Printer Dictionary / Printing Jargon Buster

"The meaning, or significance of abbreviated terms relating to printing."

ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) - For automatically feeding paper into the scanner, allowing multiple pages to be scanned

All-in-One Printer - A multi-function printer offering print, scan, and copy facilities.

Apple AirPrint- An application allowing wireless printing from Apple iPad, iPhone, and iPod devices.

DPI (Dots Per Inch) - The maximum printing resolution of the print head.  Maximum of dots printed per inch which form the final image.

Cartridge - A plastic tank containing ink or toner, sometimes featuring a fixed print head or microchip.

CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System) - Ink cartridges connected to external ink tanks via silicon tubes.  Allow for continuous printing without replacing ink cartridges. 

Dye Ink - Water based printer ink made with dyes and colorants which can provide smooth, vivid colours, but with a lower resistance to fading. 

Eco-Solvent Ink - Solvent based ink for outdoor use.  Water-proof and resistant to fading.

Epson EcoTank - Printers featuring fixed ink tanks that can be refilled with printer ink.

Email Printing - An application allowing print jobs to be sent via email directly to your printer.

Google Cloud Print - An application allowing print jobs to be sent via the connected Internet directly to your printer.

HP Instant Ink - A scheme for HP to provide ink directly to customers using electronic ink monitoring.

Ink (See Dye Ink, Pigment Ink, Eco-Solvent Ink, Sublimation Ink)

Inkjet Printer - A printing machine using piezo or thermal print heads for delivering ink to media.

Laser Printer - A printing machine using heated toner to produce images on paper and card.

Lubrink - Desktop printer refilling ink for Brother, Canon, Epson, HP, and Ricoh printers, containing a small amount of lubricant.

Lubrinked - A printer or cartridge that has been refilled with Lubrink ink.

Lubrinking - Refilling an inkjet printer or cartridge with Lubrink ink.

Memory Card Slots - Data transfer ports which SD / Micro SD etc. cards slot into and connect to the printer.

Monochrome Printer - Usually a Laserjet printer that prints in black only.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition)

Paper Size - Describes the sizes of paper media a particular printer can handle.

Pictbridge - Application and connection method for digital cameras.

Pigment Ink - A liquid containing pigments used for printing.  More water-proof and fade resistant than dye ink. 

Premium Inks - A printer Ink brand owned by Rapid Resolutions Ltd, based in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. 

Print Head - Responsible for transferring ink to paper by heating small droplets of ink to a very high temperature.

Print Speed - Describes how many pages a printer can print in a minute.  Speeds vary depending on printer mode settings and the type of media used.

Refillable Cartridges - Empty plastic ink tanks that can be refilled and re-used numerous times.  Often containing a microchip which communicates estimated ink level information to the printer.

Sublimation Ink - (Also known as Heat Transfer Ink or Dye Sub Ink) is used to transfer images to polyester or specially coated media.  Images are printed on high resolution paper, before being placed against the target object.  Heat is applied for a specific amount of time at a controlled temperature. 

Toner - Cartridges are filled with toner powder for use in Laserjet printers.

Wi-Fi Direct - Devices can connect with each other without a wireless access point (router).

Wireless - The transfer of data between two points without using a wired connection.

Wireless Printing - Send print jobs to a printer without a wired connection, usually via an Internet router.

*This page is constantly being edited and is subject to change.