Using HBPL printers in Linux

This is a Linux driver I wrote for printers that use Host Based Printer Language version 1. You cannot use these printers in Linux without my driver. Known HBPLv1 printer models are:

Dell 1250c
Dell C1660w
Dell C1760nw
Epson AcuLaser C1700
Fuji-Xerox DocuPrint CP105b

There's also an HBPLv2, already supported in Linux, which compresses image data more efficiently. Less expensive printers tend to avoid version 2, either because it requires more processing power, or because it uses patented technology.

This list may be incomplete. If the self-test page says "HBPL" but the printer won't work with Linux, it's probably version 1. To use an HBPLv1 printer, either download this modified foo2zjs package or apply this patch to the offical foo2zjs release.

The essential commands are:

foo2hbpl1 to convert PBM, PGM, PPM, and PAM CMYK images to HBPLv1 format.
foo2hbpl1-wrapper to convert Postscript and PDF documents to HBPLv1 format.
hbpldecode to convert HBPL files, including those generated in other operating systems, to PGM or PPM images.

Images to print should be 5100x6600 pixels for US Letter paper or 4961x7016 pixels for A4 paper. Resolution is always 600x600 dpi. Stay at least 50 pixels (2mm) away from the edges to avoid clipping.

Printing HBPL files is easy -- either "cat" them to the printer device (/dev/usb/lp0 in my case), or use the "lpr" command.