The Apple IIGS can send and receive information at a wide range of speeds from 50 bits per second to 19,200 bits per second. The important thing is that the computer and the printer or modem agree in advance on the speed that the bits will be traveling.

Bits per second (bps) is more commonly referred to as baud, which means "rate of transmission." The computer is more adaptable about baud than the device, so check what baud the device uses and select the same speed for the computer by using the Baud option. You'll usually find baud listed on a specifications page in the manual that came with your printer or modem. The most common baud for modems is 1200. The most common baud for printers is 9600.

A baud of 300 is about one double-spaced typed page per minute.

The computer sends and receives each character of data out the serial port as a string of bits. Characters can be represented with seven or eight data bits. It doesn't matter which you choose as long as there is agreement between the computer and the device it's communicating with. The most common data format is eight data bits. The manual that came with the device will indicate what setting to use.

Stop bits are used to mark the end of each string of data bits. Some devices expect to receive one stop bit; others expect to receive two.

Some devices expect to receive a parity bit, which is used by the receiving device to make sure the data didn't get garbled during transmission There are three parity options you can select: odd parity, even parity, or no parity. Most devices don't use parity checking, so if you're unsure about what to select, choose No Parity.

Changing printer/modem port settings

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