HP-GL/2 Driver: Nine times out of ten, you’ll use the HP-GL/2 driver for wide format printing on a Microsoft Windows platform. It sends print jobs to be processed at the printer (vs the computer) in a vector format. Better line accuracy is achieved with an HP-GL/2 driver. This is the preferred driver for CAD files.
PostScript Driver: Specific applications like Autodesk Revit, Bentley MicroStation, Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, take advantage of the postscript driver for better image quality when printing things like renderings, presentations, high quality images. Only HP and Océ provide a Genuine Adobe PostScript Driver. Others turn to a free postscript driver, such as Ghostscript. If consistent accuracy and compatibility are important to you, choose the genuine Adobe postscript driver. You just may have to pay a little more for it. But, then again, how much would it cost you if design details miss a dimension or are off on the scale.
HP PCL3 Driver: In rare occasions, you’ll use the HP PCL3 driver. This driver is typically used for small format printers to print from desktop applications like Microsoft office. It’s not recommended for wide format printing of CAD files. Most IT support staff aren’t as familiar with wide format as they are with small format and will download and install PCL 3 drivers if nobody advises them to install HP-GL/2 or Postscript drivers.
For Mac users, the postscript or PCL 3 drivers can be used for wide format printing. This is usually determined by the application, i.e. Adobe Creative Suite, ArchiCAD, Sketchup Pro.
Print away!
