• Because PCL files are meant to be read directly by the printer, viewing their content can sometimes be difficult. A common misconception is that PCL files can be opened with any text editor. One way to open PCL files is by using WYSIWYP (what you see is what you.
• Details are provided for PCL, PCL XL, HP-GL/2, PJL and PML. Note that this tool does not interact with a printer - it merely displays details from built-in tables. PRN File Analyse. This tool provides an analysis of the contents of a nominated print file. It recognises and deciphers PCL, PCL XL, HP-GL/2, PJL and PML.
• Select some PCL-compatible printer, e.g. HP LaserJet 4, or whatever your fax is comptaible with; When you print to this printer, Windows will write the output to that file. Many programs allow you to redirect printing to a file; in this case, you'd be able to select a different file name for each print job.

PCL or Printer Command Language is a page description language and PCLReader enables you to search, index, extract and view the code. This way, you can print PCL files on any given non-PCL.

Author: Jay Geater | Last Updated: November 26, 2018

PCL File Summary

Four known software programs (notably, PCLTool developed by Page Technology Marketing, Inc) are related to the PCL file extension. In addition, they are categorized under a single primary file type, described as the Printer Command Language Document format. Generally, these files are considered Page Layout Files.

File Extension PCL files have been identified on both desktop and mobile devices. They are fully or partially supported by Windows, Mac, and Linux. These files have a Popularity Rating of 'Low', meaning they are not very commonly observed on your average hard disk.

Please see the detailed information below to learn more about PCL files and the programs that can open them. In addition, we provide simple troubleshooting information to help you open your PCL file.

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What is a PCL file?

PCL is a document file created using PCL (Printer Command Language), a language originally used by Hewlett-Packard printers. Currentl PCL is considered the industry standard, and many more producers use it. PCL file is generated using ‘print’ or ‘print to file’ command. PCL files can be printed using any printer that support PCL standard.

PCL has the advantage of fast data processing and wide support. Quality of the print depends solely on given device capabilities.

Program(s) that can open the .PCL file

How to open PCL files

If you cannot open the PCL file on your computer - there may be several reasons. The first and most important reason (the most common) is the lack of a suitable software that supports PCL among those that are installed on your device.

A very simple way to solve this problem is to find and download the appropriate application. The first part of the task has already been done – the software supporting the PCL file can be found in the table. Now just download and install the appropriate application.

Possible problems with the PCL format files

The inability to open and operate the PCL file does not necessarily mean that you do not have an appropriate software installed on your computer. There may be other problems that also block our ability to operate the HP Vector Graphics Format file. Below is a list of possible problems.

• Corruption of a PCL file which is being opened
• Incorrect links to the PCL file in registry entries.
• Accidental deletion of the description of the PCL from the Windows registry
• Incomplete installation of an application that supports the PCL format
• The PCL file which is being opened is infected with an undesirable malware.
• The computer does not have enough hardware resources to cope with the opening of the PCL file.
• Drivers of equipment used by the computer to open a PCL file are out of date.

If you are sure that all of these reasons do not exist in your case (or have already been eliminated), the PCL file should operate with your programs without any problem. If the problem with the PCL file has not been solved, it may be due to the fact that in this case there is also another rare problem with the PCL file. In this case, the only you can do is to ask for assistance of a professional staff.

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How to associate the file with an installed software?

If you want to associate a file with a new program (e.g. my-file.PCL) you have two ways to do it. The first and the easiest one is to right-click on the selected PCL file. From the drop-down menu select 'Choose default program', then click 'Browse' and find the desired program. The whole operation must be confirmed by clicking OK. The second and more difficult to do is associate the PCL file extension to the corresponding software in the Windows Registry.

Pcl File Viewer

Is there one way to open unknown files?

Open Pkl Files

Many files contain only simple text data. It is possible that while opening unknown files (e.g. PCL) with a simple text editor like Windows Notepad will allow us to see some of the data encoded in the file. This method allows you to preview the contents of many files, but probably not in such a structure as a program dedicated to support them.