foo2lava

foo2lava [options] < input.foo > output.hpgl

-d
    Set the resolution in dots per inch (dpi). Common values include 300, 600, etc.

-p
    Specify the paper size. Typical values are a4, letter.

-x
    Set the X offset. Used to adjust the horizontal positioning of the output.

-y
    Set the Y offset. Used to adjust the vertical positioning of the output.

-z
    Print in ZjStream protocol

-r
    Rotate the output image by specified degrees clockwise.

The foo2lava command is a utility primarily used in conjunction with the foo2zjs and foo2xqx printer drivers. These drivers are open-source printer drivers designed to work with various GDI-based printers, mainly those from HP. Specifically, foo2lava takes the output generated by these drivers (typically in the form of a custom printer language) and converts it into HPGL (Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language). HPGL is a vector-based printer control language commonly used in plotters and older laser printers. This conversion allows users to print to HPGL-compatible devices, which might not directly support the native output format of the foo2zjs/foo2xqx drivers.

The tool is useful when you want to produce a vector graphics output or when you want to print to a plotter that understands HPGL.
It allows for printing from applications that don't inherently support HPGL. It bridges the gap between modern printing systems and older HPGL-based output devices. The command-line tool itself is very straightforward, usually acting as a filter, taking input from standard input and writing the converted HPGL output to standard output, though sometimes it can also accept input files.

foo2lava is dependent on the foo2zjs or foo2xqx drivers. Ensure these drivers are properly installed and configured first.
The quality of the HPGL output depends on the complexity of the original input. Complex images may not translate perfectly. Not all features available in foo2zjs/foo2xqx may be fully supported in the HPGL output.

To convert a foo2zjs output file to HPGL:
foo2lava < input.foo > output.hpgl
To set the resolution to 600 dpi:
foo2lava -d 600 < input.foo > output.hpgl

The foo2lava command was developed as part of the larger foo2zjs project to expand the compatibility of GDI-based printers under Linux. Its purpose was to provide a mechanism to translate the output from the foo2zjs and foo2xqx drivers into HPGL, a widely supported plotter language. It allows printers to be used as plotters

foo2zjs(1), foo2xqx(1)