What is the difference bet. HPGL and GPGL?

[Geminis076]

Hi, I've upgraded my Master Tiger 1000 machine for a Graphtec CE 5000-60 cutter, which is being delivered today. I have no prior Graphtec experience, so reading up on a few things and hopefully I won't bombard the forum with questions once I have the machine set-up, want things to go smoothly!

I'm seeing HPGL and GPGL a lot in posts, other than:

HPGL = Hewlett Packard Graphic Language
GPGL = Graphtec Plotter Graphic Language

I don't really know what this is or why you would use one over the other? If it's not too much trouble I'm wondering if someone can tell what each is for or when / why they would be used? My computer is running Windows XP.

I will only be using my machine to cut Oracal 651 vinyl, and nothing else such as specialty vinyl. Not sure if this machine can print, been reading things about the "optical eye", doesn't sound like something I will be using, if it can print I don't plan to print, just cut.

Thanks in advance!

 

[P Wagner]

HPGL is more widely supported in various software programs (Flexi, Signlab). GPGL is used in software OEM'd by Graphtec (FineCut for example). I'd set it up for HPGL and forget it.

 

[omgsideburns]

I run my graphtec in HPGL if that says something.

 

[knucklehead]

If you plan to use the Cutting Master program that comes with the Graphtec, one has to use GPGL.

 

[Tel]

The 5000-60 cutter does not print, also if using anything but the graphtec software use HPGL i.e. flexi and signlab etc, but if using the graphtec software use GPGL. I assume as you was using a differnet make of cutter before you will not be using the Graphtec software so set up for HPGL. The optical eyes refered to can be the ones for detecting width etc or for registration marks to cut to a print done on a printer.
We have a 5000-120 which we to cut to registration marks from a uniform printer. As a cutter it is excellent, no complaints about it at all, but then we have a Graphtec CE1000-60 which has been in daily use for 10 years and never gave any problems and is constantly in use, we use flexi 7.5 in both for cutting but use wasatch when printing and cutting to registration marks, we do have the odd problem detecting registration marks sometimes, but as a cutter on flexi the 5000 is great.
regards Tel

 

[Geminis076]

I assume as you was using a differnet make of cutter before you will not be using the Graphtec software so set up for HPGL.

Hi, thank you for mentioning that. My cutter just arrived yesterday so I'm still reading and learning. I was previously using SignGo Lite software, nothing fancy but very simple and easy to use, I became very use to it. I would like to continue to use SignGo Lite, depending on how simple things are I may switch over to some of the other options that the Graphtec came with, but for now if possible I would like to try and continue using my current software. I use other things like FLASH, Corel, and Illustrator to create designs, and only use SigoGo to communicate with the machine and determine measurement settings.

Thanks for everyone who has posted so far !

 

[Frosted Images]

I have the FC8000-75 series. I set my plotter to Auto regardless of what program I use to cut from. It solves all those problems. I use Vinyl Master Pro 2.95v, Cutting Master with Illustrator CS3 and CorelDraw X4. Setting it to Auto will allow it to accept both languages from any program.

 

[Case]

HPGL is more widely supported in various software programs (Flexi, Signlab). GPGL is used in software OEM'd by Graphtec (FineCut for example). I'd set it up for HPGL and forget it.

Finecut is for Mimaki, not Graphtec, Cutting Master is Graphtec....

But anyways, the rest of your statement is true...

Case

 

[knucklehead]

I have the FC8000-75 series. I set my plotter to Auto regardless of what program I use to cut from. It solves all those problems. I use Vinyl Master Pro 2.95v, Cutting Master with Illustrator CS3 and CorelDraw X4. Setting it to Auto will allow it to accept both languages from any program.

Can the CE 5000 be set to auto? If so, HOW? Thanks Mike