Printer Glossary | Joe’s Printer Buying Guide

Short definitions used in our reviews. Shopping: buying guides.

ADF

Automatic document feeder. Loads a stack of pages for scan/copy without lifting the lid. Useful for homework packets and invoices.

Duplex

Automatic two-sided printing. Saves paper; slower than single-sided.

DPI

Dots per inch. Higher is not always better for text; it matters more for photos.

PPM

Pages per minute. Marketing speeds often use draft mode. Treat as a relative hint.

Page yield

How many pages a cartridge or bottle is rated for, usually ISO. Real yield drops with color coverage.

EcoTank

Epson’s bottled-ink system. Higher upfront cost, lower ink cost if you print often.

Instant Ink

HP’s subscription that ships cartridges based on page counts. Fine if you stay in plan; expensive if you cancel mid-cycle or print bursts.

PCL / PostScript

Office printer languages. Home buyers can ignore these unless IT requires them.