The Printing Process

The specifics of the printing process vary with the printer type, but all printers have the same goal: to turn pages created with software into hard copy. Here's an overview of the printing process:

1.
An application program in the computer sends a print request to the printer. Unlike MS-DOS applications, which send commands directly to the printer, Windows-based applications send the command to the Windows operating system, which relays the command to the printer.
2.
Windows uses a print queue to manage print jobs, storing one or more print jobs in the default temporary directory until the printer is ready.
3.
After the printer is ready, it receives a stream of data from the computer through its interface. The data stream ...

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