Printer driver confusion (long)

["Thomas Michanek" <thomas.michanek@xxxxxx>]

I'm guessing Dov Isaacs is the person to ask directly,
but I'm interested in any takes on the following issue.

When setting up your system to correctly print or produce
PDF in Windows, there's a lot of terms floating around:
printer, printer driver, virtual printer, printer instance,
printer driver instance, driver installer, AdobePS, PSCRIPT,
printer description files, PPD files, INF files, etc. etc.

I would like to know how to use these terms correctly,
and in the process learn how things work behind the scenes.
I'm not looking for an explanation of the entire printing
process in Windows... luckily :-)

Here are some of my questions, which are all related:

When adding a "printer" in Windows (to the printer list,
not physically), what is the best term to use for what
is added: a printer, a printer instance, a printer driver
(for a printer), or a printer driver instance?
Is it correct that you can add more than one "printer"
connected to the same physical printer? 
Can these "printers" use different drivers, for instance
one using AdobePS and one using Microsoft's?

Do the names AdobePS and PSCRIPT specify a printer driver,
a "type" of printer driver, or a "family" of printer drivers?
When a "printer" is added using such a driver, is a copy of
the driver embedded in the added "printer", does the added
"printer" become an "instance" of the driver, or is the driver
a separate piece of software sitting around independently
of the added "printers"?
Does the AdobePS driver installer (the InstallShield Setup
utility downloadable from Adobe) correspond to the "Add Printer"
wizard available in the Windows Printer control panel?
Do you need to run the AdobePS driver installer each time
you need to add a "printer" using AdobePS, or is it any way
to "run" the AdobePS driver already installed on your system?

Is it correct that when you add a "printer", the driver
(driver installer?) must have access to a "printer description
file", specifying the name and model of the printer and all
its features, limitations and characteristics? These files
are called PPD files by Adobe, and INF files by Microsoft?
If so, what are the "PPD" files used by PSCRIPT on Windows 2000?
Often you do not see these files directly when you add a
"printer"; you only select the name of the manufacturer and
the printer model, but I guess each entry corresponds directly
to a PPD or INF file? The same seems to be true when you must
browse for a "printer" on your own: the driver/installer looks
for PPD or INF files, but present them as printer models?

If I understood these things better, I would know whether to
state that you "use a printer driver to add a printer" or
"use a driver installer to add a printer driver", or "add a
printer driver instance based on the AdobePS driver", or
whatever is more technically correct. I would also know
what an added "printer" actually is or consists of: a PPD/INF
file, printer driver code, low-level device driver, etc.

If there's any document or help file that explains this in
a good and technically correct way, please direct me to it!

Thanks in advance!


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Thomas Michanek, Technical Writer
IAR Systems AB, Sweden: http://www.iar.com
mailto:Thomas.Michanek@iar.se
Tel: +46 18 167800, Fax: +46 18 167838
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