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THE PRINTER & ITS SOFTWARE

Now that you know some PC programs never use all of the printer's capabilities and some PC programs imply the printer has features that it really doesn't have, the next step is to examine more closely what goes on between programs and printers. Some software packages want to control each dot a printer puts on paper; other software packages let the printer determine the shape and location of the symbol to be printed. You need to know how the software is using the printer to figure out where the characters are coming from.

Novices expect to print what they see on-screen. Unfortunately, monitor (and video board) technology is completely different from printer technology. Application software sends one set of commands to present a diagram on the monitor and another set of commands to present a diagram on paper. Application software has the difficult task of translating between all combinations of monitors and printers. This task is so difficult that a special term has entered the language: What You See Is What You Get. The acronym for this phrase is WYSIWYG - pronounced Wizz ee wig.

Applications that attempt WYSIWYG are called graphics, drawing, or desktop publishing packages. Apple's Macintosh has been the leader in making WYSIWYG available to the masses. These packages send dots to the screen and printer. Most other applications do not attempt WYSIWYG. Instead, they send letters to the screen and printer. When applications send letters, the screen and printer decide how to draw the letters.

To send a capital A, a unique pattern of 8 bits is required. The computation of the individual dots making up the letter A requires more time and transferred information. If the device is a monitor, the letter A usually is drawn in a 9-by-18-bit box. This means that 9 x 18 = 162 bits are computed and transmitted. If the device is a laser printer, the number is 900 bits.

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