HPGL, short for Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language, is a printer control language used by Hewlett-Packard plotters and some other vector graphics printers. Given its ASCII structure, DXF files can be read and understood by many software platforms, making it a widely accepted format for CAD data interchange. Online DXF to HPGL conversion DXF, or Drawing Exchange Format, is a CAD data file format developed by Autodesk to facilitate compatibility between AutoCAD and other programs.