Emulation
A term used to describe printer language compatibility. A printer emulates another printer by
interpreting the same language for printing. For example, a printer that emulates a Hewlett
Packard LaserJet II understands the PCL4 language used with the LaserJet II.
LED
A printing technology that utilizes a light beam instead of a laser. LED and laser technologies
work in much the same way and produce very similar quality output.
Pages Per Minute (ppm)
A measurement that refers to the printer's engine speed. Pages per minute is the maximum number
of sheets the printer can physically output each minute. Complex pages with many fonts or complex
graphics will take longer to print.
Resolution
The level of detail that can be printed by a printer, indicated by dots per inch (dpi). Most
businesses use a 300 or 600 dpi printer. 1,200 dpi models are available for those needing professional-quality
output.
RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computing)
A type of processor that understands a smaller number of instructions than an ordinary processor.
RISC processors can be much faster than ordinary processors, particularly for intensive calculations
such as those performed by a laser printer.
Smoothing
An image enhancement feature. With smoothing, the printer fills in the jagged edges of an image
with small dots to create a smoother looking line.
