graphics device interface (GDI)

The Graphics Device Interface (GDI) is a Windows-specificprogramming interface through which drawing operations are performed on graphics hardware- graphics cards, monitors and printers.

The GDI interface is device-independent and supports, for example, printers that do not have their own Raster Image Processor( RIP). In addition, the GDI interface can determine information about printer-relevant parameters, such as sheet size, line width, color, etc., define output objects such as fonts, bitmaps, and color palettes, and perform drawing functions that are called from applications.

The GDI interface places a load on the computer's central processing unit( CPU) and memory, which can be degrading for larger print jobs. Printers with the GDI interface cannot be used as network prin ters because they do not support data communication over networks. In addition, the Graphics Device Interface also cannot meet certain requirements for document color representation, since GDI does not support CMYK, cannot work with spot colors or transparency, and cannot handle a color depth higher than 8 bits per color channel.