PPDS levels
Level 1
Level 1 is the basic level of PPDS, providing the basic services needed by any printer. This level is represented by the 9- and 24-Level 2
Level 2 incorporates enhancements in the font selection, print quality selection and paper handling. This level is represented by the Quietwriter and Quickwriter family of products. The following commands enable you to use these enhancements: *Select Font Global: Allows the IBM font global identifier to select fonts *Select Code page: Allows the IBM code page identifier to select the code page or character set *Page Presentation Media: Allows cut sheet and envelope feeding from one or more sources *Space Forward and Backward: Allows easier text justificationLevel 3
Level 3 provides enhancements to the previous PPDS levels for page type printers, such as the IBM LaserPrinter 4019. The enhancements are: *Cursor positioning: Allows the placement of text and images at any position on the page *Save and Manage Macros: For working with form overlays and repetitive command sequences *Rule and Fill: Allows the filling of drawings with different patterns *Page orientation: Allows changing of the page's orientationLevel 4
Level 4 adds new features of the IBM LaserPrinter 4029 to the previous PPDS levels. These features include compression, scalable fonts, and enhanced orientations. *Raster Image: Allows the compression and decompression of data *Comprehensive Font Selection: Added support for scalable fonts *Set Print Angle: Adds support for different anglesPPDS vs. PCL 1-5
Both languages define different printable areas for a given physical medium. PCL and PPDS use different characteristics or orders when searching for a substitute font. PCL uses ASCII-encoded numerical values as command parameters, while PPDS uses binary encoded parameters.Modern printer support
Several modernExternal links