How to create a PCL Form Overlay or Logo Macro

Posted on | December 1, 2009 | No Comments

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO CREATE A PCL FORM OVERLAY (or LOGO OVERLAY):
1. Open the form .PDF in the Reader or Word or any other Windows program.

2. Print to a HP LaserJet Series II or a HP Color LaserJet printer driver to file.  The default file extension is .PRN.   Override this generic print file extension and use .PCL instead.  This creates a Windows temporary printstream in PCL format, but is NOT SUITABLE for use as a PCL overlay.

3. Open PCLTool.exe (in PCLTool SDK Demo) or PCLWorks.exe Program ($89) and convert the .PCL file into .TIF format.

NOTE: If you start with a TIFF image (or, JPEG -TIFF is better), make sure that it is 300 dpi, the exact size or larger than what you need to appear on the printed 300 dpi page.  You can scale or adjust the horz. or vert. offsets of the the image in IMG2PCL.exe.

Edit the TIFF/JPEG file in Paint.exe to remove the signature or logo and save it into a new TIFF file.

4. Convert the .TIF file back into .PCL using the GUI IMG2PCL.exe (or, command line IMGCVT.exe) program.   This program creates a PCL file with one large raster object of the form overlay, along with no Reset, no FormFeed, a Macro ID and other escape codes needed to use it as an overlay.  NOTE: the default is set to “Append Test Page” in order to make the macro execute itself for your initial testing.  When you get the macro positioned properly, uncheck this option to create a macro that does not execute itself.

5. Use PCLCodes.exe to translate the .PCL overlay file into readable English if you need to better understand what the PCL is doing inside this file.

The minimum PageTech product required to accomplish the above steps 1. through 5. is PCLWorks Program for $89 at http://www.pagetech.com/orders.php.

We are selling you the tools to do this yourself.  And, it’s up to you to figure-out how to insert the signature into your PCL print stream.  With our PCLTool SDK, we provide the tools to intercept your existing PCL print files, insert the appropriate signatures/logos/forms where they need to go and optimize the file on-the-way to the printer.

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Category: IMG to PCL, PCL Form Overlay and Logo Macros
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