---
name: "ppmtopj"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "netpbm"
version: "10.86.51-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ppmtopj"
---

# ppmtopj(1)

convert a PPM image to an HP PaintJet file

## NAME

ppmtopj - convert a PPM image to an HP PaintJet file

## SYNOPSIS

**ppmtopj**

\[**-gamma** *val*\]

\[**-xpos** *val*\]

\[**-ypos** *val*\]

\[**-back** {**dark**\|**lite**}\]

\[**-rle**\]

\[**-center**\]

\[**-render** { **none** \| **snap** \| **bw** \| **dither** \| **diffuse** \| **monodither** \| **monodiffuse** \| **clusterdither** \| **monoclusterdither** }\]

\[*ppmfile*\]

## DESCRIPTION

This program is part of **Netpbm**(1) .

**ppmtopj** reads a PPM image as input and converts it into a format suitable to be printed by an HP PaintJet printer.

For best results, the input file should be in 8-color RGB form; i.e. it should have only the 8 binary combinations of full-on and full-off primaries. You could convert your input to this format like this:

```
    pamseq 3 1 testimg.ppm >8color.pam
    pnmremap -map 8color.pam testimg.pam | ppmtopj
```

Or you could use

```
    ppmdither -red 2 -green 2 -blue 2
```

## OPTIONS

In addition to the options common to all programs based on libnetpbm (most notably **-quiet**, see \
  Common Options ⟨index.html#commonoptions⟩ ), **ppmtopj** recognizes the following command line options:

- **-rle**

  Run length encode the image. (This can result in larger images)

- **-back**

  Enhance the foreground by indicating if the background is light or dark compared to the foreground.

- **-render** *alg*

  Use an internal rendering algorithm (default dither).

- **-gamma** *int*

  Gamma correct the image using the integer *int* as a gamma (default 0).

- **-center**

  Center the image to an 8.5 by 11 page

- **-xpos** *pos*

  Move by *pos* pixels in the x direction.

- **-ypos** *pos*

  Move by *pos* pixels in the y direction.

## SEE ALSO

HP PaintJet XL Color Graphics Printer User's Guide, [**pnmtopclxl**(1)](/pnmtopclxl/1.md) , [**pjtoppm**(1)](/pjtoppm/1.md) , [**pamdepth**(1)](/pamdepth/1.md) , [**pnmremap**(1)](/pnmremap/1.md) , [**pamseq**(1)](/pamseq/1.md) , [**ppmdither**(1)](/ppmdither/1.md) , [**pbmtolj**(1)](/pbmtolj/1.md) , [**ppmtolj**(1)](/ppmtolj/1.md) , [**ppmtopjxl**(1)](/ppmtopjxl/1.md) , [**thinkjettopbm**(1)](/thinkjettopbm/1.md) , **ppm**(1)

## AUTHOR

Copyright (C) 1991 by Christos Zoulas.

## DOCUMENT SOURCE

This manual page was generated by the Netpbm tool 'makeman' from HTML source.  The master documentation is at

-

  **http://netpbm.sourceforge.net/doc/ppmtopj.html**