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Page description language
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Digital_printing/kpyN6xVe">digital printing</a>, a page description language (PDL) is a computer language that describes the appearance of a printed page in a higher level than an actual output <a href="/facts/Bitmap/Fr80ySnT">bitmap</a> (or generally <a href="/facts/Raster_graphics/HkXNc8oI">raster graphics</a>). An overlapping term is printer control language, which includes Hewlett-Packard's <a href="/facts/Printer_Command_Language/M7C1zrrg">Printer Command Language</a> (PCL). <a href="/facts/PostScript/4EeEtnLv">PostScript</a> is one of the most noted page description languages. The <a href="/facts/Markup_language/WwhlNVIu">markup language</a> adaptation of the PDL is the page description markup language. </p><p>Page description languages are text (human-readable) or binary data streams, usually intermixed with text or graphics to be printed. They are distinct from graphics <a href="/facts/Application_programming_interface/GMlN4vUr">application programming interfaces</a> (APIs) such as <a href="/facts/Graphics_Device_Interface/C8yuXxtL">GDI</a> and <a href="/facts/OpenGL/xQoMWePr">OpenGL</a> that can be called by software to generate graphical output. </p>