byte

A unit of information consisting of eight bits.

carriage return (CR)

The control code that returns the print position to the left margin. When issued together with a line feed, the print position moves to the left margin of the next line. In bidirectional printing, the print head may not physically move to the left margin.

character set

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

condensed

Printing in which each character is approximately 60 percent of the width of standard characters. For example, condensed 10 characters per inch (cpi) has 17 characters per inch. Useful for fitting wide tables or spreadsheets onto the paper.

continuous paper

Paper which has sprocket-feed holes on both long edges, is perforated between pages, and is supplied in a folded stack. Also called fanfold paper.

control code

In addition to the codes for printable characters, the ASCII standard also includes 33 other codes which are called control codes. These control codes perform such functions as sounding the beeper and performing a carriage return or line feed.

cut sheet feeder (CSF)

An optional, detachable device which automatically feeds single sheets of paper into the printer.

data dump

Sometimes called hex dump. A troubleshooting feature. When the printer is in the data dump mode, each code that it receives is printed in hexadecimal notation.

2Glossary