thinkjettopbm

Convert a HP ThinkJet printer commands file to a PBM file

$ thinkjettopbm [path/to/input] > [path/to/output.pbm]

$ thinkjettopbm [[-d|-debug]] [path/to/input] > [path/to/output.pbm]

thinkjettopbm [-white] [-notrail] [pjlfile]

-white
    Inverts the image colors. By default, the output PBM represents the ThinkJet's black background as black (1) and foreground dots as white (0). This option flips the bits, resulting in a white background (0) and black foreground (1), which is more typical for displaying text.

-notrail
    Suppresses the output of trailing empty rows that are typically generated by ThinkJet printers at the end of a page.

pjlfile
    The path to the input file containing the HP ThinkJet printer stream. If omitted, the command reads input from standard input (stdin).

thinkjettopbm is a utility from the Netpbm package designed to convert print streams intended for HP ThinkJet printers into a portable bitmap (PBM) image format. This command is particularly useful for processing output generated by older applications or `hp2xx`, which would otherwise be sent directly to a ThinkJet or compatible DeskJet 500 printer.

It reads the printer data, typically from a specified file or standard input, and produces a PBM image on standard output. If the input stream contains multiple pages, thinkjettopbm concatenates them vertically into a single large PBM image. This tool serves as a bridge for visualizing or further processing print data from vintage HP printers in modern environments.

This command is designed for a very specific and old printer technology (HP ThinkJet from the 1980s) and might not be relevant for modern printer formats or systems. It assumes a specific PCL-like stream and may produce unexpected results with other printer data.

thinkjettopbm is part of the Netpbm project, a long-standing collection of graphics manipulation utilities. Its existence dates back to the era when HP ThinkJet and DeskJet 500 printers were common, likely developed to provide interoperability and visualization capabilities for their specific printer output streams, particularly in Unix-like environments. Its role has diminished with the obsolescence of these specific printer models, but it remains a historical piece of the Netpbm toolkit.

hp2xx(1), pbm(5), netpbm(1)