
Last time I looked at Inkscape printing on windows it was using the gtk+ print API which in turn uses the cairo win32 printing surface. I tested printing from Inkscape on windows by printing to a file (using a driver for a PS printer) and using the PDFCreator print driver. When you run the extension, the Printing Preferences dialog should appear, which will allow you to specify page size, etc. This will print only to the default printer, so you may need to modify the default printer ahead of time. Then use the Inkscape menu item Extensions->Export->Win32 Vector Print. To use this method, copy the two files print_win32_vector.py and print_win32_vector.inx into the directory \Inkscape\share\extensions\. Since I do not have access to a true laser cutter, any feedback would be more than welcome. This behavior does not occur at narrow linewidths. In addition, each curve is drawn twice, in the opposite direction, to produce an outline shape. In the 'rasterized' output the original spline is replaced by a sequence of dozens of very short lines, similar to what one might send to a CNC machine.

At larger linewidths it produces a 'rasterized' output. At small linewidths it produces pure HPGL as desired (which in this case is cubic Bezier splines). For testing purposes I am using the printer driver for an 'HP Laser Jet 1200 Series PCL 5e' printer at 600 dpi. The printout will be vector graphics as long as the line width is 1 pixel or less in printer units, so in Inkscape you may need to use a line width of 0.05 pixels, roughly.


Then use the Inkscape menu item Extensions- >Export- >Win32 Vector Print. inx into the directory \Inkscape\ share\extension s\.

To use this method, copy the two files print_win32_ vector. This particular method will work only on Windows, but if I understand the various reports correctly, this rasterization problem occurs only on Windows. Attached is a proposal to produce a vector graphics printout.
