2012 Printers: Some Terms You'll Hear

Cartridge yield: The number of pages a user can expect to produce from a single cartridge, based on measurements made under controlled conditions. Since print projects require varying amounts of ink, such numbers should be considered for comparison only, and not a guarantee of the number or cost per page.

Cloud printing: Printing from whatever device you’re using, even away from the printer.

Duplex printing: Two-sided printing. With automatic duplex printing, the unit automatically prints on both sides of the sheet. Without this feature, you must manually reload paper after one side is printed.

Duty cycle: The maximum number of pages a printer should produce in a month. This figure is typically much higher than the recommended duty cycle, which is a better indication of the print volume that unit is designed to handle.

Laser or LED printer: Describes the light source used to create the printed image. Both approaches produce consistent high-quality prints, indistinguishable to most users.

Monochrome: Single-color output — almost always black. When describing print speed, vendors use “monochrome” or “black” interchangeably.

PPI and DPI: Terms sometimes used interchangeably to describe a printer’s resolution, though they actually measure different things. DPI refers to the dots per inch on a screen or a printed page, while pixels per inch refers to the density of pixels in an image file.

PPM: Pages per minute, as a measure of print or copy speed.

Pigment inks: Unlike the dye-based inks found in most inkjets, pigment inks do not dissolve as readily in water, producing what manufacturers claim is a more durable print.