HPGL plotters?

[Wookey]

+++ Olly Betts [05-09-29 16:13 +0100]:
> I was wondering what to do with "printhpgl".  The other printer drivers
> (printps, printpcl, and printdm) are pretty much supplanted by the Aven
> printing framework now, but I'm not sure what the situation is with
> driving HPGL plotters from either UNIX or MS Windows printer drivers.
> 
> One option is just to let it live on as it is.  But I'd rather not have
> to do a parallel implementation of printing of LRUD data - the effort
> is better directed elsewhere I feel.  So this is likely to remain
> centre-line only.
> 
> Another option is to slot HPGL into the "Export" framework (like printps
> was the basis for the EPS export option).  This would probably lose the
> ability to split output over multiple sheets, but the main reason for
> using a pen plotter is that it can handle a large sheet of paper, so
> that's perhaps not a problem.  (Export doesn't currently include LRUD
> but I'm going to add that soon.)
> 
> Or perhaps HPGL is essentially dead now.  The big A0 or A1 "plotters"
> which UK universities usually have seem to actually be inkjet or laser
> printers and take PostScript.
> 
> So if anyone out there is using printhpgl, please speak up!

I still do, as I have an A0 plotter. I use it for large centreline plots
before drawing. Although if all drawing is now done on the computer then
I'll only use it for final output. As you say I don't care about the
multi-page aspect.

I would _really_ like to be able to convert PDF or SVG to HPGL, even if it
lost all the areas, because professional plotting is very expensive at
A1/A0. It shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to plot the walls and symbols
on HPGL, but that's largely a tunnel/therion issue rather than a survex one.

Wookey
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