Glossary

The following definitions apply specifically to printers.

ASC/I

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. A standardized coding system for assigning numerical codes to letters and symbols.

auto line teed

When this feature is selected in the default-setting mode, each carriage-return code (CR) is automatically followed by a line-feed (LF) code.

bidirectional printing

Printing in which the print head prints in both directions. This increases the speed of printing.

bit

A binary digit (0 or l), which is the smallest unit of information used by a printer or computer.

butter

The portion of the printer’s memory used to store data before printing it.

bVte

A unit of information consisting of eight bits.

characters per inch (cpi)

A measure of the size of text characters, sometimes referred to as pitch.

character table

A collection of letters, numbers, and symbols that provides you with the characters used in a particular language.

condensed printing

Printing in which the width of each character is approximately 60% of the width of standard characters. Useful for fitting wide tables or spreadsheets onto the paper.

control code

Special codes used to control printer functions such as performing a carriage or line feed.

See characters per inch.

defbult

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

dot matrix

A method of printing in which each letter or symbol is formed by a pattern (matrix) of individual dots.

Glossary GL-1