Download


To copy data (usually an entire file) from a main source to a peripheral device. The term is often used to describe the process of copying a file from an online service or bulletin board service (BBS) to one’s own computer. Downloading can also refer to copying a file from a network file server to a computer on the network.

In addition, the term is used to describe the process of loading a font into a laser printer. The font is first copied from a disk to the printer’s local memory. A font that has been downloaded like this is called a soft font to distinguish it from the hard fontsthat are permanently in the printer’s memory.

The opposite of download is upload, which means to copy a file from your own computer to another computer.

Read Also:

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    Abbreviation of dots per inch, which indicates the resolution of images. The more dots per inch, the higher the resolution. A common resolution for laser printers is 600 dots per inch. This means 600 dots across and 600 dots down, so there are 360,000 dots per square inch.

  • downstream

    (adj.) A transmission from a server to an end user. A downstream transmission can be in the form of a signal being transmitted from a server to a workstation across a network, such as a LAN, or a signal being sent from a cable service provider to a customer. A transmission from an end user […]

  • draft quality

    Describes print whose quality is less than near letter quality. Most 9-pin dot-matrix printers produce draft-quality print.

  • drag

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  • drag-and-drop

    Describes applications that allow you to drag objects to specific locations on the screen to perform actions on them. For example, in the Macintosh environment, you can drag a document to the trashcan icon to delete it. This is a classic case of drag-and-drop functionality. When implemented well, drag-and-drop functionality is both faster and more […]


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