Summary

6 IT Essentials: PC Harware and Software Companion GuideStep 5.Test the driver. To test the driver, choose Start > Settings > Printers and Faxes.Right-click the printer and choose Properties. Then choose Print Test Page. Ifthe printer does not work, restart the computer and then try again.The printed test page should contain text that you can read. If the text is unreadable, theproblem could be a bad driver or that the wrong Page Description Language has been used.Page Description Language (PDL)A Page Description Language (PDL) is a type of code that describes the appearance of adocument in a language that a printer can understand. The PDL for a page includes the text,graphics, and formatting information. Software applications use PDLs to send What YouSee Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) images to the printer. The printer translates the PDL fileso that whatever is on the computer screen is what is printed. PDLs speed the printingprocess by sending large amounts of data at one time. PDLs also manage the computerfonts.There are three common PDLs:■■■Printer Command Language (PCL): Hewlett-Packard developed PCL for communicationwith early inkjet printers. PCL is now an industry standard for nearly all printertypes.PostScript (PS): Adobe Systems developed PS to allow fonts or text types to share thesame characteristics on the screen as on paper.Graphics Device Interface (GDI): GDI is a Windows component that manages howgraphical images are transmitted to output devices. GDI works by converting images toa bitmap that uses the computer instead of the printer to transfer the images.Table 14-1 compares PostScript to PCL.Table 14-1PostScript Versus PCLPostScriptPage is rendered by the printer.Better quality output.Handles more complex print jobs.Used on Mac OS.Output is identical on different printers.PCLPage is rendered on the local workstation.Faster print jobs.Requires less printer memory.Not supported by Mac OS.Output varies slightly on different printers.