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Glossary

The following definitions apply specifically to printers.

automatic roll paper cutter

The built-in paper cutter, which automatically cuts images printed continuously on roll paper.

Background Printing

When background printing is on, the computer can be used for other operations while printing a document. When it is off, the computer will suspend all other operations while printing a document, but print data will be sent to the printer more quickly.

banding

The horizontal lines that sometimes appear when printing graphics. See also MicroWeave.

Bluetooth

A wireless technology that enables different devices to communicate without the need for cable connections.

Borderless printing

A printing mode that allows you to print without margins on all four sides of the paper.

brightness

The lightness or darkness of an image.

CMYK

Cyan (blue-green), magenta, yellow, and black. These colored inks are used to create the printed colors in the subtractive system.

Collate

A setting that has the printer print copies of multiple-page documents in complete sets rather than print copies of the document page by page.

color matching

Generic term for methods of processing color data so that colors displayed on a computer screen closely match colors in printouts. A variety of color-matching software or systems are used for different occasions. See also ColorSync and ICM (Image Color Matching).

ColorSync

Macintosh software that is designed to help you achieve the color matching. See also color matching.

Contrast

A setting that maximizes or minimizes the difference between the bright and dark parts of an image.

default

A value or setting that takes effect when the equipment is turned on, reset, or initialized.

DMA

Direct Memory Access. A data transfer feature that bypasses a computer's CPU and allows direct communication between a computer and peripheral devices (like printers), and between one peripheral device and another.

Double-Sided Printing

A printing mode that allows you to print on both sides of the paper.

dpi

Dots per inch. The dpi measures the resolution. See also resolution.

drive

A memory device, such as a hard disk, CD-ROM, or floppy disk drive. In Windows, a letter is assigned to each drive for easy management.

driver

Software that sends instructions to a computer peripheral to tell it what to do. For example, your printer driver accepts print data from your word processor application and sends instructions to the printer on how to print this data. Together, the printer driver and printer utilities are referred to as "printer software". See also printer software.

economy printing

Printing in which images are printed with fewer dots to save ink.

Edge Smoothing

Improves the print quality of low-resolution images by smoothing jagged edges and lines. This setting has no effect on high-resolution images or on text.

EPSON MonitorIV

A utility for Macintosh that allows you to manage print jobs that are in a print queue. This utility also shows the status of the job currently being printed. (See print queue)

EPSON StatusMonitor

A utility for Macintosh that monitors the printer status. If the StatusMonitor detects a printer error, it will inform you with an error message.

EPSON Status Monitor 3

A utility for Windows that provides printer status information, such as the amount of ink remaining, and checks for printer errors.

Finest Detail

This printer software setting automatically makes your printouts sharper and clearer, especially for text. Be aware that this may increase the time required for printing.

Fit to Page printing

A printing mode that automatically enlarges or reduces the size of your document to fit the paper size selected in the printer software.

font

A set of type characters of one style and size.

Gamma

A setting that controls image contrast by modifying the mid-tones and mid-level grays.

grayscale

A scale of shades of gray from black to white. Grayscale is used to represent colors when printing with black ink only.

Head Cleaning utility

A utility that cleans the print head, allowing the print head nozzles to deliver ink properly.

high speed printing

Printing in which the print head prints images in both directions as it moves back and forth. This provides faster printing.

ICM (Image Color Matching)

The color matching method used by Windows. See also color matching.

ink cartridge

Contains the ink that your printer uses to print.

ink jet

A method of printing in which each letter or symbol is formed by precisely spraying ink onto paper.

Ink Levels

A graphic display of the amount of ink remaining in each cartridge.

interface

The connection between the computer and the printer. See also parallel interface and USB interface.

interface cable

The cable that connects the computer to the printer.

local printer

The printer connected to the computer's port directly by an interface cable.

margins

The space around the edge of the paper outside of the printable area. See also printable area.

media

Materials upon which data is printed, such as plain paper, envelopes, special paper, and transparency film.

