Glossary of Terms
DPI - Acronym for Dots Per (square) Inch or addressable Dots Per Inch
Drum - Usually refers to an optical photo conductor (see OPC)
Duplex - To print on both sides (auto-duplex is to automatically print on both sides)
Four-pass - Refers to color laser print engines that require four imaging passes in order to produce a single color page (usually equates to slow and noisy color printing)
Fuser - Usually refers to printer’s fusing unit
GDI - Acronym for Graphic Device Interface which is another term for host-based Language (commonly found in the least expensive printers)
Ink-jet - Non-impact dot matrix printing technology using liquid ink droplets
IPM - Acronym for Images per Minute (usually refers to scanning speeds)
Laser - Non-impact page printing engine type using electro-static toner and xerographic technology with optics and a laser light source
LED - Non-impact page printing engine type using electro-static toner and xerographic technology with LED (Light Emitting Diode) light source
OPC - Acronym for Optical Photo Conductor (also referred to as a drum, imaging unit, or print cartridge)
PCL - Acronym for Printer Control Language (indicates compatibility with specific HP printers as in PCL4, PCL5, PCL5c, and PCL6)
Postscript - The printer control language, owned by Adobe, that is the industry standard for most types of printing and publishing (usually found in higher end printers)
PPI - Acronym for Pixels Per Inch (usually refers to scanner or monitor resolution)
PPM - Acronym for Pages Per Minute (usually refers to laser or led print speeds)
Single-pass - Refers to color laser print engines that requires just one imaging pass in order to produce a single color page (usually equates to faster color printing)
SOHO - Acronym for Small Office Home Office
Solid ink - Non-impact dot matrix printing technology using molten wax-ink droplets (currently used on select Xerox models)
Toner - Main imaging supply used by xerographic copiers and printers. Electro-statically charged particles fused to paper to create an image
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