure AppleTalk
	c						
		T	0	-1	0	    5	Character Text Path Direction (horizontal=0, vertical-rotated=-1)
	d						
		@	<none>			  345	Disable Underline Command
		D	0	0,3		  345	Underline Command (fixed=0, float=3)
	f						
		S	0	0	1	 .. 5	Push/Pop Cursor Position Command (Push=0, Pop=1)
		X		0	10	 ..45	Macro Control (define=0,stopdef=1,exec=2,Call=3,overlay=4,dontoverlay=5,delall=6,deltemp=7,dellast=8,maketemp=9,makeperm=10)
		Y	0	0	32767	 ..45	Macro ID
	k
		H		0	32767	  345	Horizontal Motion Index (HMI) in 1/120"
		G	0	0 		  345	Line Termination Command (CR-LF-FF=0,CR&LF-LF-FF=1,CR-CR&LF-CR&FF=2,CR&LF-CR&LF-CR-FF=3)
		W		0	2	  3..	Print carrage direction. (Unidirectional left-right=0,bidirectional=1, uni right-left=2)
	l						
		A	2 	1	32767	  345	Page Size Command (letter=2,exec=1,legal=3,ledg=6,A4=26,A3=27,Mon=80,Com81,DL=90,C5=91,B5=100)
		C	8	0	32767	  345	Vertical
		D	6	1	48	  345	Line Spacing Command (in lines/inch,sets VMI 1,2,3,4,6,8,12,16,24,48)
		E	0.5"	0	lpl	  345	Top Margin Command (in lines VMI).
		F	mtl-.5"			  345	Text Length Command (in lines VMI).
		G	1	1,2		 .. 5	Output Bin Selection Command (upper=1, lower=2)
		H		0	6	  345	Paper Source Paper Source Command (prev=0,spec=1,man=2,menv=3,lower=4,opt=5,env=6
		L	1	0	1	  345	Perforation Skip Command (disable=0,enable=1)
		M	0	0	?	  345	Media type (plain paper=0)
		O	0	0	3	  345	Orientation Command (port=0,land=1,revport=2,revl=3
		P	60			  3..	Page length, number of lines Obsolete
		S	0	0	2	 .. 5	Duplex/Simplex Command (none=0,long=1,short=2
		T	1			 .. 5	Job Seperation Command.
		U	0	-32767	+32767	 .. 5	Left Offset Registration Command.
		X	1	+1	+32767	 .. 5	Number of Copies Command.
		Z 	0	-32767	+32767	 .. 5	Top Offset Registration Command.
	n						
		W	0	2	512	 .. 5	Alphanumeric ID Command
	p						
		X		0	32767	  345	Transparent print Data Command
	r						
		F	0	0	1	  . 5	Flush All Pages Command (completepgs=0,allpgs=1)
	s						
		C	0	0	1	  345	End of Line Character Wrap (nowrap=1, wrap=0) see: wrapping words
	u						
		D 	300	75	7200	  345	Unit of Measure Setting. (dots::96,100,120,144,150,160,180,200,225,240,288,300,360,400,450,480,600,720,800,900,1200,1440,1800,2400,2600,7200)
'							
(							
	<none>						
		<group>		0	65535	  345	Symbol Set Command, Primary (normally 0-16)
		@	3	3	3		Select Default Font Command
		X	0	0	32767		Font Selection by ID Command
	f						
		W		0	32767	  . 5	Define Symbol Set (not for ")")
	s						
		B	0	-7	+7	  345	Font Selection Stroke Weight Command (3=bold, -3=light)
		H	10	0	65535	  345	Font Selection Pitch Command (practical range 4-999.75)
		P	0	0	1	  345	Font Selection Spacing Command (Fixed Spacing=0, Proportional=1)
		Q				  3 .	Print quality (Draft=1, Letter=2)
		S	0	0	32767	  345	Font Selection Style Command (italic=||1,cond=||4,comp=||8,expand=||24,outline=||32,shadow=||128)
		T	spec	0	65535	  345	Font Selection Typeface Family (Courier=4099, Arial=16602, Times=4101, Univers=4148)
		V	12	.25	999.75	  345	Font Selection Height Command
		W		0	32767	  345	Character Definition Command (w/ <value> bytes of binary data)
)							
	s						
		W	0	0	32767	  345	Font Header Command (not for "(")
*							
	b						
		B	0	0	2	  3??	Grey Balance (DJ?) (default=0, enable=1, disable=2)
		V	0	0	32767	  345	Transfer Raster by Color Plane
		Y		0	32767	  345	Raster Y Offset Command
		M	0	0	5	  . 5	Set Compression Method Command (none=0,rl=1,tiff4=2,dr=3,adaptive=5
		W	0	0	32767	  345	Transfer Raster Data Command (w/ <value> bytes of binary data)
	c						
		A	0	0	32767	  . 5	Horizontal Rectangle Size Command, PCL units (dots)
		B	0	0	32767	  . 5	Vertical Rectangle Size Command, PCL Units (dots)
		D	0	0	32767	  345	Font ID Command
		E	0	0	65535	  345	Character Code Command
		F		0	6	  345	Font Control Command (delallsoft=0,delalltemp=1,dellastsoft=2,delchar=3,maketemp=4,makeperm=5,copyastemp=6)
		G	0	0	32767	  . 5	pattern ID (Area Fill ID) Command (value is percent shade or pattern id number)
		H	0	0	32767	  . 5	Horizontal Rectangle Size Command, Decipoints
		K	pfw	0	32767	  . 5	HP-GL/2 Plot Horizontal Size
		L	pfh	0	32767	  . 5	HP-GL/2 Plot Vertical Size
		P	0	0	5	  . 5	Fill Rectangular Area Command (blank=0,white=1,shade=2,hatch=3,user=4,current=5)
