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Glossary

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standardized way of assigning codes to characters and control codes. The system is widely used by manufacturers of computers, printers, and software.

clients

The computers that get services from the server on a network. The service may differ depending on the access rights approved by the administrator.

default

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

dpi (dots per inch)

The number of dots per inch is a measure of printer resolution. The higher the number of dots, the higher the resolution.

driver

The part of a software program that converts commands from the program into commands used by the printer. Also known as the printer driver.

drum

The part of the printer mechanism where the image is formed and transferred to paper.

font

A set of characters and symbols that share a common typographic design and style.

interface

The connection between the printer and the computer. A parallel interface transmits data one character or code at a time, while a serial interface transmits data one bit at a time.

landscape

Printing that is oriented sideways on the page. This orientation gives you a page that is wider than it is high and is useful for printing spreadsheets.

memory

The part of the printer's electronic system that is used to store information. Some information is fixed and is used to control how the printer operates. Information that is sent to the printer from the computer (such as downloaded fonts) is stored in memory temporarily. See also RAM.

orientation

Refers to the direction in which characters are printed on a page. This direction is either portrait, where the length of the page is longer than its width, or landscape, where the width is longer than its length.

photoconductor unit

A component of the printer that contains a photosensitive print drum.

portrait

Printing that is oriented upright on the page (as opposed to landscape, in which printing is oriented sideways on the page). This is the standard orientation for printing letters or documents.

printer driver

See driver.

RAM

Random Access Memory (RAM) is where temporary information is stored.

resolution

A measure of the fineness and clarity of images produced by the printer or monitor. Printer resolution is measured in dots per inch. Monitor resolution is measured in pixels.

RITech

Resolution Improvement Technology. A feature that smooths the jagged edges of printed lines or shapes.

server

The computer used to provide services for the clients on a network. The server holds the database, files, printers, etc., and access rights of each service.

status sheet

A report that lists the printer settings and other printer information.

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