MicroWeave

Printing in which images are printed in finer increments to reduce the possibility of banding. See also banding.

Mirror Image

This printer software setting flips your printout, left to right.

monochrome

Printing which uses only one color of ink, usually black.

Nozzle Check utility

A utility that checks the print head nozzles to see if they are clogged and need to be cleaned.

nozzles

Fine tubes in the print head through which ink is sprayed onto the page. Print quality may decline if the print head nozzles are clogged.

operation check

A method for checking the operation of the printer. When you perform a printer operation check, the printer prints some information codes followed by a nozzle check pattern.

Orientation

Settings that determine the orientation of your printout. Select between Portrait (tall) or Landscape (wide).

Pages Per Sheet printing

A printing mode that allows you to print two or four pages on a single sheet of paper.

parallel interface

An interface that is used for one-to-one connection between a computer and a printer. See also interface.

PhotoEnhance

A printing mode that provides a variety of image correction settings that you can apply to your photos before printing.

port

An interface channel through which data is transmitted between devices.

Poster Printing

A printing mode that allows you to enlarge a single document page to cover 4, 9, or 16 printed sheets of paper and put them together to make a poster.

printable area

The area of a page on which the printer can print. It is smaller than the physical size of the page due to margins.

printer driver

See driver.

printer software

The printer software which comes with your printer includes a printer driver and printer utilities. The printer driver lets you choose from a wide variety of settings to get the best results from your printer. The printer utilities help you check the printer and keep it in top operating condition. See also driver and utilities.

printer utilities

See utilities.

Print Head Alignment utility

A utility that aligns the print head so images will print clearly. Used when printed images are blurry, or when misaligned vertical lines or horizontal bands appear in the printout.

PRINT Image Matching

This system enables stunning printing to be achieved easily through the combination of a digital camera loaded with the PRINT Image Matching function and a printer that supports such matching. Print commands are attached to photo data during digital camera photography and the printer adheres to these commands to print photos with the color match that optimally fulfills the objectives of the digitally composed shots.

Print Preview

A setting that allows you to see how your document will look before actually printing it.

print queue

A waiting line in which print jobs that are sent to the printer via network are stored until they can be printed.

Profiles

Standards that allow different devices to operate with one another using Bluetooth wireless technology. Profiles are defined by the uses and features they allow devices to perform, such as printing or scanning from a computer. To share this information, the devices must be compatible with the same profile.

Quality Option settings

A number of print quality settings that are available in the printer software.

Reduce/Enlarge Document

A printing mode that adjusts the printed size of your document.

reset

To return a printer to its defaults by turning the printer off and then quickly back on.

resolution

The number of dots used to represent an image, expressed as (horizontal dots) x (vertical dots).

Reverse Order

A setting that allows you to print your documents in reverse order, starting with the last page.

RGB

Red, green, and blue. These colors, in phosphors irradiated by a cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor's electron gun, creates the screen colors with additive mixture.

Rotate 180°

A setting that rotates the page to be printed 180 degrees.

Saturation

A setting that modifies the vividness of color. The lower the saturation, the duller the colors. The higher the saturation, the more vivid the colors.

spool

The first step in printing, in which the printer software converts the print data into codes that your printer understands. This data is then sent directly to the printer or to the print server.

spool manager

The software that converts print data into codes that your printer understands. See also spool.

sRGB

The color management method used to maintain color consistency between devices which adhere to the sRGB standard.

Status Monitor

The software that allows you to check the printer's status.

USB interface

Universal Serial Bus interface. Enables the user to connect up to 127 peripheral devices (such as keyboards, pointing devices, and printers) to the computer through a single, general-purpose port. USB hubs allow you to add additional ports. See also interface.

utilities

Software that allows you to monitor and maintain your printer. Together, utilities and the printer driver are referred to as "printer software". See also printer software.

Watermark printing

A printing mode that allows you to print text or an image as a watermark on your printout.

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