How to Copy Fonts to an HP Printer
By Alexis Lawrence
When you purchase an HP printer, numerous standard fonts come preinstalled on the unit. If these fonts do not satisfy your printing needs, however, you can install new fonts onto the computer. The number of fonts that can be installed on your printer depends upon the printer’s memory. PCL is a font language supported by all HP printers. It can be used to copy new fonts to any HP printer at any time.
Step 1
Download the font or fonts that you would like to install onto your HP printer. You can purchase a CD of additional fonts or you can download fonts for free from websites such as “urbanfonts” or “1001 Free Fonts” (see links in Resources below).
Step 2
Go to the “Start” menu on your computer, open the “Accessories” folder and click “Run.” Type “Edit” in the command box to pull up the DOS editor.
Step 3
Pull down the “File” menu in the editor's window and choose “Open.” Navigate to the folder on your hard drive where the font file is saved and double-click the font file to open it. The font file will appear in the editor window.
Step 4
Assign a font ID to the font file. To assign an ID to the font, press “Ctrl" and "P” while the cursor is at the “C:” prompt, then release both keys. “[ESC]” will appear. Type “c{num}D” directly after [ESC],” replacing “{num}” with the ID number you would like to assign the font and press the “Enter” key.
Step 5
Copy the file to the printer. To copy the file over from the computer to the printer, type “COPY/B [font name] LPT1” at the new prompt in the editor, replacing “[font name]” with the file name of the font to copy the font to the local printer.
Step 6
Designate the font as permanent if you want it to remain installed on the printer. To make the font permanent, press “Ctrl" and "P” and let go to make the “[ESC]*” symbol appear, then type “c5F” and press “Enter.” If you do not designate the font as permanent, it will be deleted upon the next printer reboot.
References
Tips
- If a font has the same ID as a font already installed on the printer, the newly installed font will replace the original font. It can be beneficial to keep a list of all fonts installed on the computer along with their ID numbers to prevent older fonts from accidental deletion.
Writer Bio
Alexis Lawrence is a freelance writer, filmmaker and photographer with extensive experience in digital video, book publishing and graphic design. An avid traveler, Lawrence has visited at least 10 cities on each inhabitable continent. She has attended several universities and holds a Bachelor of Science in English.