Non-standard PCL generated by Canon iR-ADV C5235/5240 printer driver

[TimWoodward]

In our software we need to be able to convert SPL files which printer drivers write to the C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS folder to PDF files. For SPL files in PCL format we perform this conversion using pcltool.exe from VeryPDF, which mostly works fine. However we are having trouble with SPL files generated by the printer driver "Canon iR-ADV C5235/5240 PCL6". As an example, the following SPL file results from printing out a single page in notepad with the word "something" on it:

http://files.etvdzs.info/00025.spl

Converting 00025.spl using pcltool.exe results in a 70-page PDF with a row of garbage characters at the top of each page. Attempting to open 00025.spl using other PCL viewers gives similar results. We asked VeryPDF and they told us it is not a valid PCL file.

Can anybody tell me what exactly is invalid about this file? Is there any possibility of converting it to valid PCL or otherwise extracting usable data from it? Is it possible to configure the printer driver somehow so that it produces valid PCL?

Incidentally, we had a similar problem with Postscript files generated by the "Canon iR-ADV C5235/5240 PS3" printer driver. There were binary sequences beginning with $CDCA10 and ending with $FFFF000000000000000001 at various positions in the files. After removing these sequences, we were then able to convert the files as normal. Does anybody know why Canon puts these sequences into the spool files?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

This is a camera forum, there may be someone who is interested in your question, but don't be surprised if no one does.

 

[TimWoodward]

Thanks for the reply! Would you perhaps be able to suggest any other forums which might be more appropriate? Thanks again -- Tim

 

[dgatwood]

Have you tried stripping everything up to the first escape character?

 

[TimWoodward]

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't quite sure what you meant by the "first escape character", so I tried removing the everything at the start of the file up to the string "HP PCL-XL". This gives the following result, which still doesn't load properly in any PCL software I have tried:

http://files.etvdzs.info/startremoved.spl

However, I may have done something wrong.

My current theory is that the printer driver is inserting CPCA codes into the PCL, as mentioned in the following post:

http://www.freelists.org/post/winprndev/Canon-PCL-XL,3

Ideally, I would like to be able to configure the driver so that it does not put these CPCA codes into the PCL.

Thanks again for the help.