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Perforation skip  A feature whereby the printer automatically compensates for a page break and 
resumes printing from the top of the text area on the next page. 
 
Permanent font  A downloaded font that is retained when a printer reset is performed. 
 
Permanent macro  A macro stored in the printer that will not be erased if the printer is reset. 
 
Physical page  The paper or envelope on which the printer prints. 
 
Picture frame  The area of the physical page in which HP-GL and HP-GL/2 graphic images can be 
printed. 
 
Pitch  The number of characters in one inch of text.  Only applicable to monospaced 
(fixed pitch fonts.) 
 
Plot  A drawing produced using the HP-GL and HP-GL/2 graphics language.  So called 
because the language was originally invented for use with plotters. 
 
Plotter units  See graphics units. 
 
Point  The standard unit of measurement for character height.  Equal to 1/72". 
 
Point factor scaling   A form of image scaling using the SC command in HP-GL or HP-GL/2 mode in 
which the user units and the location of the scaling point P1 are specified in terms 
of graphics units. 
 
Point size See height. 
 
Polygon   A shape consisting of one or more closed groups of connected lines. 
 
Polygon buffer  An area of printer memory in which you can store one or more polygons and sub-
polygons defined using HP-GL and HP-GL/2 commands.  Some HP-GL and HP-
GL/2 commands use the polygon buffer automatically. 
 
Portrait  The orientation in which the side edges of the page are longer than the top edge. 
 
Posture  A component of a font's style - whether it is upright or italic. 
 
Primary font  In LaserJet mode the printer maintains two current font settings.  The primary font 
is the first of these. 
 
Print model  A way of describing the interaction between different graphic elements ( source 
image,  pattern and destination image ). 
 
Printable area  The area of the page on which the printer can print. 
 
Print position  The position from which printing of the next character or graphic object will begin,  
providing that no operations that change the print position are performed in the 
interim. 
 
Proportional spacing  Fonts intended for high quality typographic output use a method of character 
spacing in which the space occupied by a single character on a line of text depends 
on the individual design of the character.  This is known as proportional spacing.  
Scalable fonts are almost invariably proportionally spaced.