foo2hbpl

pbmraw to HBPL2 converter for Dell and Xerox printers

TLDR

Convert pbmraw to HBPL2 stream for printing

$ gs -q -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pbmraw -sOutputFile=- [file.ps] | foo2hbpl2 > [output.hbpl]

Use the wrapper script to convert PostScript directly

$ foo2hbpl2-wrapper [file.ps] > [output.prn]

Convert with specific resolution

$ foo2hbpl2 -r[1200x600] < [input.pbm] > [output.hbpl]

Print color document using bitcmyk input

$ gs -sDEVICE=bitcmyk -sOutputFile=- [file.ps] | foo2hbpl2 -c > [output.hbpl]

Set page dimensions in pixels

$ foo2hbpl2 -p[10200x6600] < [input.pbm] > [output.hbpl]

SYNOPSIS

foo2hbpl2 [OPTIONS] < PBMFILE > HBPL2FILE
foo2hbpl2-wrapper [OPTIONS] [PS-FILE]

foo2hbpl2 converts Ghostscript pbmraw, bitcmyk, or pksmraw output to HBPL2 (HP Bi-directional Printer Language 2) streams for certain laser printers. Supported printers include Dell 1355, Dell C1765, Epson AcuLaser M1400, Fuji Xerox DocuPrint series, Xerox Phaser 3010/3040, and Xerox WorkCentre 3045/6015 MFP.
The tool is typically used in a pipeline with Ghostscript to convert PostScript or PDF files to printer-ready format. The foo2hbpl2-wrapper script provides a convenient interface that handles the Ghostscript conversion automatically.
foo2hbpl2 is part of the foo2zjs project, which provides open-source drivers for various laser printers that use proprietary page description languages.

PARAMETERS

-c

Force color mode output.

-r XRESxYRES

Set device resolution in pixels per inch (default: 1200x600).

-p WIDTHxHEIGHT

Set page dimensions in pixels.

-n COPIES

Number of copies to print (default: 1).

-d DUPLEX

Duplex code to send to printer.

-u XOFFxYOFF

Set offset of printable region from upper left corner in pixels.

-A

AllIsBlack: convert C=1,M=1,Y=1 to K=1 (bitcmyk input only).

-B

BlackClears: K=1 forces C,M,Y to 0 (bitcmyk input only).

-D LEVEL

Set debug level.

CAVEATS

Requires Ghostscript for PostScript/PDF processing. Only works with specific printer models that use HBPL2 protocol. The driver bypasses standard CUPS/PPD mechanisms, so printer-specific settings may need manual configuration.

HISTORY

foo2hbpl2 is part of the foo2zjs project initiated by Rick Richardson. The project provides open-source drivers for printers that lack native Linux support, reverse-engineering proprietary protocols like ZjStream, HBPL, and others. The foo2zjs family has enabled Linux printing on numerous budget laser printers since the early 2000s.