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This story was printed from CNET Asia.
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When your PC is ready to print
something, it needs to tell the printer how to print it, so it must include
information about fonts, where to print text, how to print pictures, and so on.
It does this by using the printer's page description language. The most common
page description language is PCL, used by Hewlett-Packard printers. PostScript
is a common page description language as well.
In order to translate what's on your PC into
the printer description language, your PC needs to use a piece of software
called a printer driver. This driver takes the information from your file and
formats it in such a way that the printer can understand it, using the printer's
page description language. Each printer has its own unique printer driver.
A processor inside the printer receives the instructions
on what needs to be printed. The processor controls the printer mechanism and
instructs the printer on what to do.
Different kinds of printers, such as laser printers and
inkjet printers, use different technologies to do their actual printing. An
inkjet printer, for example, uses a print cartridge that moves sideways across a
piece of paper, which fires colored ink through tiny nozzles onto paper.
