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Drivers
What is a Driver?
A driver is a software program that enables your software applications
to access your mopier’s features. For example, when you print a
document, the application sets up your print job with formatting
commands such as page breaks, font selections, paper tray selections,
and number of copies. The driver takes these commands, translates them
into a printer language (such as Hewlett-Packard’s Printer Control
Language (PCL) or PostScript), and then sends the job to the printer or
mopier. The driver’s interface allows you to select various mopier
features that other software applications don’t support directly, like
automatic stapling.
Typically, a driver must be installed on your computer for each printer or
mopier you are using. Each operating system needs a different printer
driver. For example, a Windows 3.11 user can user the CD-ROM Install
Utility to install the Windows PCL and PostScript drivers. The
exception is UNIX, in which there is no operating system driver; instead
each application must support the printer directly.
Most applications allow you to access the printer driver through the
Properties, Print, Print Setup, or Page Setup commands. Print job
settings selected through your application typically override equivalent
settings made through the printer driver. Printer settings made in the
application or printer driver typically override the corresponding setting
made on the mopier control panel.
In some environments, the mopier can send status information back to
the operating system. This capability is called bidirectional
communication, since information is sent to and from the mopier. In a
bidirectional environment, the optional printer accessories are detected
and enabled in the driver automatically. In non-bidirectional
environments, accessories that are installed in your mopier need to be
set manually in your driver. For example, to use the duplexing feature in
a non-bidirectional environment, you must enable this feature in the
driver.
You must install the complete printing system to get bidirectional
communication. In bidirectional environments, the driver automatically
detects the existence of those accessories. Drivers must be installed for
clients. In some environments, drivers are downloaded automatically to
clients.
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