Glossary

Note that these definitions apply specifically to printers.

application program

A program that helps you carry out a particular task, such as word processing or financial planning.

ASCII

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

baud rate

A measure of the speed of data transmission. Usually equivalent to bits per second.

bidirectional printing

Printing in which the print head goes from left to right only on every other line. On the other lines, it goes from right to left. This increases the speed of printing because the head prints in both directions.

bit

A binary digit (0 or 1), which is the smallest unit of information used by a printer or computer. See also number systems.

byte

A unit of information consisting of eight bits.

condensed

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

Glossary GL-1