> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.parallels.com/landing/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.parallels.com/landing/ras-universal-printing-best-practices/v20/parallels-ras-universal-printing-best-practices/print-formats.md).

# Print formats

Parallels Remote Application Server Universal Printing sends print jobs in different formats depending on the client operating system, as shown in the table below.

| Platform      | EMF                                                                                                                                          | PDF                                                                                                                                          | BMP                                                                                                                                          |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Windows       | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> |
| Linux         |                                                                                                                                              | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> |                                                                                                                                              |
| Mac           |                                                                                                                                              | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> |                                                                                                                                              |
| Android       |                                                                                                                                              | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> |                                                                                                                                              |
| iOS           |                                                                                                                                              | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> |                                                                                                                                              |
| Windows Phone |                                                                                                                                              | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> |                                                                                                                                              |
| Chrome App    |                                                                                                                                              | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> |                                                                                                                                              |
| Web           |                                                                                                                                              | <img src="https://content.gitbook.com/content/Wgar1CZZf3FcUHAAbJcK/blobs/I9kPDogYjkdQ4wpKE5Ze/tick.gif" alt="tick.gif" data-size="original"> |                                                                                                                                              |

The Enhanced Metafile format (EMF) is available on the Windows platform only. EMF allows to generate smaller print jobs and supports font embedding. EMF requires less server resources compared to PDF and BMP. Documents are spooled page by page, which expedites the printing process.

PDF is a portable format and is available on all platforms, but a complete document is spooled during printing (not individual pages), which requires more terminal server resources. On the other hand, PDF has the best compression and retains all fonts within.

BMP (bitmap image) requires larger network data transfer and heavily utilizes the terminal server resources. Printing job is spooled page by page. A BMP image is rasterized on the server side and has complete font consistency compared to EMF and PDF.

Additionally, for specific printers/applications, RAS Universal Printing can automatically switch to the ready to print (RAW) format when necessary.

## **Parallels recommends**

* Use EMF when possible.
* In Windows, PDF should only be used when end users experience incorrect printer output such as garbled print, truncated text, or missing characters (incorrect or missing fonts).


---

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