GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Online

Parallel interface

Park position

Permanent memory

Pitch

Platen

Print head

Printer driver

Proportional spacing

When the printer is online, it is ready to receive or is receiving commands from the computer. The printer must be online to print.

A standard computer interface. Information is transferred between devices over separate wires, allowing all of the bits that make up the character to be transmitted simultaneously (in parallel).

The position in which continuous forms paper is retracted or “parked” on the tractors. When continuous forms paper is loaded, it moves forward from the park position to the platen.

Memory that retains information even when power is turned off. The printer’s permanent memory retains the default settings specified using the printer setup mode.

Characters per horizontal inch (cpi).

A hard rubber cylinder that moves paper forward during printing.

The printing mechanism in a dot matrix printer. The print head consists of several print wires (pins) arranged in a matrix. The pins strike the ribbon in the pattern needed to create the desired character. Depending on the printer model, the print head has either 9 or 24 pins.

A set of instructions in application software that translates formatting choices into printer commands. When installing the application, the user identifies the type of printer being used so the application knows which printer driver to use.

Character spacing in which wide characters occupy more space than do narrow characters. For example, characters such as “W” or “M”occupy more horizontal space than do characters such as “i” or “l.” Many soft fonts are proportionally spaced. Sometimes designated PS, proportional spacing is the opposite of monospacing.

Glossary

User's Manual

GL-5