What is Printing Terminology?
In Microsoft Windows, the following are printing-related terms:
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Print device:
A hardware device that produces printed output, such as a LaserJet, ink-jet, or dot-matrix print device. Most people loosely refer to these devices as “printers,” but the term “printer” has a specific meaning in the Windows operating system, as described below.
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Printer:
A software interface installed on a Windows computer that allows users and applications to print to a print device. Microsoft uses the term “print device” to refer to the actual hardware device; “printer” refers to the software interface that controls that device. To create a printer, you use the Add Printer Wizard in the Printers folder.
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Print server:
A computer with which a print device is associated. A print server receives print jobs from clients and sends them to the print device.
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Printer driver:
A series of files that convert printing commands into machine-specific language for sending them to a print device. Each model and make of print device has its own specific printer driver.
NOTE
Print devices can be further subdivided into two types:
TIP
Keep network-interface print devices on the same network or subnet as their print server to minimize the extra network traffic. Be sure that your print server has sufficient RAM for processing documents and sufficient disk space for spooling print jobs. Dedicating a computer to the role of print server is usually recommended, especially if that computer will manage several print devices.