Printer Terms Glossary

Printer packaging and settings are full of abbreviations. Here's what the common ones mean.

ADF (automatic document feeder)

A tray on top of the scanner that feeds multi-page originals through one sheet at a time.

AirPrint

Apple's built-in printing technology for Mac, iPhone and iPad. Supported printers need no driver on Apple devices.

All-in-one (multifunction)

A printer that also scans and copies, and sometimes faxes.

Cartridge

A replaceable container of ink or toner.

DPI (dots per inch)

A measure of print resolution. Higher figures allow finer detail, though real-world quality depends on more than DPI.

Driver

Software that lets a computer communicate with a particular printer. Modern systems include general drivers for many printers.

Duplex

Printing on both sides of the page. "Automatic duplex" means the printer flips the page itself.

Ethernet

A wired network connection using a network cable.

Ink tank (refillable)

An inkjet design with built-in tanks you refill from bottles, instead of replacing cartridges.

IP address

A device's address on a network, used to add a printer manually.

IPP (Internet Printing Protocol)

A standard way for devices to send print jobs over a network. Much of today's driver-free printing builds on it.

Mopria

An industry standard for printing from Android and other devices to printers from many brands.

Page yield

The approximate number of pages a cartridge or toner is rated to print under standard test conditions.

PPM (pages per minute)

A rated print speed. Real speeds vary with the document and settings.

Print queue (spooler)

The list of jobs waiting to print on your computer.

SSID

The name of a Wi-Fi network.

Toner

The fine powder laser printers use instead of liquid ink.

Wi-Fi Direct

A direct wireless link between a device and a printer without a router.

WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup)

A push-button method for joining a device to Wi-Fi without typing the password.