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Glossary
A
AC
Alternating Current. The type of electrical current typically
available from household wall outlets.
Application
Abbreviation of the phrase “application software.” Software
designed for a specific purpose such as word processing
software, spreadsheet software, database software, or a
combination of these.
B
Bit
An indication of the volume of data used to describe points in an
image. A 1-bit image assigns image data black or white color
values depending on whether the brightness value is above or
below a particular threshold value. The result is a two-color
image. An 8-bit grayscale image expresses an image in 256
shades of gray ranging from white to black. A 24-bit color image
assigns 8 bits to each RGB color channel, expressing each pixel
in approximately 16.8 million colors.
Bold
A characteristic of a printed character with wider, and darker
representation. Also referred to as emphasized or double-strike
printing.
Brightness
The relative proportion of light and dark areas. Decreasing
brightness darkens the overall image; increasing brightness
lightens it.
C
Client
A computer that is connected to the printer over a network. A
client does not control the printer directly. It interacts with the
printer through a server. See also Server.
Collate
To print multiple copies of a multi-page document in sequential
page order.
Color Matching
In some cases, the range of colors captured by a scanner
exceeds the range that can be displayed by a particular monitor.
In addition, the colors displayed for an image on the monitor may
be slightly different from those output by a printer. Color Matching
is the process used to make the colors captured by a scanner
consistent with those shown on a display or printed on a printer.
Command
An instruction that tells the machine to perform a certain function.
Commands are sent from the computer to the machine via the
interface cable when the machine is ready.
Contrast
The degree of difference between the lightest and darkest areas
of an image. Decreasing contrast lightens the dark areas and
darkens the light areas; increasing it darkens the dark areas and
lightens the light areas.
