Pcl 5c vs. 6

[slim]

Is there andy situation where you should load PCL 5c vs. 6. I have had a few small problems with 6, so I always load 5. The problem would simply be that the communication/data light would come on for a few seconds and then go off with no "Failed Print" message at the workstation. It seems that the times I have seen it was at engineering firms. Used PCL5c to fix the problem.

[unisys12]

PCL5c is an older language, as opposed to PCL6 (aka PCL XL). Anytime you have problems with a MFP, no matter the brand, when printing with a PCL driver, you should always go back to a later version. In the case of a color MFP, this would mean backing from PCL6 to PCL5c. The same goes for B/W MFPs as well... back up from a PCL6 to a PCL5e.

What's the difference between the two (PCL6 vs PCL5c)? Glad you asked!

For the sake of keeping it simple...
PCL5c is the same as PCL5e, but with support for color print commands. Hince the "C".

Why the "e" at the end of PCL5e? Well, that is PCL5 enhanced. Hince the "e". It added bi-directional communication between the printer and the PC and Windows fonts. Ricoh machines don't actually use this "bi-directional communication" all to well, so I try not use it when I can. PCL6 makes the configuration of the driver to the MFP a lot simpler.

I could go on and on, but I won't, so I will give this link... Printer Command Language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That should cover about every question you might have.

[copyman20]

Try looking a the size of the data that is spooled and compare the difference in data size between PCE5e and PCL6 when you print. You will see that PCL6 spools so much more data.
Ever wander why PCL5e max resolution is 600dpi and PCL6 can go up to 2400dpi? All that data is going to take time to spool and time to transfer the data, and if there is any problwm with the communication between PC and printer, it just sits there and blincks at you, and then you want to kick the mfp in the NUTS!!!

[slim]

Thanks