platen

The black roller that provides a backing for the paper during printing.

proportional printing

Printing in which the width of the character varies from character to character. For example, a capital W receives much more space than a lowercase i. The result looks more like a typeset book than a typewritten draft.

RAM

Random Access Memory. The portion of the printer’s memory used as a buffer and for storing user-defined characters. All data stored in RAM is lost when the printer is turned off.

reset

To return a printer to its defaults by sending a command or an INIT signal or by turning the printer off and then back on.

self test

A method for checking the operation of the printer. When the self test is run, the printer prints out its current DIP switch settings and the characters that are stored in its ROM.

subscripts

Printing in which each character is printed at about two-thirds the normal height in the lower part of the character space.

superscripts

Printing in which each character is printed at about two-thirds the normal height in the upper part of the character space.

top of form

The position on the paper that the printer recognizes as the first printable line. The printer feeds the paper to this position when it loads the paper.

Glossary GL-5