		Q	0	0	5	  . 5	pattern Control Command (delall=0,deltemp=1,dellast=2,maketemp=4,makeperm=5)
		R	0	0	32767	  . 5	Symbol Set ID Code Command
		S		0	5	  . 5	Symbol Set Control Command 0,1,2,3,4,5
		T	0	0	0	  . 5	Set Picture Fram Anchor Point (for HPGL graphics)
		V	0	0	32767	  . 5	Vertical Rectangle Size Command, Decipoints
		W	0	0	32767	  . 5	User-Defined Pattern Command (w/ <value> bytes of binary data)
		X	lprb	0	32767	  . 5	Horizontal Picture Frame Size, Decipoints (defines pfw for HPGL graphics)
		Y	dtl	0	32767	  . 5	Vertical Picture Frame Size, Decipoints (defines pfh for HPGL graphics)
	g	W	0	0	32767?	  3	Configure Raster Data^ ^ (pg75)
	i						
		W				  . 5	Color Set Viewing Illuminant
	l						
		O	252	0	255	  . 5	RGB Logical Operation
		R	0	0	1	  . 5	Pixel Placement (0 = grid intersection, 1 = grid center)
		W				  . 5	Color Modification Lookup Tables
	m	W				  . 5	Download Dither Matrix
	o						
		D	0			  3..	Raster Graphics Depletion
		M	0	0	?	  . 5	Print Quality (Economy/Draft=0)
		Q	0			  3..	Raster Graphics Shingling.
	p						
		N	0	0	4	  3 .	Print Mode for Graphics (default=0,bidirectional=1,left-right=2,right-left=3,conditional bidirectional=4)
		P	0	0	1		Push/Pop Palette (push=0,pop=1)
		R	0	0	1	  . 5	Set pattern Reference Point Command (rotate=0,fixed=1)
		X		0	lprb	  345	Horizontal Cursor Positioning, PCL units (dots)
		Y		-32767	+32767	  345	Vertical Cursor Positioning, PCL units (dots)
	r						
		A	0	0	1	  345	Start Raster Graphics Command (atdefault=0,atcursor=1)
		B				  .4   	LJ III/IIID of *rC End Raster Graphics Command. See pg 15-36 PCL5 Tech Ref (Oct 1992).
		C				  345	End Raster Graphics, as *rB plus: Set compression mode and left margin to 0 
		F	3	0,3		  . 5	Raster Graphics Presentation Mode Command (logical=0,physical=3)
		J				  .	Render Raster Image method (errdif=4,
		Q	1	1	2	  3 .	Set Graphics Quality (Draft=1,Letter=2)
		S		0	lpl-y	  345	Raster Height Command
		T		0	lpl-lgm	  . 5	Raster Width Command
		U				  345	Simple Color Make palette (b/w=1,=-4,=-3=3
	s						
		I		0	4	  . 5	Inquire Status readback Entity Command (font=0,macro=1,userpattern=2,symbolset=3fontextended=4)
		M	1	1	1	  . 5	Free Space Command
		T	0	0,1,2,3,4,5,7	  . 5	Set Status Readback Location Type Command (none=0,current=1,all=2,internal=3,download=4,cart=5,rom=7)
		U	0	0	spec	  . 5	Set Status Readback Location Unit Command (all=0, then Highest to Lowest priority device)
		X	0	-32767	+32767	  . 5	Echo Command
	t						
		H	0	0	32767	  . 5	Destination Raster Width
		I	0	0.0	32767.0	  . 5	Gamma Correction, Optimize color gamuts with white/black reference adjustment
		J	3	0	19	  . 5	Render Algorithm Use printer internal rendering to optimise color
		R	75	75	1200	  345	Raster Graphics Resolution Command (75,100,150,200,300,600,1200)
		V	0	0	32767	  . 5	Destination Raster Height
	v						
		A	0	0	32767	  . 5	Color Component 1
		B	0	0	32767	  . 5	Color Component 2
		C	0	0	32767	  . 5	Color Component 3
		I	0	0	2^n-1	  . 5	Assign Color Index (n is the #bits per index)
		N	0	0	1	  . 5	Source Transparency Mode (trans=0,opaque=1)
		O	0	0	1	  . 5	Pattern transparency Mode (trans=0,opaque=1)
		S				  3   c	Choose forground color from palette default is 0, range is modulo(palette size)
		T	0	0	4	  . 5	Select Current Pattern Command (black=0,white=1,shade=2,hatch=3,user=4)
		W	 	6	18	  . 5	Configure Color Image data
+							
,							
-							
.							
/							
=						  . 5	Half-Line Feed Command
9						  345	Clear Margins Horizontal
E						12345	Reset the printer
Y						  345	Display Functions
Z						  345	Stop Display Functions



Maximum Text Length
=int(lpl-tm)
Logical Page Length
Logical Page Right Bound
Top Margin
Left Margin
Right Margin


Version: The version column in the table above shows the verson of PCL where each command was first introduced, when that is known. A dot (".") shows that the command is certainly NOT available in the version indicated by the column the dot appears in. An empty space indicates that it is not known if this command was available in that version. PCL command references prior to PCL 5 would be VERY desirable.

Many thanks to the anonymous user from the Oklahoma Farm Bureau (12.157.34.254) for corrections to this list!

Questions:

See also:

Code:

Comments: