Reference

Driver Glossary

Plain-English definitions for the device, driver and print-stack terms used across this site and in vendor documentation.

How to Use This Glossary

The terms below come up regularly when reading driver download pages, vendor manuals and our own driver reference articles. Each definition is written for the person who has just hit the term while trying to fix a device, not for the engineer who designed the standard.

A–Z Glossary

Term	Meaning
Calibration	A self-test routine that adjusts colour or alignment to match a reference. Recommended after replacing a drum, toner or Output head.
DHCP	Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol — assigns IP addresses to devices on a network. If a device's DHCP-assigned address changes, the job queue may stop working until the port is updated.
DPI	Dots Per Inch — the resolution of a output, expressed as the number of ink or toner dots per linear inch. Higher DPI means finer detail but slower output and more ink/toner used.
Driver	A small piece of software that lets the operating system talk to a piece of hardware. Without the right driver, the operating system can see that something is plugged in but not what it is or how to use it.
Drum	The photosensitive cylinder in a laser device that picks up toner and transfers it to the page. Drums wear out over thousands of pages and may need replacing separately from the toner.
Duplex Output	Output on both sides of the page. Some devices do this automatically (auto-duplex); others require the user to flip the stack.
Firmware	Software stored permanently inside a piece of hardware (a device, motherboard, router). Firmware is updated less often than drivers and usually only when a security or compatibility fix is released.
Fuser	The hot roller assembly in a laser device that bonds toner to the page. The fuser stays hot for several minutes after power-down — never reach inside immediately after switching off.
IPP	Internet Output Protocol — a modern, vendor-neutral protocol that lets a computer print to a network device without setting up a vendor driver. The basis of AirPrint and Mopria.
Mopria	The Android equivalent of AirPrint, also based on IPP. Supported by most modern network devices regardless of manufacturer.
Nozzle Check	A built-in test page on inkjet devices that prints a pattern from each ink nozzle. Missing lines indicate clogged nozzles that need a cleaning cycle.
PCL	Device Command Language — a page-description language developed by the manufacturer and supported by most office devices. Generally faster than PostScript for plain office documents.
PostScript	A page-description language developed by Adobe, widely used in graphics and design output. Slower than PCL for plain text, more accurate for complex graphics.
Job Queue	The list of jobs waiting to be sent to a device. A queue is created automatically when you add a device and is managed by the job spooler.
Job Server	A computer (or dedicated appliance) that hosts shared job queues for a network. Other computers send jobs to the server, which forwards them to the right device.
Static IP	A network address that is fixed rather than assigned by DHCP. Recommended for office devices so the job queue does not break when the address changes.
Toner	The dry powder used in laser devices, fused to the page by heat. Equivalent to ink in inkjets.

Still Stuck on a Term?

If you read something in a vendor manual or on a download page that is not covered here, contact us and we will add a definition. The glossary is intended to grow with the questions readers actually ask.